I am so grateful for those people who become mental health professionals. Personal therapists, family therapists, child psychologists, general psychologists, grief counselors, school counselors, social workers, etc.
I have had my share of experiences with therapists; I am not ashamed in any way to admit that. I have struggled for years and throughout that time I've sought out help from college counselors, social workers, therapists, and psychologists. My college counselor is someone I will always be incredibly grateful for; she helped me recognize the things I was struggling with and identified specific issues I needed to deal with. I went through several therapists for a few years after I graduated and finally found my current psychologist. I am lucky that she serves as both a therapist and psychologist because I can work with her as needed, and she can also prescribe medication. It sounds like that should be common, but most often people have to do "talk therapy" with one person and then meet their doctor once a month, or even less, to get their prescriptions. It's a crazy system.
My current psychologist, I will refer to her as Dr. B., has been amazing. I've been working with her for at least 3 years and I've made a lot of progress. At times I get frustrated with her, but that's okay, and it should happen from time to time. I've become more comfortable telling her when I get upset and we've started working it out together. Dr. B. has guided me through the loss of my father, difficult relationships, problems at work, dealing with my past, dealing with my present state-of-mind, and most recently the loss of a coworker. She gives me advice and relays information to me in a very straight forward way that doesn't feel overwhelming, and when I get overwhelmed she gives me time to process. In a way she has saved me from myself. I am beyond grateful for Dr. B.
Today at work a grief counselor came in for our staff meeting. She assisted the staff who were present in talking about our emotions. This woman was great. She didn't do too much talking, but she kept everyone on track. She brought people back to the reason for the meeting when they went off-topic. She gave us the opportunity to express our thoughts and not feel judged. This woman came to us and provided support. She guided us through our emotions and validated our feelings. It was a difficult 90 minutes to be a part of, mostly due to my own history and the experiences it was bringing to the forefront of my mind. I almost didn't attend because I was afraid it would be too real and hit a little too close to home. It ended up being both of those things, but I am glad I went. I'm glad I experienced the warmth and compassion of a mental health professional who was performing a very difficult task. She deals with this type of thing on a daily basis, and she chose this path of life. I am grateful for her choice.
There is a stigma in our society about mental health issues, and also with the people who deal with them. I've heard these people called "shrinks," "head doctors," "crazy doctors," and a host of other names. The list of words used to describe people with their own mental health issues is much longer. I am not excluding myself from this behavior. I have used many of these words myself, and I continue to do so even though I struggle with this disease. It's easy to get caught up in the "norm." But this post is not about calling for a change; it's to call attention to the amazing people who have dedicated their lives to helping others deal with tragedy, depression, anxiety, family struggles, fertility challenges, health issues, children's mental health, teen's mental health, and adult mental health.
If you know someone who has chosen this difficult path in life, please take a minute to thank them for all they do. It is in their nature to do their work without need for gratitude, but we should give it to them anyways.
Well said.
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