Christina,
Due to a catastrophic event in my life, I was almost instantly falling apart and knew I needed outside help. I am the strong, keeps-feelings-bundled-up-inside type and would not have thought in a hundred years I would ever seek out therapy. Until I fell apart and had to get help. It was so hard to make the phone call to get some referrals and then to call the counselor the first time. I got the referrals through my employer's Employee Assistance Plan (EAP). Lots of employers in the U.S. have EAPs. They give confidential referrals to "qualified" mental health professionals and my EAP paid for the first 3 visits. After that, I had to go through my insurance for reimbursement. And my use of the EAP was kept confidential from my boss.

My counselor and I weren't a great match, but I still got some relief from seeing her for a while. The first visits were difficult because I was such a basket case and barely making it through the day. But her office provided a place where I could go to cry and fall apart. I was not in any shape to read up on different therapy approaches or philosophies and look at that kind of stuff in detail or check credentials. Now I have a different therapist and we fit like a hand in a glove, and I am truely solving my problems (instead of just tackling the symptoms) and moving forward. Going to see the first counselor helped me learn what did and didn't work for me in therapy, and that knowledge helped me find a good match the second time.

Now that I have had some therapy, I would not hesitate to seek it out again if I felt I needed it. If you're not sure, you can always try going for a while, then stop if it seems not to be what you need. You don't need to tell anyone you are going to therapy at first, if you feel embarrassed by it. Your sessions are between you and your therapist. Tell friends and family only if you want. Later that may become easier.

Good luck,
sunny