So You've Decided To Go To Counseling....

So you’ve decided to go to counseling...
 
I want to encourage you that this a good thing. Something that you shouldn’t be ashamed of.  Think of it as going to the gym to improve your cardio and overall physical health.  Counseling is that thing that allows you to address aspects of your life in an objective environment without the speculation and judgement from subjective relationships.  Using the gym analogy again, is it wrong to improve your cardio health? Is it wrong to increase your strength from weight lifting?

No.

Maybe you’ve had a doctor or someone you know in your life express concern for your physical health and tell you to get in the gym.  Well going to a therapist should be no different, you get to address distortions, lies and various other mental health issues you may be living with.
Everyone likes being able to be someone that fixes themselves.  The reality is you can’t “fix” yourself without help. 
Now to answer a question that you may have had, “Am I crazy because I need counseling?”

No.

We all need maintenance in our lives physically and mentally. You don’t need to be ashamed of seeking counseling.
You may have questions as to what to expect in counseling and if you don’t, you should.  Questions are good to have for your therapist, because not every therapist will connect with you. 
Know what type of issue you have that is prompting you to seek counseling (i.e. depression, anxiety, trauma, grief/loss, marriage, communication, etc.).

Know what type of therapist you work well with and why. Do you work better with a male or female therapist? Do you need a therapist who will listen more or do you need a therapist who will help provide direction?
Know what per-conceived ideas you have coming to counseling with.  Often your ideas about counseling will be influenced heavily by friends and family who have been to therapy.  If these therapeutic experiences have been negative for your friends or family that will influence how you look at therapy.

Therapy is about working with you and where you’re at, not about fitting you into a prescribed therapeutic box.  For this reason, therapy can feel not always linear and may require several session to determine how a therapist will work with you.

Know that not all therapists approach the same issue of depression from the same angle.  Therapists like to use a wide array of therapeutic focuses (i.e. Cognitive Behavior Theory, Psycho-dynamic Theory, Family Systems, DBT, etc.)  These approaches are not meant to confuse you, but rather frame how the therapist will work with you.  That is why it is good for you to ask what the therapist’s approach is.  Is it singular or is it eclectic?
I want you to know I support you in seeking therapy for yourself.  What you are doing is a courageous and humble thing to do.  I say courage, because there is darkness in everyone’s life that can be scary to face and I say humble because coming to therapy is you saying “I can’t do this on my own and I would like some help.”
Keep moving forward, you are doing a good job

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