Another pro-therapy comment. CBT saved my life after I "discovered" I have OCD in college. Such a scary feeling to not understand the cause of my thoughts and behaviors. Using one's own knowledge as a toolset for self-improvement could work sometimes, but I don't consider therapy an "alternative" to that.
As an aside, therapy and psychiatry is expensive partly because insurance doesn't cover things that don't definitively 'treat' or 'cure' a diagnosed illness. Maybe times are changing, but my holistic psychiatrist explained this to me years ago. Psychiatry is more often covered, but psychology almost never. This is also why a search for 'in-network' therapists often leads you to pill-pusher types.
As an aside, therapy and psychiatry is expensive partly because insurance doesn't cover things that don't definitively 'treat' or 'cure' a diagnosed illness. Maybe times are changing, but my holistic psychiatrist explained this to me years ago. Psychiatry is more often covered, but psychology almost never. This is also why a search for 'in-network' therapists often leads you to pill-pusher types.