You’ve come to the right place! Our Bozeman counselors know that there are lots of mixed feelings about starting therapy. And we think that’s completely valid. In this blog post, we’ve discussed some reasons you may be apprehensive about reaching out to a therapist.

Apprehension to Start Counseling in Bozeman?

There are lots of reasons you may be hesitant to start meeting with a therapist. First of all, there’s still a stigma about mental health and getting support. This can certainly be a barrier in your path to starting counseling in Bozeman.

Second, you may not even know what you’re looking for from mental health services or a therapist. You just know that you’re struggling. On the other hand, maybe you’ve tried counseling before and you had a bad experience. It’s an unfortunate and disappointing, sometimes even traumatic experience when you’ve worked with unethical or invalidating therapists in the past. Again, there are a whole lot of reasons you may feel apprehensive about starting counseling.

Mental Health Stigma Can Hold You Back from Counseling in Bozeman, MT

We’ve come a long way in the past few decades regarding society’s beliefs about mental health and working with a therapist. However, there are still some individuals and communities that don’t understand the reality and importance of taking care of your mental health. If you come from a family or community against mental health support, you’re not alone.

In fact, about 75% of people participating in a survey reported feeling that overall, people are not caring and sympathetic toward individuals with mental illness. Perhaps you would consider yourself part of this 75%. If you’ve been surrounded by folks discounting your mental health struggles, it can be challenging to validate yourself and your experiences. Moving forward and finding support from a therapist can feel like a last resort or even a non-option.

You Might Not Know What You Need from Counseling

The reality is that you know you’re struggling. And it’s likely that you don’t know what’s wrong, but something just feels off. Maybe something has felt off for years, even decades. This is actually the case for a lot of folks who come into counseling!

You could need anxiety treatment?

Perhaps you’re struggling with anxiety. But if you don’t know it’s anxiety, you likely know it as being sensitive, overreactive, or stressed all the time (at least this is what people tell you that you are). Your loved ones probably tell you to “just relax,” but you can’t explain to them how impossible that is.

Body Image Therapy Might be Right for You

Maybe you’re dealing with body image issues. If you’ve just been “dealing with it” for long enough, it probably feels normal. Maybe you’ve just accepted that this is how life will be. Seeing something as a problem when it has become so normalized makes it hard to realize you need support.

Stress counseling might be the right fit for your Mental Health Needs

On the other hand, maybe you’ve developed some patterns or habits that you’re ready to break free from. You may not know exactly what’s not working, but you know something’s gotta change. Somewhere along the way, self-sabotaging behaviors started, keeping you from meeting your goals and dreams. It’s not that you want to keep going this way, but you just can’t stop the cycles.

Counseling in Bozeman can help you find what you need

There are many situations and struggles that can be reasons to start counseling. From depression and anxiety to postpartum support, trauma, and addiction struggles. Working with a Bozeman counselor can help you identify areas of your life that are causing you distress. Then, with ongoing counseling sessions, you can work through the tangles of how these have impacted you.

Poor Experiences with Therapists in the Past

Over our years in the mental health field, our Bozeman counselors have heard some pretty upsetting stories about our clients’ past experiences with therapy. Lots of folks have trauma from going through therapy as a child during a parent’s divorce, losing a loved one, or going through another traumatic event. So, it makes sense that folks with a history like this may have negative associations with counseling.

overcoming mental health struggles with a therapist

If therapy is something only used during dark times, why would you choose to put yourself through that? Could it actually be helpful? Or will a therapist just make you think about all your painful experiences? These are valid questions based on your unique history of working with therapists. We have a challenge to these questions though. If you don’t face the struggles holding you back, how will you ever overcome them?

Past Experiences with A Therapist

Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience with a counselor in your teenage or adult life. Maybe you finally opened up to someone and they questioned your story or invalidated your feelings. There’s a chance a therapist has made you actually feel worse about a situation instead of supporting you as they should have. Of course, going through situations like this can make you distrust therapists and mental health support.

Our Bozeman counselors know that these experiences are more common than they should be. It hurts us to know that folks have these bad encounters with therapists. And we want to be a healing space for you if you do decide to start counseling again.

Our Therapists in Bozeman, MT Understand

Our therapists believe that working through pain, challenging circumstances, and mental health struggles, instead of ignoring them or numbing them, is essential to living an authentic life. We know the damage that stigma, being invalidated about mental health struggles, and bad counseling experiences can cause. Our hope is that when you’re ready, you’ll think about seeking support. The therapists at our Bozeman, MT-based counseling practice will provide an open, welcoming space for you to process whatever you need. When you’re ready to get started with counseling, follow the steps below.

Start Counseling in Bozeman to Support Your Mental Health

At Bridger Peaks Counseling we are here to support your mental health through the dark times and good times. Even if you aren’t sure exactly what you need our Bozeman counselors can help. We understand your struggles and concerns with reaching out for counseling. We will guide you through the concerns and help you to start feeling better. Contact us to get started at our counseling practice based in Bozeman, MT today.

Types of Counseling in Bozeman, MT That We Offer

At Bridger Peaks Counseling in Bozeman, MT we offer many types of mental health services. Some of the individual services we provide include addiction counseling, anxiety counseling, grief counseling, body image therapy, depression counseling, trauma counseling, and EMDR therapy. Are you a new mom struggling with your mental health? Postpartum depression counseling might be the right answer for you. Needing help strengthening and setting boundaries in your relationship? Then our therapists might suggest couples counseling. Our services are not just for adults. We also provide counseling for teens. If one of these services sounds like exactly what you need then great! Contact us and let us know. If you aren’t quite sure then our dedicated counselors will help you decide what the best fit will be. All of these services are offered through online therapy in Montana.