Decide Whether to Seek Therapy or Try Self-Help First

You are struggling and unsure whether this needs a therapist or whether good self-help resources would do. This prompt assesses severity and duration first: how long it has gone on and whether it is hitting your work, relationships or daily functioning. That read tells you whether self-help is a fair first step or whether you should go straight to professional support.

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You are struggling with [describe the issue: anxiety, low mood, relationship patterns, grief, or something else] and are unsure whether to seek professional therapy, try structured self-help resources, or do both.
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<task>
**Step 1: Assess the severity and duration**
How long have you been experiencing this? Is it affecting your functioning at work, in relationships, or in daily life? This informs urgency.

**Step 2: Understand what therapy and self-help each offer**
Explain honestly what structured self-help can and cannot achieve compared to working with a therapist, for this type of issue.

**Step 3: Assess practical barriers**
Cost, waiting times, and willingness to engage with a professional are all real factors. Name them rather than ignoring them.

**Step 4: Make a recommendation**
Seek therapy now / Start with self-help and reassess in six weeks / Both in parallel, with the key reason.
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<output_format>
- A severity and functioning assessment
- An honest comparison: what each approach can offer
- A recommendation with the key reason
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