The Stigma of Psychotherapy

I often forget that people may be embarrassed about getting therapy.  It is when I see a comercial informing the public that it is ok to seek help, that I am reminded.  It is when someone tells me that therapy is so helpful and often people shy away from it because of the stigma surrounding it, that I am reminded.  In psychology and in Pastoral Counselling we are informed that we need our own therapy to be able to help others.  I remember one psychologist telling us in class that we need to be aware of our own issues so that we can benefit our own clients.  "You cannot breakdown from what your clients touch in yourself.  It is not about you. It is about helping them."  Though some of us found it quite amusing by the sounds of our chuckles, we realized he was right.   In providing therapy there is something called transference and counter transference that happens in a session.  I will be providing definitions about that and examples another time.  This time I want to focus more on the stigma.  However, it concerns what is triggered in ourselves in relation to our clients, and what is triggered in our clients in relation to ourselves. The point of this, is that therapy becomes so natural,  that I need to be reminded that for some, no matter how much they need help, they do not get it.  Why not take some time today to examine your life.  Are you happy?  What is making you happy?  If you are not happy, is it bothering you?  Have you taken steps to understand why you are sad?  Is it an unhappy marriage?  Is there too much stress in your life?  Do you feel you are just existing?  Are you in a dead beat job, finding no satisfaction?  Are you alone, even in a crowd?  Why not begin writing your feelings if you have not?  You might even see a pattern of dissatisfaction?  Has some one died in your life and you cannot seem able to cope?  Do you realize that your social drinking has increased?  Is your life being changed from something horrible that has happened to you?  Do you simply just exist?  There are times when we simply need someone to talk to and there are times when we need someone to help us understand, why?  I remember attending a lecture in my earlier career where a psychologist informed us that sometimes we cannot see what is consuming us because we are too close to what is bothering us.  That is all that I remember of his lecture but it has stayed with me.  It is true.  When your life is consuming you, you need to be able to step back and look at your life.  Sometimes, one needs a little help with that.  How do you get help if you are feeling stigmatised?  Perhaps, it is time to examine that?  Have you heard someone make derogatory remarks?  Have you heard someone making jokes?  We do live in a society where bravery is equivalent with strength.  Strength is equivalent to being of strong mind.  Getting therapy is a sign of strength.  It demonstrates strength to be able to do what is best for you.  It takes strength to say that you need  help.  There are people who will not see a physician because they want to be  seen as strong.  There are many other reasons but I wish to remain focused.  There are people who get the strength to walk into a therapist's office and realise they cannot deal with their problems, because it is just too much.  That is ok.  A step has been taken and perhaps, they are just not ready.  Our perceptions are ingrained and not always clear.  If you need help and you know it, ask yourself why you are not getting it.   What do you think?