I was around six years old when I first went to therapy, with severe OCD and hands washed so many times they were cracked, bloody, and hurt to put lotion on. After months of meeting with my elementary school’s guidance counselor and reading books about mice who are worried about going to school, it was time to hit the big leagues. Since then, I’ve seen more therapists and counselors than I can remember. Some highlights include the middle aged man who was smaller than I was that spent the whole time yelling about how I must have been sexually abused (I was not), the older woman who died between appointments, and my therapist soulmate, who I had to stop seeing when I was discharged from the mental hospital.
Despite my horrible luck at finding and keeping a therapist, I love therapy. At Stout, the Counseling Center is free and your first appointment is all about finding a counselor who is right for you, and they do a great job. My counselor is a perfect match, and I look forward to our biweekly appointments. There’s a lot of stigma around getting help for mental illness, but more people attend therapy than you might think. College is a stressful time, and going to therapy helps lots of students learn how to deal with balancing school, work, and a schedule bursting with extracurricular activities. The appointments are client-led, which means that you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to, and the counselor is there to offer support and advice to help you.
You don’t have to commit to years of therapy, even going just a few times can really improve your life, and the Counseling Center here at Stout offers both individual and group therapy. Therapy groups are focused on specific areas that you may need help with, like stress or social anxiety, and usually run for a set amount of time, while individual therapy sessions focus on a wide variety of things that you want to talk about. Therapists are also great teachers, and the skills you learn in therapy will continue to benefit you even after you graduate and head off into the real world, and attending sessions regularly can make your day-to-day life a lot easier.
Everyone needs a little help sometimes, and there’s no shame in going to therapy. Who knows? It may even change your life. If you’re on campus, check out the UW-Stout Counseling Center on the 4th floor of Bowman Hall, or online. Otherwise visit GoodTherapy.org or talk to your primary healthcare provider about your options.