THERAPY: A NEED OR A FEAR

Ojo Deborah

Therapy also known as Counselling has been viewed by many Nigerians and even Students as a thing that comes on handy when there is a mental health challenge or a person has lost touch with reality. If you decide to say to your group of friends among your coursemates, that you are going for a therapy session; you will most likely get questions like "Are you okay? Is there any issue with your mental health, Are you becoming delusional or even get dissuaded.

However, Therapy which implies meeting with a trained personnel in order to take care of your mental health and emotional life is not an activity to run to whenever there is a dilemma or problem facing reality.

Therapy can be helpful in cases like grief as a result of loss of loved ones, academic pressure, homesickness, anxiety, and even problems related to time management.

A Study by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka showed that 45.1% of students have experienced depression. Meeting a therapist early enough can reduce the risk of a mental illness and ensure healthy living in all regards. Many students would rather share their fears with their friends and coursemates instead of a therapist. While this may feel safe and satisfying considering the fact that we trust our friends and believe they will understand us, they are not trained to help you like therapist would.

Meeting with a therapist provides a safe space to talk without feeling judged. A therapist is trained to keep your information away from any other person except you, he/she will not interrupt you with stories of problems he/she is also facing like you are trying to measure who had more problems like your friend will do. A therapist will take time to ensure that you have expressed yourself, you understand your problems and you see reasons to engage in the exercises he or she recommends.

A challenge with meeting a therapist is getting to know their location. However, this problem has been solved for almost all undergraduate. Almost all department have a guidance and counselling department which is also present in the University Health Services, Jaja. The rise in online therapy is also something to take advantage of. All of these to ensure that students get the optimal experience throughout their stay in the university. Therapy is not for the weak, sick or mentally derailed, it is for everyone and this is one reason why you should get it often.