Coming back from the extra-long winter break, I felt refreshed and ready for the semester to get going.

The break allowed me to spend some extra time with my family, slowly start to get prepared for school and overall, just relax.

When I returned to campus, my therapist emailed me asking if I wanted to meet back up again for a session or if I did not feel the need to.

It made me stop and think for a second.

I realized that right now I am in a good space with my mental health, especially with the added week at home not having to worry about school, so I thought to myself, “Do I really need to go back?”

But after giving it a few seconds of thought, I realized I should.

Therapy is not just for when you have a personal tragedy. You can go whenever and for whatever reason you want; even people who are typically “happy” go to therapy.

The great thing about therapy is you can go if you just want to talk to someone about your life or about things that aren’t related to your mental health in any way, shape or form.

Your therapist is there to listen to you, and it is really nice to be able to rant or just have a discussion with someone who has no bias in your life.

A lot of people who ask me about therapy say, “What all do you talk about there?” I respond with, “Whatever we want.”

Which is the amazing part about going.

So many people think you only go when you are struggling. That can be the case, but it is not always that way. But I think that it is very healthy for anybody to go.

Therapists normalize the human experience. It is a private judgment-free zone. It is tailored to you and your unique self. These are just a few of the valid reasons as to why everyone should go to therapy.

Therapists hear so many things from so many different people; what you think is “crazy and embarrassing” is normal to them.

The time you are in that room is 100% focused on you. Whatever YOU want to talk about is what will be discussed. You don’t have to feel forced to talk about something you don’t want to.

So, go ahead and schedule an appointment with Gannon’s Counseling Center or someone outside of Gannon if you want.

Go for a session or two and really get a feel of what therapy really is. You might surprise yourself and realize, “Hey, that girl who wrote that article in The Gannon Knight was right — everyone should go to therapy.”

Or you can realize it wasn’t for you. But at least you tried it out, and that is what matters in the long run.

CHLOE PALMIERE

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