National Psychotherapy Day: Telling Our Therapy Stories

California-based psychologist Ryan Howes, Ph.D, is a big believer in the power of stories to transform how we see therapy. “In a society where we still hear statements like ‘only crazy people go to therapy’ or ‘you need therapy!’ as an insult, it can be easy to think that psychotherapy is a strange and mysterious endeavor for other people,” Howes said. However, when we hear personal stories from individuals of different backgrounds and circumstances—perhaps backgrounds and circumstances that mirror our own—we realize that therapy can be transformative for us, too.   This is why Howes wanted this year’s theme for National Psychotherapy Day to be “tell your therapy story.” He said it’s “based on the idea that if everyone who had been to therapy broke through the perceived shame and talked about their experience, it would normalize it for everyone, and maybe some fence-sitters would give it a shot.” The Shame Around Seeking Help Sadly, there is a lot of shame and secrecy associated with seeking professional help. “People are still much more willing to talk about their appointment with their dentist or physician or their yoga class than their therapy session, even though they’re all avenues for wellness and self-improvement,” Howes said. British comedy writer Amanda Rosenberg resisted going to therapy for years because she was “embarrassed about how it would look to others.” She was also scared that it would confirm that something really wa...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Disorders General Grief and Loss Happiness Mental Health and Wellness Psychology Psychotherapy Relationships Stigma Stress Treatment national psychotherapy day Source Type: blogs