I recently saw a post on Facebook that said "Going to a counselor or therapist when you're feeling sad or overwhelmed should be as normal as going to the doctor when you have the flu. Let's end the stigma about mental health!" I felt like this particular quote was very significant for me because ending the stigma is one of the reasons why I am going into this field of work.
All too often people feel afraid to go to counseling because they worry about how that might make them look or what people will think about them. Sometimes even just sitting in a counselor's waiting room is difficult for people because there are other people around that can see them there; yet, for some reason, waiting in a doctor's office waiting room isn't nearly as frightening. This is something that needs to change!
I'm writing this post to tell you that your fears are normal. Almost everyone that is going to therapy feels that way at the beginning. Some people even feel that way throughout their whole course of treatment, and that's okay too. Not letting your fears hold you back from going to therapy when you need it is the key. If you can push through that feeling then you will end up coming out the other side with coping skills and knowledge from therapy that you never could have gotten before.
If you would like to pledge to be STIGMA FREE then follow this link and sign your name on the NAMI page (National Alliance on Mental Illness):
https://nami.org/stigma
I wish you the best in conquering your fears of counseling!
