We Asked Young People Why They've Gone to Therapy
14 Young Women on Why They Chose to Seek Therapy, and What They Learned From It
14
"My parents have been divorced since I was basically a baby, and I was an only child most of my life. My mum started dating someone with four kids already, so I think I started going to therapy around age 8 or 9 because my mum wanted me to have someone to talk to about it. Once my dad started dating someone and then married her, our therapy sessions quickly became about the emotional abuse that woman inflicted on me. So from then until about age 16, I was in therapy talking about this woman and trying to find ways to communicate to my dad about how upset she made me, but also learning what I had to do to gain back my confidence and undo the harm she was inflicting on me. It helped so much to have someone to talk to who was looking at the situation unbiased. I find myself becoming my own therapist now in terms of really analysing the world and the conflicts I encounter, but most importantly identifying my own issues and where they come from, then learning to confront them. My therapist changed my life."