Dear Prudence,
Lately I’ve become very anxious and insecure, partly because of some relationship issues and partly because of a really stressful job I just quit. Then, during a fight with a close friend, he implied our friends think I’m a mean person. I’ve been turning those words over and over in my mind ever since. All this to say, I think I might benefit from therapy. But I live in a very small town, and there is only one sliding-scale therapist office (I can’t afford anything else). And I have just been hired to do a big freelance writing project for that same office.
I know that they wouldn’t fire me for it, but I’m terrified of going there for therapy while also working for them (both require my physical presence). What if one of the people who hired me sees me in the waiting room and thinks I’m there for work when I’m actually there for an appointment? What if someone I work for ends up being my actual therapist? It seems like a recipe for intense awkwardness and added stress, and I’ve sort of resigned myself to just not going, but I really think it might help. Do you have any advice? I can’t turn down the job, or I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent the next couple months.
—Therapist and Boss