In Saudi Arabia there is said to be a stigma against therapy and counseling for mental health.

Being in a therapy profession, however, I need to challenge a few misconceptions about what psychologists do. A key goal of therapy is to facilitate change. This may be in the way someone thinks about himself, or in their behaviors. It may be in the way they relate to their family, friends, and world around him. Therapy can help us break a bad habit and it can also help build new ones. Counseling can help change our perspective, which slowly but surely can change lives.

Counseling can be effective if you have issues with stress, overweight, or concentration. Sometimes just talking to a benevolent outsider can be enough to relieve tension. Other times it helps to be both accountable and supported by someone when trying to make big changes.

For example, if you feel that you are perpetually dieting but unable to shed excess kilos, a psychologist can help you navigate your emotions, identifying thoughts and behaviors around food which aren’t serving you well.

A type of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy, used frequently to address cases of anxiety and depression, can also be used to solve overweight.

Just like any other discipline, we have our technical terms and jargon. It’s there to elucidate, not intimidate. Surely there is no shame in wanting to better understand your feelings. So, please don’t judge us therapy folk too harshly. We’re only trying to help.

Kim Lyon

By e-mail