Sample Reflection Therapy paper
I grew up in an environment where we were expected to deal with every problem we encountered without complaining or asking for help. My parents always told me that a strong individual knows how to get up when they are knocked down and individuals who go to therapy are weak. Moreover, they told me that seeing a counselor would be allowing another personal to intrude not only into my personal life but also my families. I developed a strong mindset which made it hard for me to let anyone in. Whenever I would feel that someone has offended me I would speak up and defend myself even if it involved emotionally hurting the other person. My outlook towards life and counseling remained the same even when I moved to the United States. At first I would defend myself against people who made fun of my understanding and use of English. Although I displayed a tough exterior, my self-esteem was injured.
I realized that I needed help after giving birth to my baby boy. At the time I was and still a student at Palm Beach Atlantic University which I joined after graduating high school. I am part of a mental health program at the school. It was here that I got to develop both my writing and speaking skills by enrolling for a speech class. I also got to interact with other students who helped me learn English words and how to them. During discussions there would be students who would help me understand some words. However, after having my baby I was unable to attend class for a longer part. I remember I only attended four classes in a whole semester. I started experiencing anxiety and mental exhaustion. I realized that for the sake of my child I needed to ask for help.
I got to meet my counselor through the assistance of my insurance company. They gave me a list of counselors I could choose from. This was after failed attempts to get into contact with counselors whose numbers have been provided by Palm Beach University. My first encounter with the counselor was pleasant. during the first meeting the counselor told me that she needed to know my background and I could tell her why I thought I needed her help. We did not start tackling the issues that day since she told me that we both needed to prepare for the counseling sessions.
During the second meeting, she told me that the reason why I felt that I needed to protect myself from others is because I was brought up believing that I needed to be strong. In addition, she told me that I needed to let my guard down a little so as to welcome other people. I have had a problem of expressing myself especially to the people I care about since I feel they will either take advantage of my weaknesses or they will deem me weak. I believed that a guarded person can never be hurt but the counselor told me that I needed to let other people show me that they care about me.
In addition, we talked about how hard it was for me to go back to school after giving birth. I felt that my son needed all my attention and no one would take care of him as I did. It had been two months since I gave birth and to me leaving he at such an age was cruel. The counselor made me understand that I can enroll for flexible classes which would allow me to spend time with myself as well as attend classes. I was reminded that my son needed material things too which I could only buy if I completed my education and acquired a job. Moreover, I was troubled about the classes I had missed and the thought of starting over was troubling. However, the counselor made me understand that starting over was not such a bad thing since I would reap benefits at the end.
Unlike what I had come to believe about counseling, counseling helped me to deal with my stress. I was able to speak to a stranger about the things that I was facing and the fact that the person listened and offered me sound advice made me realize that therapy is important. I can speak up when something or someone hurts me. In addition, after counseling I learned to ask for help whenever I felt overwhelmed without fear of appearing weak. My mental health improved with time. I remember at first it was difficult to talk to the counselor but the fact that she made me feel comfortable and she did not judge me helped me open up to her.
In conclusion, counseling has been a great experience for me. I am now able to deal with situations amicably without getting angry. Moreover, I got to develop a schedule as my counselor advised on when to be with my child and when to attend classes. In the recent days I have found that I have been able to make more friends than in the past since I took the counselors advice to let my guard down a little bit. In addition, I have improved my language skills.