So I shaved my head.
There is a stigma about visiting a counselor. Every office I’ve
visited either spaces appointments far apart so that there is no chance you will
run into another client; or it has an “airlock” – one waiting room where you
come in, and an entirely different exit for when you leave.
(It’s kind of what I imagine visiting a mafia kingpin would
be like – in the front door, then thrown out into the back alley by goons.)
I grew up believing that visiting a counselor meant I had a
weakness. I also believed that they would collect information about me that
would go in a file that would somehow follow me around, like my “permanent” record
in school. (I imagined that as a kind of Rosetta Stone – unearthed a thousand
years from now for archaeologists to cluck over the fact I was absent for
twelve days in grade three).
A lot of people still believe this stuff. I’ve visited lots
of counselors, and I can tell you this – they are simply human mirrors.
It takes a lot of study, training and skill to become a good
human mirror. In British Columbia, make sure the mirror is a Registered Clinical Counselor. This certification requires a tremendous amount of
education and expertise.
So how does a human mirror help?
It shows us all of the things about ourselves that we haven’t
noticed or have ignored. It asks questions that challenge us to think about how
we want to live our lives. It gives broad guidelines as to how others have
dealt with similar things, and homework to help us overcome our obstacles.
It is hard work sitting with a living mirror that is gently
getting you to notice and learn things about yourself that you don’t want to
know. But the insights are pure gold.
Which brings me back to the stigma.
Visiting a counselor means admitting that you need to work on
some part of your life. Like our assumption that mental illness is very rare,
we assume that very few people need to seek help with their issues. So looking
for counseling becomes shameful.
In reality, everyone could use a counselor to have a good
look in the mirror. Everyone has issues they can work on. Often the people who
are most vocal about not needing help are the ones who need it the most.
I am proud when I go to see my counselor, because this particular
mirror has not only shown me my issues, it has shown me how much progress I
have made addressing them.
I hope that one day counseling offices won’t need airlocks.
