What Can I do - I'm Too Scared To See A Counsellor

This is a difficult situation, wanting help but being afraid to ask. It is common, and I'm always conscious when someone comes to see me that it is often a difficult step to take. Somehow though, people find the courage, or the situation gets so desperate that they make the call and come along.

Usually it is a relief, because the fear is way out of proportion to the reality. But how can you know that is how it will be for you?

Different people will find this difficult for different reasons, so it is really hard to offer advice for you in particular. You will probably find it is far less of an ordeal than you fear, but you can't know that in advance.

So one option is to find ways to allay your fear - talking to people, asking questions like this one and so on. Perhaps you know someone who has had counselling, or there is someone you trust to tell about your interest and concerns?

Another option is to find something different, that might support you but which is not too scary to try. Perhaps a group of some kind. There are groups for many different issues, or just a group which is for people like you. For example a group for women, or for men (I don't know if you are male or female). Meetup.com is a place to seek out all kinds of groups, so you might find support that way.

Thirdly you might find ways to get there in smaller less scary steps. Maybe just to phone up and enquire about prices, with no intention to book a session. Then to enquire about sessions, times, kinds of issue and so on. If you manage this once, you might then try phoning some different counsellors. At some point you might say, ok, I'll try one session but then I'll come away and decide if I want to do more in my own time. These ideas can help to limit your fear - just to the single step - and to give yourself a pre-planned way to decide in your own time when you are ready for the next step.

I hope I've given you some useful ideas to consider. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you'll find a way to get the help you want, whether with a counsellor, a group, or something else. Keep going until you find something that works for you!

Mark