Do I have too many issues for counseling?
I have so many issues to address. I have a history of sexual abuse, I’m a breast cancer survivor and I am a lifetime insomniac.
I have a long history of depression and I’m beginning to have anxiety. I have low self esteem but I’ve been happily married for almost 35 years.
I’ve never had counseling about any of this. Do I have too many issues to address in counseling?
Starting counseling, and bringing in a lot can feel overwhelming; like you've brought too many full suitcases and it's scary to think about opening them all.
My strategy would be to help you take inventory of all the areas you'd like to eventually work on and then prioritize what you'd like to work on first. We would just focus on what seems manageable to work on, for now (what suitcase do you want to open, and how much do you want to unpack?) Often times, symptoms have similar root issues, so once you start to work on one area and it gets better, other symptoms can get better too.
Being a breast cancer survivor you already have a chest of skills and tools that have helped you get through! It's likely those skills can be applied in other areas for healing.
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