The Stigma of Seeing a Psychiatrist or Psychologist

Hollywood and its movies have made seeing a "shrink" glamorous and very cool. But most of us still feel quite a stigma when we have to see either a psychiatrist or psychologist. We all go through rough spots in our lifetime. Some of those difficult times can be so hard that a perspective from someone outside of our personal connections would most likely be very helpful. Part of my daughter's therapy repertoire included sessions with a speech therapist and a child psychologist. From about age 6 to 8, the sessions were done on a regular basis. Because of her age, I was always in the room with her. For the speech sessions, the therapist normally took the child into the room alone. I begged her to let me in the room so I could observe. She allowed that on condition that I did not interrupt the session and was absolutely quiet. I jumped at the chance to learn how to carry on the work that she did in that room and follow through at home. The same agreement was made with her psychologist. These sessions although directed to my daughter felt like they were meant for me. It was amazing how much the psychologist could bring to light. She helped me see that certain events triggered stress and worry for my daughter. By observation and through her explanations, she provided a way to solve or modify behavior issues. Along with all the other activities that served as therapy, these sessions were important factors in allowing my daughter to achieve her goals. She is aiming higher and, to that end, we will continue the visits to the therapist. Like everyone else, her life experiences have been both good and bad. Either way and especially for particularly bad experiences, sessions with a therapist have been helpful in finding the right strategy that would allow her to deal with such a situation. It is the kind of help that my daughter needed, inspite of and despite our best parental efforts. We were more than willing and happy to make sure that this help was available to her. As a young woman, her sessions are private and confidential. I have always been a pretty nosey mother so I always ask her what they talked about. She tells me only when she feels okay about telling me and I leave it at that, although I would really really prefer if she told me everything in detail. With a lot of restraint on my part, I let her have her privacy. There is no doubt in my mind that talking to her therapists and her guidance counselors has served my daughter well. I hope your experience puts us on the same side of the road.