Hi,
I really think I need a therapist, or at least I want one. I’ve been feeling a sense of emptiness and a mix of other emotions from a very young age and I don’t know how to go about it. I’m still a teenager and a young one at that (not THAT young, lol)
If you know (or if you don’t know), African parents are super religious. So, when I told my mum how I felt a couple years back she texted out the blue months after and told me, “You don’t need a therapist, you have God.”
Thing is, even though I grew up practically going to church every Sunday, I’ve never really had a relationship with God. Telling Him my problems at that moment felt like I was only doing it to get something out of Him, which isn’t how that relationship is supposed to work. So, I don’t wanna do that because I honestly don’t even know where to start if I did.
My question still stands though, how do I tell my African parents that I at least WANT a therapist?
Comments
I might try finding a therapist that’s pretty heavy on religion. Faith-based counseling or something. You can probably find them online and I bet your parents would be pretty supportive of it if you show them.
This is regardless of how you want your relationship to faith to be. The point is you want your parents to accept the therapist you choose since you’re still dependent on them.
Then you can totally tell the therapist your situation and why you chose them and take it from there. I think a good therapist should be able to handle your situation and even talk about your parents forcing their faith onto you. YOU need to decide how your relationship with faith should be, not your parents.
Personally, I think it’s really wrong to deny your child the help they want because you think you know something completely irrelevant will be helpful to them. That sucks.
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