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Ongoing therapy in order to get a better mental health is a good idea.

This sentence makes perfect sense to me, but looking at the definition it says "ongoing" is not a verb and is an adjective meaning "progressing", so am I misusing the word ongoing and is there a word that sounds similar that means what I mean to say?

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    The word ongoing is not wrong. You require an adjective here (ongoing, continuing, continual, extensive etc if you are referring to a lengthy process. But your sentence is clumsy. We speak of better mental health NOT a better mental health. And to improve / enhance mental health works better than get.
    – Ronald Sole
    Commented Dec 26, 2020 at 23:28
  • But I meant ongoing as a verb as in "taking therapy".
    – user88427
    Commented Dec 26, 2020 at 23:47
  • Then why not "taking therapy". There is no standard verb "to ongo"
    – James K
    Commented Dec 27, 2020 at 0:09

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Having/taking/going into therapy in order to improve/enhance/look after/maintain mental health is a good idea.

The original sentence doesn't make much sense because you don't describe any ongoing therapy in particular, you make a statement. You are looking for a gerund phrase to start this sentence with.

Eating this cake is easy.

Traveling is a good way to expand your worldview.

Taking therapy might be beneficial to your health.

Or you could simply go with

Therapy is a good way to improve mental health.

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  • Ah, so ongoing is not a verb?
    – user88427
    Commented Dec 27, 2020 at 3:17
  • @rikuwang no, it's an adjective originated from the phrasal verb "go on"
    – Andrew
    Commented Dec 27, 2020 at 3:18
  • “Taking therapy” is awkward to me (US English). We “go to” therapy or “see” a therapist.
    – Preston
    Commented Dec 27, 2020 at 3:59

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