You are not crazy if...

...you go to a counselor, psychologist, or other professional to help you deal with things in your life. Repeat, you are not crazy!

For first generation and low income college students--as well as for students of color--there tends to be a negative stigma about seeing a mental health professional. I think this comes from assumptions in our communities like counseling is only for the weak or therapy is for rich people. But, don't buy into this hype!

Photo credit: www.gold.ac.uk

Personally, I've found professional counseling to be very, very helpful on more than one occasion in my life. And I'm not crazy. In fact, I think the sanest thing you can do is to admit that you need some extra support and it shows strength--not weakness--to seek that out. On top of that, counseling or therapy has the advantage of being somewhat removed from your life, enough to offer an unbiased and objective outlet for you to express yourself and work through things.

Our friend Steven over at The Emotion Machine wrote about the social stigma of getting help and makes some great points about not feeling ashamed about it. I think he said it best:

"Seeking extra advice from experts, through counseling or coaching, should be seen as a legitimate form of improving our quality of life... there is always room for improvement, and seeking improvement should never be something we are ashamed of."

So, show your strength by seeking improvement because you are not crazy.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.