The Fears of Stepping into Therapy
It is normal to be afraid. Everyone experiences fear.
It may be the fear of being able to pay your mortgage, the fear of losing loved ones, or the fear of seeking help and stepping into therapy. A quite common fear people have when they are contemplating seeing a therapist is that their problems are not big enough to share and that they instead need to deal with them on their own.
The issue with this fear is a lot of the time, these everyday troubles people have can weigh very heavily on the individual. Some examples of these problems are being overwhelmed with trying to take care of your family or dealing with the pressures of work, both of which can be extremely hard on people and are exceedingly common. Having someone to talk to and express your emotions to in a safe space has proven to assist with some of these issues. That being said, some people may have more specific problems weighing on them and they may be hesitant to step into therapy because they are afraid that they are “unfixable.
“Being “unfixable” is another fear people have because they worry that if they cannot be helped by a true professional who dedicates their life to assisting people with their problems, then there is no way that they can help themselves. This is a very harmful fear people have about therapy because it prevents them from giving it a chance and taking steps to try and improve their troubles.
The fear that you will be seen as weak for seeking help from a therapist is something that many people in North America experience, but I am going to call out, specifically men. Only one-third of the people who choose to partake in therapy in the USA are men (Gateway Counseling). This is a remarkably small number and shows how men specifically struggle with stepping into therapy. A large part of this is the fear of being perceived as weak by asking for help. Whether you are a man or a woman, no one should ever feel embarrassed or ashamed to reach out for advice and assistance because therapy is proven to help people and is an especially useful tool if you are struggling. The final fear I would like to mention which I think may not hold people back from trying therapy, but is still one a lot of people experience, is the fear of not knowing what to talk about.
It is the fear that you will sit down with your therapist and the room will be completely silent. Not knowing what to talk about can be nerve-racking, but once you break that initial ice with your counsellor, I am sure this fear will be quickly resolved. What you can take away from this, is that fear is associated with everything in life, and it is no different when it comes to stepping into therapy. But that said, with understanding, compassion and listening, we can quickly create movement through therapy and getting past these initial worries is the first step in taking charge of your fear.
Your “easy to talk to therapist”
Kimberly Castle RTC, CAMC
Kimberly Castle is a Registered Counsellor with a private practice in beautiful Kelowna, BC. She focuses on Kelowna Counselling Solutions to empower individuals in all areas of their life. In her practice she works with individuals on a variety of topics including trauma, self-esteem, Kelowna child counselling and is your source for Kelowna EMDR.
Blog contribution by Olson Russello undergraduate student at University of Washington
References:
“Are Men Seeking Counseling? Learn the Shocking Statistics.” (Gateway Counseling), 2 Mar. 2022, https://gatewaycounseling.com/men-seeking-counseling-statistics/
