This is Post 1/100 in my 100 posts in 100 days series.

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[image by Vali]


There is a lot to talk about in the next 100 days. Lots. So I thought it would be appropriate to start from the beginning. And by beginning I mean…the idea of going to therapy itself. If you haven’t noticed, there is often a stigma when it comes to one going to therapy. The stigma may be culturally…it could be religious…maybe it’s a social stigma.  Or it could be that the stigma is created and influenced by your friends and family. Whatever the case may be, many have talked with me about their fears of just walking out the door and going to therapy.  And I understand that.

Some of you may be reading this and saying, “Stigma, what stigma. I tell everyone about my therapist. He/She is so great!” Growing up in Arizona therapy was talked about openly. And having lived in California the last eight years, all I can say is that having a therapist was often a popular trend, as fashionable as the parties one attended or the private yoga instructor someone met with. It was not unusual to come across a group of people where all of them were seeing the same therapist and openly sharing stories with one another about their sessions.  But Texas is different, and it has its own stigmas about therapy, though I find that most people are pretty open about seeing a therapist.

So what is the stigma about?

  1. Feeling like you are not in control if it’s come to the point of needing/wanting to see a therapist.
  2. Fear of having to reach out to someone for help.
  3. Is the stigma created by being known by others that you see a therapist…or being seen in THAT office.
  4. Or maybe the stigma lies in the fact that things are better left untouch/unsaid…don’t stir up stuff.  Don’t rock the boat.
  5. Maybe the stigma is religious/church…says that all you need is God, not any help from a human.
  6. Or maybe the stigma is that people think only “crazy” people go to therapy.

These are just some thoughts.

I’m curious.  In your opinion, what is the stigma about?

Would you…or have you ever gone to a therapist/counselor?

Was it beneficial?  Why or why not?

What would it take you to walk through that door to see a therapist?