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I have been in therapy regularly for much of my adult life, most recently in 2015 after I lost my son and got pregnant again. I found it to be very helpful, and when I had my daughter I stopped going.

I actually went back to the same therapist this week for a "reset"- some stressful events in my life recently were causing some issues so it was great to have someone to go to who knows me and my history, and we were able to pick up like I had never stopped going.

I would say if you think you would benefit from it, you should do it. Find someone you have a connection with. It doesn't mean forever, but it's a helpful tool in my opinion.

I am looking into therapy myself to help me cope with life situations and the stress of having two children, working FTOH, and not really having a village to fall back on.

I have, on and off for about 5 years now. It's been great. I was really resistant, and I often find myself thinking "okay, what's the therapist thinking now" or "I know where she's going with this question," but it has actually been helpful. Especially because it gave me someone other than DH or my mom to talk to, which I think took some of the stress off of them.

@bubblegum: I think part of it is just letting it go and realizing that they are the professional. You don't need to think too hard and just let them guide you. They aren't there to judge. It's a relationship built on trust so go in with an open mind, or address that you feel self conscious.

ETA also it's confidential at least where I am. So it's ok to say it like it is. Chart notes could be requested in a legal process is my understanding. But I know my therapist does not write down anything especially sensitive. She has told me that. So I don't see therapy as a 'risk' where gabbing with your BFF could get around.

@pwnstar: I agree that self care should not be considered an indulgence- but to me therapy is not in the same category as hitting the salon. They are important in different ways.

@youboots: I agree-different categories/needs. I, personally, would not have recovered from PPA through working out or frequenting the *mothership* (a.k.a. salon). I needed professional support. I just wanted to re-frame the issue in the event that it would encourage others not to be dismissive/feel guilty for identifying a need (i.e., personal time, therapy, etc.).

@bubblegum: I want to also say that you may NOT find the perfect therapist on the first try, and that's ok. Sometimes the system makes it really difficult for you to continue through finding the perfect therapist for you, but please don't give up and please don't be disheartened. My journey included a bad therapist to an amazing one, to the amazing one retiring, to another bad one, to being assigned one who didn't have time to see me to finally finding my perfect therapist. We're going through some heavy stuff right now that I didn't even realize was still in the back of my mind, and I feel like therapy has been the best thing for me.

For context, I started seeing a therapist because I had a giant blowup fight with my mom who has emotionally abused me my entire life. That had lead to a lot of twisting me up, and I'm really glad I have someone to talk through how to handle her and situations in which I feel a ton of anxiety.

@bubblegum: I would get frustrated sometimes because I would think "well duh, I already know that I'm doing x because of y" but the benefits of having someone else to unload on and getting some coping tips were really helpful. I'm probably the worst candidate for therapy since I hate emotion and I hate talking about it, but even I found it helpful!

I would say try it, you've got nothing to lose. Finding the right therapist makes a difference too. I was happier with my second therapist (after we moved). She was a professor (so am I), so I think she understood my thinking more.

I started seeing a therapist last summer after I identified that I was suffering from anxiety. I knew of a counseling center in my area and made an appointment with someone who had the availability I needed. She has been wonderful, and I've been able to cut back from going weekly to going monthly now. I HIGHLY recommend it. I'm a better mom and wife because I go, and I am so much happier and more at peace than I was before.

@bubblegum: after I reach my deductible my insurance pays a percentage and I pay the remaining which is less than $15

I do, and it's been life changing. My reasons and process are similar to what others have said. I wasn't a big believer in therapy, TBH, but about 6 years ago I went through a storm of stuff, including issues with TTC that were not within my control, and because I couldn't control them, I needed to figure out how to deal with them so I found a therapist to help me process all my frustration. And then we got pregnant and I put therapy on hold, and then parenthood hit me like a ton of bricks and dealing with post partum anxiety and the issues that I'd been dealing with around the TTC process were being exacerbated, so I needed to go back. My husband and I did about a year of marriage counseling, though we didn't have a great therapist and didn't get out of it as much as I'd hoped, but one big takeaway for me was that I absolutely needed to go talk to someone. I process my feelings and emotions verbally and I needed that outlet, as well as someone who could engage with me and help me change my behavior, not just listen. I found a great therapist who specializes in CBT (cognitive behavior therapy), and have been seeing her for a year and a half now and she has really helped me become an overall better person - more patient, more in touch with myself and how to take care of myself, more calm, less emotionally trigger-happy, etc. I don't get a lot of financial reimbursement - in the DC area, therapists are rarely in network with insurance, and mine covers less than 20% of my cost for the out of network service- but it's totally worth it.

@bubblegum: that's great that you are taking steps towards getting help! I went to therapy for anxiety two years ago and it was amazing. I got lucky and really connected with the therapist the first day. She was excellent and within 5 sessions I had the tools I needed to deal with my triggers and she and I both decided I didn't need to come anymore. She said I could come back for a "touch up" session anytime, but I haven't really needed it. I hope you find a good match and get the support you need.

I have an appointment on the 2nd to start seeing a therapist to help me deal with mom issues (she's controlling and emotionally manipulative, and I think borderline narcissistic). Mainly I'm looking for tools to set and enforce boundaries, how to maintain some semblance of a relationship if that's what's healthiest (or, to be honest, an unbiased opinion on whether I should go low or no contact), and to deal with my own issues processing guilt and emotional manipulation.

I've been in therapy off and on for other things (recovering from an abusive relationship, general anxiety, coping after we experienced a loss last year) and have found it's a life changing experience. It's definitely hard work, but the work is worth it. It won't fix things overnight, but I know for me therapy has been an invaluable experience and I'm excited to get back in and do more work.

I tried seeing a therapist many years ago, as a young adult having issues with my mother. My first therapist took forever to find and get an appointment and was a horrible fit. I hated her and my second session was worse - she was completely dismissive of me.
I KNOW I should have put in the effort to find someone else, and keep going, but I just couldn't handle it at the time. SO please remember that the first person may not be a good fit, and don't give up like I did!!!

I have seen the same therapist on and off for the better part of a decade now, starting during a bad relationship before I met DH. I went regularly for a few years, then stopped for about 2 and went back again about a year ago to deal with specific issues with my mother. I have seen my therapist for so many random issues though - relationships, sexual assault, eating disorder, anxiety/depression, family stuff, dealing with chronic pain. I think everyone should have a good therapist on hand!