My answer to that would be, only you can really answer that…but why not?
There has been a lot of really great work done in recent years to destigmatise mental health and therapy, but I still come across a lot of hesitancy in clients. There still seems to be some fear around the perceived stigma of having a mental health condition or seeking therapy.
I wanted to use this blog to hopefully help answer some of the fears I come across when speaking to new clients.
People will judge me if I go for therapy.
My experience is that the vast majority of people would actually be supportive if they found out you had been for therapy. Who you tell is your business and if anyone does judge you for it, it says an awful lot more about them than it does about you.
If I can’t sort this out myself, I’m weak.
I believe my clients are some of the strongest people I know. It takes real strength and bravery to recognise you’re struggling with something and need some help. Reaching out to a therapist or GP is far from a sign of weakness, it’s a sign you believe life can feel better than it does just now, and you’re motivated enough to try and get there.
I need to fix this myself
Why? If you have a physical illness you would go to a doctor. If you were struggling to lose weight you might join a slimming class or go to a personal trainer. If you wanted to learn a new skill you might got to an evening class. We ask for help for all kinds of things and I’m sure most of us will know someone who has been to a weight loss class, sees a doctor for a medical condition or has been for training in something. That’s how I see therapy. You’re struggling with something that’s holding you back and I can help you work out what is going on and teach you the skills you need so you can do it yourself going forward.
How is it different to talking to my friends or family?
Friends and family are great, there are lots of things they can help us with. However, sometimes we need a different perspective on things. Friends and family are involved in your life, they have opinions and history with you – they love you. A therapist will support you but from an outside perspective; no expectations or judgement which we can sometimes feel (or project) from those we know best.
If you find yourself looking at therapists’ pages or doing a bit of research into it and asking yourself some questions about whether it could be for you, I’d say what have you got to lose? If something is holding you back from living the life you want to, it might be worth taking a chance and speaking to someone and seeing if they can help you overcome it.
Hopefully this might help to reduce some fears you may have about therapy and if there is anything you would like to chat through, please get in touch.
Take care,
Lindsey