It’s official – the holidays are upon us. While most agree that the holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, kindness and happiness, it’s also becoming increasingly common for our society to suffer from seasonal depression, stress and anxiety around the holidays. These negative feelings and issues can happen for a variety of reasons (hectic schedules, money concerns, familial tensions, grief over missing loved ones, etc.), and the prevalence they have in our modern lives is truly staggering. Some estimates report that over 10 million Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (a clinical case of seasonal depression) in any given year.

With mental health issues on the rise (or, perhaps, it’s more the awareness of the mental health issues that have always been there but have been too culturally taboo to express), we here at Archangel Therapy Group want to suggest the perfect Christmas gift that you should offer to yourself and your loved ones: therapy.

Seriously – giving the gift of therapy to those you care more about can be the perfect solution for the “what to buy for XYZ” stress this year, and can have a multitude of benefits for the giver and the recipient. Here are just a few of the reasons why therapy sessions make the best Christmas gift.

1. Escape the Holiday Stress

This one cuts both ways pretty obviously. For the recipient, it gives them a no-cost-to-them opportunity to meet with a professional to process any mental health issues associated with the holidays, or any issues they were dealing with beforehand. One of the biggest barriers to starting therapy for most people is the fear that treatment will be too expensive. By being given the gift of pre-paid sessions, this barrier is removed and they can approach the sessions without worrying about making a financial commitment.

For the giver, you get the opportunity to give something that’s neat and simple. No standing in line on Black Friday. No scouring the internet looking for the best deals and discounts. No fighting holiday shopping traffic to get to the store. No anxiety or stress about whether or not your recipient will get any real use out of their gift. Just clean, simple, easy gift giving. It’s pretty much the perfect gift from a buyer’s perspective.

2. Affordability

One of the biggest stressors for gift-givers in any given holiday season is the sheer amount of cost that’s associated with buying gifts for all the friends and family in your social circle. Nobody wants to be the “cheap” gift-giver, so we frequently overspend on Christmas gifts, even when we feel like we’re getting a good deal on them.

Therapy sessions, however, can be very inexpensive – especially in contrast to the value they can provide to the recipient. As the giver, you can get more “bang for your buck” by giving the recipient something they’ll actually benefit from. On top of that, the recipient can feel confident they got a good gift without causing any financial burden on the giver. It’s a win-win.

3. Flexibility

Have you ever noticed how many of the gifts we give and receive at the holidays are only useful under certain circumstances? That thick winter jacket? Only good for about six days a year in San Antonio. The golf clubs you gifted your uncle? Only good when the weather’s cooperating. It seems like it’s that way for a wide range of holiday gifts.

However, pre-paid therapy sessions are good year round and can be redeemed when the recipient is ready and able to make it. Maybe they need to get through the holidays before redeeming them. No worries. If it takes them months to use them, no sweat. Most of the time, the sessions don’t expire and can be used when and how the recipient wants.

Extra layer on the flexibility point – most therapists offer teletherapy through video conferencing, so your recipients can redeem their sessions remotely. That means you’re not handcuffed to only being able to use the sessions when based locally in town. Can’t get much more flexible than that.

4. Thoughtfulness

Perhaps we saved the most obvious reason for last. After all, therapy sessions are literally a mental health service. You can’t get much more thoughtful than that.

All puns aside, giving the gift of mental health treatment and wellness is one of the most considerate, thoughtful gifts you can give this holiday season. It’s more useful to the recipient than any tangible, physical good, and it can help them to better thrive and excel as an individual. Very few other gifts that you can buy at a store or on Black Friday can offer that.

Sure, there will be those who will say they don’t need therapy, but let’s be honest. We all need someone to talk through our baggage and struggles with, no matter how capable and confident in our own abilities we may feel. There’s nothing wrong with talking to a professional about the things in your life that weigh you down, because at the end of the day, we all have those things. There is always something for everyone in a therapy session, so don’t hesitate to gift therapy to a loved one for fear that they may think you’re judging or assuming things about them.

Conclusion

Whether you’re gifting to a loved one or yourself, therapy sessions are a thoughtful, useful and flexible gift to give this holiday season. They benefit everyone involved, from the giver to the recipient. Everyone could benefit from therapy sessions, regardless of their current outward appearance.

If you’re interested in gifting therapy sessions to a loved on this year, contact our team. We’d love to offer packages of sessions that can be redeemed at any time. We’d love to meet with you or your loved one, and we offer teletherapy sessions, if your recipient isn’t locally San Antonio based.