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"There’s nothing wrong with me" -

You don’t go to the gym because something is wrong with you, right? You go to improve yourself.

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"There's nothing wrong with me" -

Therapy is similar. You don’t necessarily need to have “something wrong with you” for it to be beneficial for your life.

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"I don’t have time" -

If you have problems in your life that affect you much of your time, then perhaps an hour or two per week to actually try and address those problems will save you time.

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"It’s too expensive" -

Cost is relative, depending on what you spend money on and how much you want to invest in your well-being.

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"Therapy is for weak people and I’m not weak" -

Seeking help when needed is, in fact, a sign of strength. It takes a lot of courage to recognize that you might not be able to handle certain things on your own.

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"I can talk to my friends" -

Talking to your friends is great, and therapy is by no means a substitute for it. But the relationship with a therapist is not the same.

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"I can talk to my friends" -

A trained professional will offer you insight that your friends don’t have and help you think in different ways.

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"I can just talk to my partner" -

Again, it’s great that you have a partner that you're comfortable sharing your feelings with, but the relationship dynamic with a therapist is quite different.

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"I can just talk to my partner" -

The fact that a partner has an intimate relationship with you is in itself a form of bias. Plus, you don’t want to dump all your emotional baggage on the person you’re with, right?

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"A therapist can't fix me" -

You are correct: a therapist is not a mechanic and you’re certainly not a broken car that needs to be fixed.

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"A therapist can’t fix me" -

But a therapist can help bring new perspectives to your problems, and help you understand and manage how you feel.

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"The therapist will just judge me" -

A good therapist should never make you feel like you’re being judged.

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"The therapist will just judge me" -

In fact, this is one of the things that can really help you: talking to someone who won’t judge you. If you ever feel this way, you should be open about it and discuss it with your therapist.

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"The therapist will just judge me" -

Some therapists will talk about any emotional response the therapy process with you has in them, but this will depend on the therapist.

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"I don’t like to complain" -

You can talk about whatever you want. You don’t have to necessarily complain about something or someone.

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"I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling a stranger some things about my life" -

Therapists are trained to listen, and to make you feel comfortable about sharing whatever you wish to share. Once you start, you should have no problems sharing.

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"I once saw a therapist and it didn’t help" -

Just like with any other profession, you have good and bad professionals. Don’t let your experience with one person taint a whole class of mental health professionals.

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"I once saw a therapist and it didn’t help" -

Remember, therapists are human, and as such you might not have found someone who resonates with you.

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"I don’t want to take medication" -

A psychologist won't be able to prescribe you any medication. The only professionals that can do so are psychiatrists. So unless your therapist is a psychiatrist, you won’t be prescribed any drugs.

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"I wouldn’t want people to know intimate stuff about me" -

Therapy is confidential. A professional psychotherapist has to abide by a code of conduct, which includes strict confidentiality rules. Under no circumstances should any personal information about you be shared.

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"If I’m depressed or anxious, I can just take a pill" -

In the same way taking an analgesic drug will only mask the pain and not treat the problem, taking an antidepressant or anxiolytic will only treat the symptom.

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"If I’m depressed or anxious, I can just take a pill" -

It is true that in some cases you do need to take drugs, regardless of going or not going to therapy, but sometimes this can be avoided.

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"If I’m depressed or anxious, I can just take a pill" -

Plus, psychotherapy has no physical side effects and you aren't at risk of becoming addicted to medication.

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"A therapist won’t really care about you; it’s all about the money" -

People choose to be therapists to help people, so it’s likely that most therapists do care about their patients and genuinely want to help them. There are far more profitable professions out there.

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"Once you get into therapy, there’s no way out" -

Not every form of therapy is long-term. And even if you’d benefit from long-term psychotherapy, there should be an end to the process.

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"I wouldn’t even know where to start" -

There are usually directories of accredited therapists you can consult. Look for the representative and/or regulatory body in your country and they should point you in the right direction.

See also: Everyday things you didn’t realize are harming your mental health

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