Much a do about Therapy
Updated: Jul 26, 2020
Truth be told I preach about therapy way more than I actually go.
I’ll admit I go back and forth with committing depending on where I’m at in life and what my schedule and mental health looks like.
Now with that being said most times when I find myself at my worst mentally and physically is when I wasn’t in therapy (or evaluating my mental health on my own) at the time and I should’ve been.
What I struggle with most in therapy is being vulnerable. Being able to speak my real thoughts and feelings to someone who isn’t a close friend or family member, someone who might judge me and actually having someone who is there solely, to listen to me and discuss with me those feelings. And I would imagine this is the way a lot of people feel.
Therapy forces me to look at my thoughts and feelings from an objective perspective.
It might be much easier to talk about my feelings with someone I'm close to or comfortable with. But that's just it. Ever heard of too close for comfort? In this case I’d say it rings pretty true. No one ever got any shit done in their comfort zone and that includes mental health. As well as its important to note that it is NOT your friend's job to solve your problems! Its very easy to rely on friends for every thought and feeling but they have stuff going on too; don't forget that.
It can be so incredibly beneficial to have an unbiased person to spout your feelings to and who can remove themselves from those feelings and their own and guide you through navigating them.
Additionally, having a therapist for me keeps me accountable. It gives me someone outside of my own brain to go “Hey Kyra stop doing that behavior, you know it only leads to more of x-behavior”.
And trust me, I know therapy is not an accessible option for many people but there are so many resources out there! So I have compiled a list of therapy alternatives just for you!
Therapy is expensive so here are some options for when you're broke like me!
Online Therapy Services |
have a 7-day free trial where you will be paired with a counselor and you can see how the program works for you.
Offer financial aid
I find this idea really intriguing because it allows you the options to have someone to talk to 24/7
Community Programs |
-Look into counseling programs in your area
If you're in the Los Angeles area here are some resources
https://dmh.lacounty.gov/our-services/
https://www.shieldsforfamilies.org/adult-mental-health/
-Check with community centers, local hospitals, community programs for students etc.
Support Groups in Los Angeles; they are currently hosting zoom meetings during quarantine
-Call your local University
https://www.csun.edu/counseling
UCLA Sliding Scale; Los Angeles
Many cities have lots of training programs where grad students perform your therapy sessions
Many of these programs offer income based pay