Taking Your First Steps to Seeing a Therapist

This article has been researched and written by Nayla Daou. AI has not been used in producing this article.

More often than not, the first step people take towards overcoming their mental illnesses, is making the decision to talk to someone about it, whether it’s a friend or a professional.

It doesn’t help that our cultural background in the Middle East generally stigmatizes seeking professional help when it comes to mental illness, whether we view it as a sign of weakness, or we consider it to be shameful.

Do you feel like your recurring negative thought patterns are taking over your life? If so, perhaps it’s time to figure out where these feelings come from, and that’s exactly what psychotherapy has to offer.

But when should you consider therapy?

If you’re struggling to manage anxiety, dealing with past trauma, or trying to understand who you are as a person, psychotherapy is a multi-disciplinary practice that can help you identify and isolate negative thought patterns. Ultimately, that’s what defines a mental disorder: a condition whose symptoms are more internal than external—and what do we do with diseases? We treat them.

Don’t be nervous during your first session with a therapist, be informed; ask about the costs, the degree of confidentiality you share with them, or what you feel comfortable talking about, and how you want to approach it, because ultimately, in order for a therapist to help you make the changes you need in your life, you need to be open with them.

Our professionals at Clear Minds Center offer help to patients of all ages and backgrounds, with a variety of therapeutic practices that can be applied to help out individual patients reach their own resolutions, with strict confidentiality.

If you feel like the burden you carry is too heavy to bear, give us a call, or book a confidential appointment with us through our website.

Let us help you: if we all learn to overcome the taboos associated with therapy, we would all be well on our way to self-actualization and overcoming difficulties in our lives.

Nayla Daou

Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Nayla Daou works with children, teens, and young adults experiencing a wide range of behavioral and emotional difficulties.