People don’t think twice about hiring an interior designer if they don’t have experience decorating houses, or hiring a wedding planner to coordinate their wedding weekend, or have pause about paying a plumber to come in and do some work.
For real, if a friend was complaining to you about keeping up their yard, the conversation wouldn’t get too deep before you suggested to hire a lawn care company to help them out. Or if your friend cut their own hair and it didn’t turn out looking too hot, you may suggest making an appointment with a trained hair stylist the next time they need a hair cut.
For the most part we can all agree that there is nothing wrong with seeking out additional support from a trained professional when needed and that we often are in search of others that we can rely on.
But sadly, when it comes to our internal states and our emotions, the story changes dramatically.
With counseling and mental health, the picture that is painted of someone who seeks professional assistance from a trained mental health professional is that they are weak, damaged, not strong enough to handle it on their own, broken, have a lot of things wrong with them and on and on.
I call BS on that.
Individuals who enter therapy are strong, capable people who want to understand themselves and the world around them a little bit better and grow with the every changing demands our world places on us.
The idea that entering counseling is something “weak” people do is shifting more and more as the years pass (thank goodness) but unfortunately the stigma is still there. Mental Health Louisville is an initiative in Louisville, KY aiming to rid the city of the mental health stigma. I hope more of the same mission driven agencies pop up around the nation because this is not just an issue in KY, it’s everywhere.
I am Shannon Gonter and I specialize in working with men and young adults. I am passionate about my career and want to work with you to create positive change. I also strive to create a counseling environment where men and young adults can relate, feel heard, and find new solutions to their negative patterns. Some issues that I most commonly work with are stress, relationship issues, difficulty saying “no” to others, difficulties recognizing emotions and emotionally connecting to others, anger, and intimacy issues, among others.
The information and resources contained on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to assess, diagnose, or treat any medical and/or mental health disease or condition. The use of this website does not imply nor establish any type of therapist-client relationship. Furthermore, the information obtained from this site should not be considered a substitute for a thorough medical and/or mental health evaluation by an appropriately credentialed and licensed professional.