“I don’t need a counselor, I’m not crazy.”

This is something I often hear when the subject of therapy is brought up. People tend to think therapy is only necessary when you have problems like schizophrenia or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). While certain therapists help people with these types of disorders, therapists also typically help people who are dealing with difficult transitions or having problems they want to work through in a healthy way. 

Due to the stigma surrounding therapy, a lot of people refuse to get the help they need. Even if they have serious emotional trauma to deal with, many shy away from getting help because they believe other people might think they’re “weak” or “crazy.”

Most people who choose to go to therapy have problems in their day to day lives that they would like to change. This can be anything ranging from struggling in class to the ending of a relationship. Keeping this in mind, I think everyone should at least give therapy a try. Having someone listen to your problems and give you advice on how to deal with that situation can be a great stress reliever.

Coming from someone who has gone to therapy, I used to worry about people thinking the same things about me. “What if someone sees me walking out?” or “All my friends will think I’m insane if they find out,” are both things that entered my head time and time again when I considered going to a therapist. Now I realize therapy has changed my life in so many different ways and has helped me through some of my toughest struggles and traumas. Simply knowing that the person I was talking to wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else (except when legally obligated) was incredibly comforting. It gave me room to not hold back or keep things in and really relieved the pressure that was building up because I felt uncomfortable telling other people about the problems in my life.

You’re not “weak” or “crazy” for going to therapy; in fact, it’s a brave thing to do. To be brave enough to open up and be emotionally vulnerable to help yourself, in the long run, is something that you should be proud of. 

You don’t need to go through a tragedy to pursue opportunities. Therapy helps you learn more about yourself and how you can handle things in a more healthy way. No matter the situation you’re in, I think everyone can benefit from that.

Everyone needs a little help sometimes, whether it be talking through your problems or figuring out which path to take. To push society towards acceptance, it’s time we start sharing our experiences and providing people with positive knowledge and resources to pursue it, such as the National Suicide Prevention Line (1-800-273-8255) or the Trevor Project, which helps LGBTQ+ teens (www.thetrevorproject.com). Don’t let stigma keep you from pursuing a healthy outlet and taking steps towards a healthy future.