Starting therapy

From Stuck to Unstuck: Signs Therapy Is Starting to Work

Wondering if therapy is helping? These real signs of progress aren’t always obvious, but they matter.

Written by
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Maggie Tinsley, MSW, LCSW
Senior Strategic Clinical Advisor, Spring Health
Clinically reviewed by
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Rebecca Quade
Senior Director, Clinical Customer Success

Therapy starts working when you feel less stuck, notice patterns, set new boundaries, or respond to stress in a more grounded way.

At Spring Health, we use evidence-based therapy so you can clearly see how treatment supports your overall mental well-being. Along the way, you’ll complete brief questionnaires that help track your progress and highlight areas of growth. This is called measurement-based care. The numbers that measurement-based care give us only tell part of the story. The other part is how you feel in daily life. Here are some key signs that therapy is working.

1. You Start Noticing Your Thoughts

One of the biggest shifts clients experience in therapy is the ability to notice their thoughts. What once felt automatic, spiraling into self-criticism, jumping to worst-case scenarios, or reacting impulsively, becomes something you can observe with a bit of distance. 

This kind of mental shift is particularly common among clients participating in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a structured and evidence-based approach that helps you identify, challenge, and reframe unhelpful thought patterns. 

Instead of letting your thoughts dictate your emotions or actions without question, you begin to pause. Midway through a negative thought, you might catch yourself and think, “Wait… is that actually true?” That moment of noticing? That’s therapy at work, and the beginning of real change.

2. You Have Less “All or Nothing” Thinking

Therapy often helps clients find balance. We tend to think in extremes: chasing perfection or clinging to one belief. Therapy offers perspective so you can start to say: “It’s not perfect, but that’s okay,” or, “Two things can be true at once.” 

This type of emotional growth is all about flexibility and it’s a sign that you’re making really good progress in therapy.

3. You Set a Boundary

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries… This is the mental health buzzword of the year. And with good reason! Setting boundaries can feel pretty uncomfortable, especially setting them in relationships. Maybe you finally tell your mom, “I don’t need more parenting advice,” or you let your boss know, “I won’t be responding to messages after 6 p.m.”

If it feels hard, that’s because it is. First, you have to admit to yourself that something isn’t working. Then, you have to speak up about it, often to someone you care about or rely on. Both steps take real emotional effort. So, if you’re doing it, it's a sign therapy is working. You’re facing hard moments instead of avoiding them by advocating for your needs.

4. You Handle a Trigger Differently

One way to tell therapy is working is when you start responding differently to your triggers. Maybe you pause to breathe instead of shutting down. You journal instead of rage-texting a friend. 

While therapy doesn’t erase triggers or even heal them, it gives you the tools to handle them as they come.

5. You Feel Better

Maybe it’s a little extra spring in your step or a quiet excitement about trying something new. Maybe your sleep is improving. Maybe you noticed relationships seem less difficult. It’s not about suddenly having all the answers, but about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that stress, doubt, burnout, and depression pushed aside.

Therapy isn’t a magic wand, it’s a series of small, courageous shifts. We can help you find a therapist who honors every step and uses forms of therapy that help you feel better, faster.

About the Author
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Maggie Tinsley, MSW, LCSW
Senior Strategic Clinical Advisor, Spring Health

Maggie Tinsley is a clinical leader dedicated to advancing behavioral health care and improving access to high-quality mental health support. As Senior Strategic Clinical Advisor at Spring Health, she partners with enterprises to design and implement evidence-based mental health strategies that improve workforce well-being. Maggie holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia, as well as a Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has provided frontline clinical care in schools, hospitals, an NCI-designated cancer center, and hospice settings. As a clinician, she integrates mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapy in her practice, with a focus on supporting individuals through life transitions, caregiving, and the challenges of chronic or advanced illness.

About the clinical reviewer
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Rebecca Quade
Senior Director, Clinical Customer Success

Rebecca Quade brings nearly 20 years of experience in leading clinical strategy, product development, and operations in healthcare. She focuses on developing and designing clinical programs that deliver solutions supporting overall health and well-being. Rebecca has also led efforts to integrate behavioral health within accountable care partnerships.

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