I know I am not the only one that has been told “You should really see someone about that" and perceived it as incredibly offensive. Being told you need therapy can make you think they are crazy and incapable of handling your problems on their own. I am just showing up here on this blog post because I want you to know why it’s ok to go to therapy and how it can be an incredible and even life-changing experience.
Before I became a therapist, I didn’t think I needed to go to therapy
I was a 19-year-old freshman psychology major when my friend from high school gave me the one-liner in an email of “I think you should really see a counselor.”
Cool.
I was not happy about that. I was offended and felt that she didn’t want to be there for me because my problems were too big and pawning me off on a professional because I was just too much. I remember not talking to her for several days because I was so hurt.
At that stage of my life, I had already known I wanted to be a therapist. I was one of those people that knew exactly what they wanted out of a career right when I was starting college. I mean, I didn’t realize that being a therapist wasn’t just listening to people and caring about people all day but that’s a story for another time.
It’s ok to go to therapy.
I wish that I could go back to being that girl wearing hoodies, flare jeans, and t-shirts and tell her how ok it was to go to therapy because that’s really what I want to tell you. It’s not as big of a deal as we sometimes make it out to be in our heads. Trust me, because I made it out to be a HUGE thing in my head.
I eventually did go to the college counseling center pretty begrudgingly at some point in college but I was SO embarrassed and secretive about it. I made sure nobody I knew was walking by in the student center to see me go inside the counseling center. I didn’t tell my roommates, and I didn’t tell anyone I was going. I planned my routes for when there would be less traffic around the counseling center. Look at me now announcing it to everyone on the world wide web! I have been there and don’t want you to have to about it the same way I did.
I hope that by now we have come a little further with the stigma that goes along with going to therapy, and I really hope that nobody is having the same experience I had of carrying shame and embarrassment. I have told many people in my day since then that they should go to therapy and here’s what I really want you to know.
Reasons to go to therapy
It will increase your ability to manage your life.
There are 7.5 billion people on earth (yes I did just google that) and every. single. one. of them could benefit from therapy at some point in their life. Everyone from time to time experiences a greater amount of stress than they do healthy coping skills. Many of us have actually learned coping skills that do greater harm longer term than they do good. in order to manage our lives. Going to therapy can help you increase your ability to cope with your stress, your life, and the people in it. Therapists have gone to years of school and are required to go to a certain amount of professional training to keep their licenses. It can be incredibly helpful to be able to talk to someone that has no biases toward you because they don’t even know you.
Going to therapy can help you get better faster.
I am a big supporter of self-help books. I even assign them to my clients in therapy fairly often. I know that many people just want to be able to read a self-help book and be done with it. I realize that it is difficult to open up and talk about painful things so it might seem better to just skip that part. Personally, I like efficiency and getting things done quickly. Going to therapy can help you get better faster. It also decreases the chances that you will continue to struggle with the same problem over and over throughout your life.
Having family and friends is important but not always enough.
Having a support system is a big deal in overcoming problems and managing life effectively. However, your friends and family are always going to have a bias because they are in your story and living it with you. They know you in a different way than a therapist will know you. Family and friends can have negative reactions to some of the things you share and may in turn not feel comfortable giving you honest feedback. Family and friends also don’t have the professional skills you may need to progress with your problem. I know there are also things that you don’t want or don’t feel safe enough for your family and friends to know about you and a therapist is also someone that you don’t have to censor yourself with. A therapist has a fresh perspective and has your best interest in mind.
It will improve your relationships.
Going to therapy will help your ability to communicate with those in your life. Even if your presenting problem isn’t about communication, therapy will teach you how to communicate more effectively with the people in your life and to get your needs met. A natural byproduct of going to therapy is that it can decrease your stress and make you happier. Working on your own personal issues and negative experiences can increase your ability to connect and be more open with your loved ones. My clients have also shared with me that it takes away some of the worry and fear from their lives ones knowing they are being taken care of by a professional. My client’s parents, spouses, friends, and other family members have shared they want to be able to help but they don’t have the same skills that a therapist does.
Therapy is for everyone.
Even if things aren’t going as bad as they have in the past, therapy can help. Just because you aren’t at rock bottom doesn’t mean it can’t be an extremely helpful experience. In fact, when you get to a place where you are doing a little better can be a great time to start looking at things and getting help from someone with an outside perspective. Therapy is not what it’s portrayed to be in movies. I guess there’s always that therapist out there that is cold and distant and just asks questions the entire time, but that is definitely not me and the therapists I know and would recommend. Please don’t feel embarrassed, crazy, or ashamed of seeing a therapist. The right therapist can help you in ways that you haven’t been able to on your own.
Looking to start working with an anxiety therapist in Utah?
You don’t have to keep struggling with anxiety. Anxiety therapy can help you learn to manage your anxiety symptoms and find relief. This Utah County Counseling Clinic has an anxiety therapist specializing in anxiety treatment. To begin counseling, follow these steps:
Meet with an anxiety specialist
Begin anxiety therapy
Online Therapy in Utah
It’s important that you find a therapist you trust and connect with AND one that you can access. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. This makes it easier for you to attend therapy consistently without having to worry about traffic.
I work with clients in Salt Lake City, Logan, Heber, Cedar City, St. George, and more.
Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy
Anxiety therapy isn’t the only counseling service offered at this Northern Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services offered at Maple Canyon Therapy include trauma therapy, birth trauma therapy, eating disorder therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, and body image therapy in Utah.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and wonder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah County. Ashlee has two bachelor’s degrees from Southern Utah University in psychology, family life, and human development. She has a master’s degree from Utah State University in social work. She loves providing therapy to women with anxiety and helping them manage their anxiety symptoms better. Ashlee helps women struggling with high-functioning anxiety and dating anxiety. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys hitting up the Cinemark in Spanish Fork to enjoy some movie theatre popcorn.