Changing Perspectives... on Therapy

I still remember the first time I told someone I was in therapy – their face instantly dropped, as though I had just told them I had a life-threatening illness. That reaction stuck with me. Why was it so unusual, even taboo, to admit I was taking care of my mental health?

I began therapy in 2014, at the start of my Bachelor’s degree. By then, I had already lived through a childhood shaped by trauma. Moving to Australia from China as a teenager exposed me to a different culture, one where conversations about wellbeing weren’t as hidden. For the first time, I realised I needed to talk to someone about what I had been through – and, more importantly, who I wanted to become.

Therapy was confronting from day one. I remember walking out of that first appointment in tears, calling my mum and asking, “Why did you leave me?”

My mum had endured 18 years of domestic violence, and when she tried to escape, she left without me. I still remember the day she disappeared with only her handbag. She didn’t come back for weeks, until my dad and I found her. That memory sat at the centre of my pain, and therapy gave me the courage to face it.

I was 18 when I committed to this long journey of healing. Over the years, I’ve had different therapists. As I’ve grown, the conversations have evolved – from recognising that what I went through as a child was not “normal,” to unpacking how relationships in adulthood can reopen old wounds, to exploring how my past shapes the way I show up professionally. Every session leaves me feeling lighter, clearer, and more in tune with myself.

That’s why I believe everyone needs a therapist – just as casually as we say we’re going to the doctor, we should feel comfortable saying we’re going to therapy.

Workplaces play a critical role in normalising this, and while many already offer Employee Assistance Programs, such as Sonder, providing free counselling and wellbeing support, these initiatives only truly make an impact if leaders actively remove the stigma, encourage people to use them, and model openness themselves.

Therapy in the workplace isn’t a “perk”; it’s essential, it saves people like me. It isn’t about weakness; it’s about understanding yourself enough not to keep repeating the pain you grew up with.

Maybe one day saying I’m seeing my therapist will feel as normal as saying I’m going to the doctor. Until then, I’ll keep talking about it – awkward silences and all.