21 Common Myths About Therapy (And What Working with a Therapist is Really Like)

Starting therapy can feel like stepping into the unknown. Maybe you wonder: Is therapy really worth it? Will it be awkward? Will it even help?

You're not alone... so many fears around therapy are fueled by myths and misunderstandings.

Today, let’s break them down together — and I'll share what therapy is truly like when done with compassion, collaboration, and respect.

21 Common Myths About Therapy

1. "I’m Not 'Sick Enough' for Therapy"

Truth: Therapy isn't only for people with diagnosed mental illnesses.

It's a space for anyone who wants to feel more grounded, cope with challenges, understand themselves better, or grow emotionally. Whether you're navigating a life transition, struggling with self-doubt, or just feeling stuck, therapy offers valuable support, no crisis required.

2. "Getting Help Means I’m Weak"

Truth: It actually takes incredible strength to say, "I need support."

Seeking therapy shows self-awareness, bravery, and a commitment to your well-being. It's far easier to suffer in silence than to ask for help. So if you're considering therapy, you're already demonstrating powerful resilience.

3. "Therapists Just Tell You What to Do"

Truth: A good therapist won't hand you a checklist or "fix" you.

Instead, they'll listen, ask thoughtful questions, and help you uncover your own solutions. Therapy is about building your confidence and helping you trust your own voice, not replacing it with someone else’s advice.

4. "If One Therapist Didn't Help, Therapy Doesn’t Work"

Truth: Finding the right therapist is a little like dating: chemistry matters.

If you didn't click with one therapist, it doesn't mean therapy isn't for you. It just means that the relationship wasn't the right fit. Keep going. The right support can make a world of difference.

5. "Therapists Don’t Really Know Me — How Can They Help?"

Truth: It's true. I don't come in knowing you. And that's the point.

Therapy is a space where your story unfolds without assumptions. A good therapist approaches you with curiosity, respect, and openness, building understanding together rather than pretending to know it all.

6. "I'll Be Stuck in Therapy Forever"

Truth: Therapy is flexible.

Some people come for a few sessions around a specific issue; others choose longer journeys of growth. Therapy ends whenever you feel ready. There's no hidden agenda or contract keeping you stuck.

7. "Talking About My Problems Will Make Them Worse"

Truth: Many people fear that opening up will unleash overwhelming emotions. And yes sometimes, old wounds resurface before they heal. But naming your pain and sharing your story in a safe space actually releases its grip over time. Avoidance keeps hurt frozen; expression helps it thaw.

8. "Why Pay When I Can Talk to a Friend?"

Truth: Friends are precious but they're not trained therapists.

Therapy offers nonjudgmental listening, clinical expertise, and skills you won't get from casual conversation. Plus, a therapist’s role is solely focused on you; no emotional baggage, no personal agenda.

9. "If I Just Try Harder, I Shouldn’t Need Therapy"

Truth: Therapy isn't about effort; it's about compassion.

No amount of "trying harder" can erase certain types of pain or confusion. Healing often requires support, perspective, and tools that are hard to access alone. You’re not weak for needing help; you’re human.

10. "Therapy is All About Blaming My Parents"

Truth: Therapy isn’t about assigning blame.

It’s about understanding how early experiences shaped you, and deciding what patterns you want to keep or change. Insight into the past is a tool for empowerment, not a weapon against anyone.

11. "My Therapist Will Judge Me"

Truth: In therapy, judgment has no place.

Your therapist's role is to hold space for your full humanity; the beautiful, the messy, and everything in between. You deserve a relationship built on acceptance, not criticism.

12. "Therapy is Too Expensive and Not Worth It"

Truth: Therapy is an investment in yourself; your emotional health, your relationships, your future.

Some therapists offer sliding scales or low-cost options. If you can access it, the value of feeling stronger, freer, and more connected is truly priceless.

13. "Therapy Will Fix Me Quickly"

Truth: Healing doesn’t happen overnight.

Real change often happens slowly, through small insights, brave steps, and honest conversations. Therapy isn’t about fixing you; it’s about helping you grow into yourself, fully and authentically.

14. "I'll Have to Lie on a Couch and Be Analysed"

Truth: Gone are the days of Freud-style therapy where you lie down and talk to a silent figure behind a desk.

