Therapy Myths that May Be Holding You Back

Approximately 19.2% of individuals in the United States attend therapy, this translates to approximately 50 million people. The importance of therapy has been emphasized more within the mainstream media and social media. Even celebrities are being more vocal about challenges with their mental health. Yet, despite the multitudes of information available about therapy, there are still many misconceptions about it. Let’s debunk some common therapy myths and replace them with truths about therapy. If you find that you currently believe or have believed some of these myths, don’t fret! We will further demystify the ideas of therapy together.

Myth#1: You must be in a crisis to go to therapy

Some folks believe that something must be “wrong” in order to justify attending therapy. Repeating this myth, teaches people that therapy is the last resort; only to be used in emergency situations and other supports have failed. Oftentimes, when folks finally decide to attend therapy it can feel overwhelming and even frustrating because their need for support is long overdue. There seems to be this intangible timeclock that says every stressor, every experience, every concern needs to be addressed, like yesterday. This can be a manifestation of anxiety or an anticipation of the change that comes from processing our thoughts and emotions; guess where those thoughts and emotions are helpful to process. Yep, therapy.

Reflection question: What are some challenges in your life (past or present) that may be beneficial to further process with a trained professional?

Myth #2: Therapists give advice

Many times television gives therapists a bad wrap. Either the therapist is not using evidence-based practices or the client is sitting on the couch, facing away from the therapist. Hello? Calling Dr. Freud. As entertaining as these depictions can be, they subconsciously impact our ideas of what therapy is actually like. Therapy is more about gaining insight into how you view yourself and the world around you versus advice giving. A therapist’s role can be to help you parse out and even problem solve through difficult situations, but a therapist’s role does not involve advice giving. Simply put, advice giving would assume on some level that therapists know what’s best for the client, more the client does. This assumption is simply false.

Reflection question: What does support look like from a mental health professional?

Myth#3: Going to therapy means that I’m weak

This is a tough myth to broach, a myth that may be beneficial to further process in, yes, therapy. It is difficult to talk about because there are usually various values woven within it. Believing that going to therapy equates to weakness speaks to views on: asking for support, ideas around vulnerability/transparency, and even ideas of self-worth. Our individualistic society says that the only person we can truly rely on is ourselves. There is nothing wrong with self-sufficiency. However, there are some situations that are easier to navigate with a strong support system. You can be strong, brave, admirable (insert adjective here) and still ask for support. Asking for support is actually a strength that more folks can and should lean into.

Reflection question: Where did you learn what you know about therapy?

The therapeutic space is unique, I dare say set apart from any other professional relationship. You are encouraged to bring your “humaness”. A space where you don’t have to justify your presence because your existence within the therapy space is simply enough. Make no mistake, therapy is rewarding, yet challenging work. You and your therapist will work together to identify the change you want to see in your life, then create treatment objectives to align with your goals. At the end of the day, therapy is about collaboration, with the client as the author of their own story. Therapy is more than “venting” and is not about advice giving. Therapy is a place where the client is brave enough to talk about self-advocacy and life change; the therapist’s role is simply to hand the client the microphone.