Why do some think seeing a "shrink" is so important?
I'll bite on this one, Joni T, since I've "been there"
If you're doing OK with your life - then you don't.
If there are problems that you can't quite get past, or you have questions that you can't answer (and they're really bugging you), or things are falling apart in your life - then maybe having an impartial, trained professional is a good idea.
A good therapist won't find any answers for you, but will ask you questions you didn't think to ask yourself - and won't swallow BS for an answer.
A good therapist isn't there to judge, nor to be your cheerleader. They are there to guide you to self awareness, and point out the self deceptions and emotional traps you're laid for yourself.
This person is not an enemy, or an ally. He/she is a sometimes-needed tool in a person's emotional maintenance kit. Used properly, wonders happen.
I was fortunate. When I went in for counselling (gender issues, near-suicidal depression, NO self esteem), I found a man I could work with, and he pretty much saved me - all without ever really telling me what to do, think OR feel. I don't know how he did it, but he was a miracle worker!
