Dear Prudence,
A couple years ago, I started doing therapy via a phone app (I won’t name it but I’m sure you can narrow it down) to deal with anxiety and self-esteem struggles that I’d had for a long time but were coming to a head. It felt like the best option for me because I live in a relatively rural area where providers are scarce and my therapist being in a different time zone makes it easier to schedule sessions around my work. It has been great to be able to talk to someone and, while I have good days and bad days, I think it has helped overall.
The problem is that I often see things online maligning the app/service I use. Some of it is about business practices and some is anecdotes of people having bad therapy experiences, but there is a lot of rage and disdain out there. I’ve even seen it from people I know, including a close, long-time friend who called it “nefarious.” This friend isn’t against therapy generally (they’ve been doing it on and off for years), but, like a lot of others, they really seem to hate the company I use. I’d like to be more open about my mental health struggles with people in my life, but I’m afraid I’ll be judged for how I’m doing my therapy. I almost didn’t even send this letter because I’m afraid people are going to think I’m like some PR plant for this company (I’m not, I promise)!
Seeing these criticisms make me feel ashamed of my choice, and seeing them from friends makes me feel like I can never talk to them about it. Am I taking all this too personally? Are there problems with these sorts of companies that I just don’t see since this is my first time in therapy? How, if ever, should I bring it up to people in my life without getting blowback?
—Doing Therapy Wrong