"Why I've Never Been To Therapy"

A strangely confused article, I thought.

Let's start with, "Modern therapy was invented by Sigmund Freud..." Well no, it wasn't. Modern therapy was invented long after Sigmund Freud's influence had ended. For example, the listening we do at 7 Cups is based on the work of Carl Rogers, who began to publish his ideas the best part of a century ago, around the time Sigmund Freud died.

And then there's, "...I live in England now, where I can get a free NHS therapist..." Sort of true, but you can't get a free NHS old-style Freudian therapist. There aren't any. You can only get a therapist who works in the modern way. CBT is the most common.

Then there's "Im a man." Typically, research by the NHS in England shows that the proportion of males seeking therapy (37%, page 4) is about the same as the proportion of males in the population of people who suffer from common mental disorders (35%, page 2). There's just about zero gender-related difference.

And then there's, "...spending an extra $50 to $100 a week is a serious investment." True, but modern therapy only lasts for a limited time until the issue has been addressed. It's not like old-style Freudian therapy that could go on for years. The cost of treating most mental illnesses is comparable to the cost of many common surgical procedures. With an experienced therapist, for one of the common disorders like depression, expect to need very roughly 5 to 20 sessions at $100 to $200 a session, thus $500 to $4,000 in total. (Inexperienced therapists are more costly, even if they charge less per session, because you need far more sessions.)

And finally there's, "I think everyone should go to therapy." Modern therapy doesn't work like that. It works by addressing specific mental issues. Most people don't have specific mental issues, so they don't need therapy. In fact, therapy would be a waste of their time and someone's money. This is why the NHS only provides treatment if tests show there is actually some issue to treat.

@EastAfrique