Reducing the stigma of mental health

What is therapy and what is it like? That’s the question many contemplate when considering services. For the therapists at Acquire, therapy is using your expertise on yourself, your strengths and our knowledge on mental health to help you get what YOU want out of therapy. We can help recognize patterns, challenge them if needed, offer ways to change that pattern, or if you need attunement and attachment, we can provide that too. We use brain-based techniques to help explain what’s going on in your brain and to treat mental health.

Most therapy services begin with a diagnostic assessment which consists of: current symptoms, family history, social history and a few questionnaires. After that, the therapist and client create goals to accomplish in therapy. Each therapist uses different styles, theories and techniques to reach goals. Studies show that rapport with the therapist is the strongest predictor of therapy success.

Therapy is a service and if it seems like it isn’t a good fit, it is OK to state that and to find a different fit.

Mental health can have a stigma around it. But our brain is an organ too and sometimes it “doesn’t feel good.” Because this can present in a variety of different ways (low mood, worries, lack of motivation, etc), people believe “willpower” will make it better. Just like we take care of our physical health, we need to care for our mental health. We can’t “will” away symptoms and it helps to have a neutral third party to talk things through.

Acquire provides individual, family and couples therapy for those 6+ in the Brainerd lakes area and in St. Cloud. We also offer comprehensive assessments, ADHD/ neurodivergent and health and wellness coaching virtually. We are always open to new ideas that can help improve mental health and wellness. In Brainerd, our therapy dog, Hudson, will be there to greet you most days.

We have a variety of therapists, all with different personalities and styles. Each therapist’s office is unique. We bring a human approach to therapy, where we put people first. Our first step is to create a non-judgemental stance and a safe environment so everyone feels free to be their genuine self. Afterward, we work on evidencebased techniques to help reduce your symptoms. Most of our therapists have been seen for therapy and understand the vulnerability felt. Our therapists acknowledge their own humanness, faults, and struggles.

Most people will need therapy at some point in their life, just like most people will need medical care. Sometimes people need help going through life’s transitions, grief (loss of any kind, not just death), or life stressors. Some people have significant trauma, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety or a neurodevelopmental disorder. Some need couples’ or family therapy. Sometimes a few sessions are enough, some people need therapy ongoing and some need to check in here and there. We take a clientcentered, integrative and holistic approach to the treatment of mental health and recognize that our client is the writer in their story.

BY MARY MARANA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR