Watching someone you care about suffer is never easy. If they’re struggling with their mental or emotional health, you might want to consider encouraging them to try therapy.

You need to show your loved one that you’ve been listening to them. Make a list of your concerns and present them gently before asking if they’ve considered therapy.

If they seem receptive, you can share your own experiences with therapy and how it has helped you. However, you should never speculate about their mental

health diagnosis.

Start by discussing the issues you experienced that led you to try therapy, paying attention to issues you think your loved one can relate to. Be as vulnerable as you can.

If you haven't been to therapy yourself, share what you know about others who have had positive experiences, or any research you've done on therapy through reputable sources.

Understanding exactly what they can bring away from therapy may help your loved one, so share the tools your therapist was able to help you develop and how you apply them.

Outlining the actionable advice you received from your therapist and how it has helped you cope can make a major difference to a person deciding whether to make the investment.

If you’re in therapy, you can make it a bonding activity with your loved one. For example, after therapy you two can get together to talk about it over wine and reality TV.

You can still make yourself regularly available even if you are not in therapy. Whether your loved one is comfortable sharing or not, you can create a safe space for them to relax.