In many areas of life people often have a reluctance to seek help from others. People tend to try to solve their challenges on their own and only resort to the help from others as a last resort. Of course this isn't the case with everyone and isn't true in all areas of life. People often seek help in areas where they lack knowledge. It's pretty common to see people hire a tax professional to file their taxes or hire an attorney to represent them in court. In the medical field it all depends on the person. Some people won't go to the doctor unless they can't physically get around, while other people go to the doctor at the first sign of detecting something wrong. Unfortunately there is one area of the medical field where an overwhelming amount of people are resistant to seeking professional help.
[...] “Freud suggested that men resist seeking therapy because it shows a loss of power or status to the male ego. Silverberg suggests it could be due to a lack of motivation, the stigma attached to expressing feelings, and the fear of intimacy” (McKelley p. 49). In many societies it is normal for men to avoid expressing their emotions. Men generally have a more difficult time admitting weaknesses or vulnerabilities than women do. It is shown that men who typically uphold these male social norms underuse mental health services. [...]
[...] Some people have a distorted view of the risks involved with therapy, or they don't see all of the benefits they may receive. Social norms guide many human behaviors. A person's willingness or reluctance to seek help is often dependant on the attitudes and opinions of those people close to the individual. If important people in a person's life view counseling in a negative way, chances are that person may avoid seeking help in order to maintain a social standing. [...]
[...] An impactful way of doing this would be to encourage famous people (athletes, actors/actresses) to be more vocal about their positive experiences with therapy. Often people are referred to counselors by their family doctor or physicians. The mental health profession could do a better job of educating doctors and physicians on how to provide information about counseling and help the patient feel comfortable about seeking help. Another way to promote therapy is to reach out to people by developing seminars designed to educate people on the facts vs. [...]
[...] (2007) discuss what type of education needs to take place and how to get the education to the general public. People need to know that there may be some pain associated with working through unresolved issues. Experiencing that pain is sometimes needed in order to enable a person to move on. Talking with a counselor provides a safe environment to work through these issues. Some people are afraid they won't have control over the conversation in the therapy session. Counselors need to let people know that the client is in control and they don't have to talk about anything they aren't comfortable with. [...]
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