I’ve Had it With Therapy. Here’s What I Really Need.

Therapy is not an antidote to the toxic forces in our society that are threatening our mental health

Kerala Taylor

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Therapy can be a great tool for any challenging time in your life, or even as a way to grow during your best times. Stay tuned for some signs that it might be time to seek therapy.

It was hard for me not to smirk at the BetterHelp ad I heard on a recent episode of This American Life. Suffice to say, I’m less than enamored with therapy at the moment, and that’s not for lack of giving it a chance.

My family has spent hundreds of hours in therapy over the past year. I’ve spent nearly as much time trying to find therapists, filling out intake forms, scheduling appointments for various family members, and haggling with insurance companies.

It all started last fall, when adolescence hit my daughter like a ton of bricks. Not long afterward, an immediate family member was diagnosed with a serious psychiatric disorder following a frightening mental health episode, and yet another began to struggle with deepening clinical depression.

While couples counseling and family counseling have been consuming several of my precious hours each week, people keep asking me if I’m taking care of myself, too. I…

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Kerala Taylor

Award-winning writer. Interrupting notions of what it means to be a mother, woman, worker, and wife. Subscribe: https://keralataylor.substack.com