in defense of The Couch

I read a fantastic post over at Positively Present that just floored me this morning. The author describes her experiences with therapy and the wonderful ways that it has changed her life for the better. 10 reasons to sit on the couch

It really touched me because I have personal experience with therapy. A number of years ago, I was going through an extremely difficult situation in my life, and I felt like I was completely falling apart. I knew that therapy would be a good idea, but I think I had the same fear that most people have: what if they tell me I'm nuts? I put it off and put it off, but finally I just broke down and went. And I've never regretted it, not once. Talking to the therapist was like talking to my mother - so comforting, and I was able to get the right advice at the right time. I was also able to talk freely about the things that I keep hidden from the world, and finally deal with them in a constructive way. It helped me bring light into my life. And after a while, I felt whole enough that I didn't need it anymore. Mission accomplished.

Recently, I've started going back - nothing so dramatic this time, just a few kinks in my life that need sorting out. However, this time I'm going a different route, one that I don't think gets nearly enough attention: counseling by grad students. Quite a few universities offer counseling services to students, or even to the general public, through their graduate program - a grad student who's on their way to a degree needs to log a certain amount of real-world experience, and this allows them to get those hours while you're getting the help that you need. And there's not much question of quality (at least in my mind), because the session is observed by a panel of people who are grading said grad student on their performance. In my case, the panel is behind a one-way mirror, so I tend to just forget they are even there. My counselor is great, connects with me very well, and is very good at exposing the things that I have a tendency to miss.

So in summary: therapy may be a daunting prospect, but don't let that deter you - there are a ton of options out there, and it will never do anything but help you. That's what your therapist is there for.