How I found a therapist and my experience with therapy
I look forward to sharing mental health insights and tips in upcoming blogs, but I feel it's important to share my experience and my reason behind the passion I have for mental health.
I chose to go to therapy the summer after I graduated from college. At that time I was suffering from a lot of anxiety and, what I would later come to understand, OCD (Obssesive-Compulsive Disorder). I grew up in a home and environments where counseling was not really common. The most I knew of it was through my sister who had unpleasant experiences with counselors (which can be the case for a lot of people, unfortunately). I was struggling with childhood trauma that I realized I could not figure out how to process on my own. It began to overwhelm my thoughts and my compulsive behaviors were starting to become disruptive to my life (keep an eye out for my blog on my experience with OCD where I will discuss in more detail what it means and what it looks like in my life).
I began my search for a counselor on psychologytoday.com where you can use various filters to narrow down the therapists in your area. You can filter by insurance, issues, gender, faith, and more. I wanted a female Christian counselor who dealt with childhood trauma. I found a few options but was drawn to a Latina counselor whose description resonated the most to me.
The first meeting was free as it was a consultation to ensure we were a good fit (many therapists offer this option which I highly recommend looking for in your search). I had filled out intake paperwork before the consultation to describe why I was seeking therapy and what I hoped to gain from it. After the first meeting I was still pretty nervous about the concept, but I did feel that if therapy was going to happen it would be with her. I went a few more times before fully making up my mind. She has since worked with me for several years.
The types of therapy we decided were best for me were Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) and EMDR (which I will also be writing a separate blog on this). These were the best options for me to both re-process past events as well as change current mindsets and beliefs I had about myself. Both of these have proven to be so effective in completely transforming me and helping me heal from the past. Who I am today is a completely different person than I was when I first started, both internally in my thoughts and externally in my actions. It has been a rough road with some of my lowest lows, but to see the healing and growth now has made it so worth it! I still struggle with anxiety and OCD, and I am still in counseling working through other issues and struggles that have come up since I first started, but this journey has been the most freeing and healing experience of my life. The Lord has used therapy to give me hope and life in a way that I didn't even know was possible for me. I hope you can find that for yourself, and if therapy is one way that you find it, then that's amazing!
Please remember there are thousands of therapists out there. If you have personally had a bad experience with one, or you know of someone who has, so many other options are still out there. You never have to settle and please believe that they are not all bad and not all experiences are negative. It's about being patient, persistent and putting in the effort to find the one that is right for you. It may seem like a lot of work, but if it brings you to a place of finding healing and peace, it's so worth it!
The best advice I can give if you choose to seek therapy is that it gets worse before it gets better. When you make the choice to face your struggles it can sometimes feel like it is heightening them, and they are gaining the control and power, but have faith that you are doing the work and going through the pain so that you can get to the other side a healthier and more peaceful version of yourself.
My mental health journey is not done and never will be. If you are making the choice to start yours, or you're already on that path and you have any questions that you'd like to ask about my experience please email me at mindonthepath@gmail.com. Please keep in mind all responses are based on personal experience and opinion. You should speak to a mental health professional for guidance on your own struggles and questions regarding your mental health.
*** Anything written in this blog is based on my own personal experience and not a professional opinion. If you or someone you know is struggling with any mental health issue, please speak to a professional. For a list of some mental health resources and contacts available to you, please download the file below. ***
Praying for you and your mental health journey. 💚
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