A friend introduced me to Ryan Thomas Neace, a blogger for the Huffington Post (among other blogs), a professional counselor with his LPC in several states, and a dad and husband. His blog is...awesome. He might quickly gain a status of "creative hero" in my eyes. But let's not be hasty.

This post that he wrote right after New Years Day is both funny and true. The post is called Happy New Year! I bought you some therapy.

This past week I saw more clients than I've seen in a long time, so Mr Neace's post proved all-too-true. It's amazing what getting together with family over the holidays, imbibing the consumerism leading up to Christmas, and changing your internal speedometer from "survive" to "rest" can do to a person's psyche and behavior.

I sometimes don't know how to express to people how valuable therapy is. I've benefited from it, the healthiest people I know attribute much of their health to it, and it's just downright healing. I'm not an advocate of counseling because I'm a counselor, I'm a counselor because my life was changed by counseling. (Well, that and I REALLY enjoy being a counselor.) Yet still there are so many stigmas attached to going to therapy. It kind of breaks my heart.

What stigmas does counseling have in your circles of friends? Why do you think that is?