by Elaine M. Doxie

Created on: September 01, 2010   Last Updated: September 23, 2010

Sometimes our problems are bigger than we can handle by ourselves. In these cases, it may be best for us to consider enlisting the help of a mental health counselor.  Whether it's divorce, a death in the family, a coworker or boss that always seems to be riding us, a counselor that is trained in psychology can help us through these hard times in our lives. Unfortunately, because of the stigma that has been attached in the past to seeing a "shrink," many of us are embarrassed to take that step that could help not only our own mental health, but also that of the people around us.

Mental health counselors are professionally trained to help us through the problems and stressors that we encounter on a daily basis. They are trained to listen to you when your soon to be ex-spouse is taking the children on your time and help you to calm down and keep from being so angry you could spit. They are there to help you when your teen decides to start calling you by your first name instead of calling you "mom" because according to them, you never really wanted them in the first place. They are even there to listen to all the good memories you have of your mother and how much you are going to miss her now that she's gone. They can help you to put things in perspective when you have to deal with a boss or co-worker who is just intolerable as well. This is what they're there for.

By allowing ourselves to be embarrassed about seeking help from a mental health professional, we are keeping ourselves from getting through these difficult situations more easily. We may even be putting our physical health in jeopardy, because having more stress than we can handle can lead to mental and physical problems, including strokes and heart attacks. The question is, why should you be the least bit embarrassed about wanting to take care of yourself? We all need to vent sometimes. A counselor can give us a safe place to vent without having to worry that it's going to come back to haunt us. They are bound by client privilege, so whatever you tell them is privileged information that you don't have to worry about having spread around. This can be especially good if you are in a situation where you don't have any friends that you can trust.

All in all, nobody should ever feel embarrassed about the need to see a mental health professional of any kind, whether it is a counselor, a psychiatrist, or anyone else in that field. In fact, you should be proud that you took that step to taking care of your health, both inside and out.

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