Are you ready for therapy? Facing the stigma - or facing yourself?

      When I was in my undergrad, the psychology professor talked about the stigma of seeking therapy.  He said that those in the medical field were more prone to seek help.  This is interesting.  Why is this so? Perhaps because health care professionals understand the importance of therapy?  They understand its' merit?  In Toronto right now there is the hype to demystify the stigma of psychotherapy.  People who are respected speak out that they have seeked therapy.  The objective is that if these successful people have seeked counselling than it is ok for the general public.  Is this working?  Probably.  But what about the other professionals or everyday person who is not so convinced?   Some people who really need counselling do not get it.  They feel that there is something humiliating to do so.  Some do not trust the person providing the therapy.  That is understandable too.  Some people are not qualified to provide therapy but this will eventually change as our government has realized the implications.  A college will soon be implemented where all must be registered who have the qualifications. 
      No one is perfect including the person providing the therapy and clients can be very forgiving.  However, if you are pouring out your soul and the therapy provider falls asleep than you should re-examine your relationship.  Sometimes there may be a rational explanation.  Or maybe not?  This I have been told happens more than I thought possible.    
      Some people do not trust the person providing the therapy to keep everything confidential.  There are exclusions and these are, that harm to children needs to be reported.  Children cannot protect themselves. This can be a problem for the man or woman who abuses their child.  It is not a matter of trust.  It is law that the child needs to be protected.  Is the parent willing to continue abusing the child rather than to get help to stop?  If a client seriously wants to kill himself or plans to impose a danger to others than this too needs to be addressed.  I discuss all cases with my mentor and/or for the purposes of education.  The client is aware of this.  However, the identity of the client is never revealed.  
     There are situations a person is stopped from getting help because he or she is controlled by others.  To this person I suggest that she or he examine her life and imagine what it could be like, and examine how to get there.  Why are you not there?  What can you change?  What do you feel, you must accept?  Why?
Is it time to get some help to organize your thoughts and find out who you are again?     There are people whose entire world seems to be falling apart and no one else knows?  How long can you manage this?  There are those who have been raped and never reported it because they just want it to go away, believe the Police are not on their side, or cannot deal with the trauma.  There are people who have had someone very close to them die and they are being told by friends how to grieve and when to snap out of it.  This is a time when their friendships could be re-examined.  Grieving is personal and every person needs his or her time.  Divorce is another time when this is examined.
     Is today, the day when you will look at yourself and decide what you want to do with what is happening in your life that you are not happy with?  Is today the day when you decide that you need to make your own decisions to change what you do not like about your life?  Is today the day when you want to take ownership for yourself?  If today is not the day, than that is ok too, because it needs to be your day, when you are ready.  The only stigma about getting help is about you preventing yourself from getting the help you deserve.  Is today the day, you decide for yourself what is best for you?  What do you think?