As a Licenced Mental Health Therapist, I get asked a lot of questions - often times very personal and difficult to ask. So, I compiled a list of some of the questions that I have been asked both to normalize that it’s OK to ask these questions - and so you know you aren’t alone in wondering them. If you have a question that you don’t see listed here and/or would like to talk to me personally, please reach out by visiting the Contact page HERE.

Why am I so anxious?
By now most of us know that anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues that bring people into therapy. And yet there is still so much shame that can go along with it - why do I have it? Why can’t I get it under control? Why can’t I just ‘get over it’?

The truth is that there’s a reason you’re feeling anxious. Anxiety is an indicator - albeit sometimes a painful one - that some part of you needs care. It’s your body’s built in ‘check engine light’ sending you a message that there’s pain somewhere. Although anxiety can bring a lot of confusion and frustration, it can also be viewed as a very helpful indication that some part of you needs just a bit of help - and that that’s okay.

Am I messed up because I need therapy?
I’m sure you can guess my answer here: no! Of course not. And yet as common as therapy has become, there is still some aversion to admitting that we need help. We can’t do all this ourselves. The good news is that going to therapy isn’t a sign so much that things are going wrong - it’s a sign that something is going right. Some part of you knows the truth: that down to our cores, we need other people in order to feel whole and healthy. Your brain is wired to need connection, and that part of you believes that you also deserve connection. Therapy is a place to explore this part, and all the others, including the parts of you that have been taught that you should be doing this all on your own.

Am I damaged because I was raped?
This is such a painful question to ask and to hold constantly - the fear that something has been destroyed within you because of a choice that someone else made. Of course, you are not damaged. And yet, this is a truth that is so hard to believe when you have been harmed in this way. The journey towards sexual healing is paved with all sorts of questions such as this - questions that are so brave and so terrifying to ask.

I have much to say on this topic, and the answer to this question will always be: you are no less whole because you were raped. You are just as worthy of love, care, and goodness after you are assaulted.

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