Today, therapy usually feels like a warm, human conversation: face-to-face, eye-level, real.

15. "My Therapist Will Become My New Best Friend"

Truth: A therapist may feel supportive, warm, and caring but it’s a professional relationship, with clear boundaries.

Those boundaries are what make therapy safe, effective, and focused entirely on your healing.

16. "Therapy Should Solve My Problems in One or Two Sessions"

Truth: Sometimes a single insight can shift everything but deeper issues often take time to unfold and heal.

Therapy isn’t a magic bullet; it’s a journey of understanding, growth, and transformation.

17. "Every Session Should Leave Me Feeling Better"

Truth: Some sessions may feel like a relief; others might stir painful emotions. That’s part of the process.

Like physical therapy for a broken bone, emotional healing sometimes feels uncomfortable before it feels better.

18. "Everyone Will Know I'm Seeing a Therapist (and It Will Affect My Life)"

Truth: Therapy is confidential. Ethical laws protect your privacy fiercely.

Seeing a therapist won't appear on job applications, loan forms, or public records; it's your personal journey, no one else's.

19. "My Therapist Will Analyse Everything I Say and Do"

Truth: Therapy isn’t about dissecting you like a science project. It’s about connecting, understanding, and making meaning together.

You’re not a puzzle to be solved, you’re a person to be supported.

20. "Once I Finish Therapy, I Should Never Need It Again"

Truth: Life evolves and sometimes you might need a fresh round of support for a new chapter.

Therapy isn't a one-and-done experience; it's a tool you can return to when you need it most.

21. "Therapy Will Cure Me"

Truth: Therapy doesn't offer a magic cure.

What it offers is resilience, tools, insight, and empowerment; gifts that help you live with more freedom, compassion, and authenticity, even when life remains imperfect.

What Therapy With Me Looks Like (And What It Doesn't)

If you’ve been wondering "What would it actually be like to work with you?". Here’s my approach, simply put:

As a Therapist, I Won’t:

• Try to fix you

• Give you advice

• Tell you what to do

• Pretend I know more about you than you do

• Assume what is best for you

• Have all the answers

• Make the hard stuff go away

• Push you to talk about things you're not ready to

• Diagnose you

• Interrupt or talk over you

• Pathologise normal human experiences

• Sit silently while you’re in distress

• Force you to stay in therapy if it’s not helpful

• Expect you to be “productive” every session

• Make you feel like a problem that needs solving

Therapy with me isn't about "fixing" you because you aren't broken.

Instead, I see therapy as a conversation, a collaboration, and a partnership where you are the expert on your own life.

As a Therapist, I Will:

• Remind you that you aren't broken

• Give you room to access your own wisdom

• Support you in figuring out what to do

• Recognise that you are the expert on your own life

• Remember that only you know what is best for you

• Honour that I don't know it all

• Collaborate with you on how to make the hard stuff easier to sit with

• Ask thoughtful questions to help you reflect

• Validate your feelings without rushing to change them

• Offer tools, reflections, and strategies (only if and when you want them)

• Celebrate your progress, no matter how small it may seem

• Walk alongside you, not ahead of you

I trust that you hold the answers inside you; my job is to help you find them, trust them, and act on them.

Through compassionate curiosity, respectful listening, and thoughtful questions, we’ll create space for real, sustainable healing.

Why Understanding Therapy Myths Can Help You Heal

Believing in myths about therapy can keep you stuck. It can make you doubt yourself, avoid reaching out, or leave therapy too soon if one experience wasn’t perfect.

When we bust those myths open, space for healing and change opens up. You’re no longer battling false expectations — you’re stepping into an authentic, empowered journey of growth.

Therapy is a brave choice. It’s about investing in yourself, daring to hope, and giving yourself permission to live a fuller life.

Final Thoughts: Therapy is for You, Just as You Are

You don't need to be "broken" to seek therapy. You don't have to know exactly what to say. You don't have to hide the messy, painful, confusing parts.

In therapy with me, there’s room for all of you: the hurting parts, the hopeful parts, the powerful parts.

If you're curious about starting therapy, or if you've tried before and want to try again, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.

You deserve support. You deserve healing. You deserve to be heard.

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I am open to new clients! 

Get in touch to book a free phone consultation or an initial session.

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