From Client to Therapist: My Journey with Mental Health

How My Own Teenage Experience with Depression Shaped My Work

People are often surprised to hear that many therapists, including me, started out as clients long before we ever thought about doing this work. There is a misconception that therapists somehow grow up immune to mental health struggles or naturally know how to handle everything, but that was not my story.

Mental health has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I watched my mom navigate anxiety and depression, and by eighth grade I was dealing with my own symptoms too. Because my family treated therapy as a normal kind of support, choosing to start counseling in high school felt accessible and grounding rather than intimidating.

Seeing the Patterns of Depression Before I Felt Them Myself

Depression runs in my family in a way that almost feels predictable. I grew up watching my mom move through depressive episodes, so the patterns were familiar long before I understood what they meant. It was never framed as a personal flaw or something to hide — it was simply part of our family story.

So when my own symptoms showed up in middle school, they did not feel random or confusing. They were hard, of course, but not surprising. I recognized what was happening because I had already seen it up close, and that familiarity made it a little easier to name what I was feeling.

Mental Health Struggles Even with a Strong Support System

I had a good childhood. A really good one. My family was close. I felt safe. I had a sister who was truly my best friend, and another best friend who lived right next door. I made friends easily at school, and I trusted my parents completely.

But mental health does not check whether your family is supportive before settling in. You can have everything you need on paper and still struggle. And that was me. I had so much love around me, but I was still hurting in ways I did not know how to handle on my own.

Navigating the Hardest Parts of Middle School and Early High School

Middle school and early high school were rough. Not in an extreme or traumatic way, but in the very normal, very real way that so many young girls experience. There was drama with friends. Big feelings I did not know how to manage. The start of boy-related stress, which often somehow created even more girl-friend drama.

My freshman year stands out the most. It was one of the loneliest seasons of my life. I had been dropped by a group of girls I thought were my people, long before I had found the friends who would become my real, long-term supports. I remember walking into school every day feeling like I was floating between worlds, not quite belonging anywhere.

How Heartbreak Pushed Me Toward Therapy

In the middle of my sophomore year, I fell in love for the first time. It was intense and overwhelming and brand new. It also pulled me away from friendships I had once relied on, something I did not totally notice until the relationship ended.

The breakup felt sudden and disorienting, and it landed right before finals—the finals that seemed like the most important academic moment of my entire life. I spent most of winter break crying on the couch with Netflix playing in the background. My mom, sister, and best friend took turns supporting me, but the pain felt huge and impossible.

When school started again, it was almost impossible to pretend everything was fine. That was the moment I knew I needed more support than my usual circle could offer. So I sought help.

The Role Therapy Played in My Healing

Because I started therapy in the middle of a crisis, we spent a lot of sessions focused on the breakup. And honestly, that was helpful. I needed someone neutral who I could talk to without worrying about gossip, judgment, or accidentally upsetting someone. In high school, that kind of space feels rare.

It is also true that if I had started therapy earlier—when things were “fine”—I might have built skills to help me navigate the pain more smoothly. Earlier therapy could have been about grounding, reframing, and learning myself better. Crisis therapy helped with coping, but preventative therapy builds resilience. Both have a purpose.

Navigating Inconsistent and Unreliable Care in College

In college, I kept going to therapy. My university made mental health services pretty accessible, which I appreciated. But there were challenges, too.

The biggest issue was inconsistency. Providers rotated frequently, so the moment I felt like I was finally making progress, I often had to start over with someone new. Some of the therapists I saw were wonderful. Others left me feeling talked over, misunderstood, or judged. I remember leaving one session thinking, “That was the opposite of helpful.”

In my last year of college, I joined a therapy group that genuinely felt promising, and then COVID hit, and everything changed. The group dissolved before it really got the chance to grow into what it could have been.

How We Support Teens and Young Adults at SIS Counseling

At SIS Counseling, our therapists have real experience walking teens and young adults through the kinds of transitions and challenges I faced myself. We offer steady, reliable individual and group sessions where the client is always centered and trusted to know their own life better than anyone else.

Because I have been on both sides of the process, I bring a perspective rooted in genuine understanding rather than judgment. I have learned from what helped me, what fell flat, and what I needed most during those years. If you or your child is navigating a similar stage, we are here to support you. Reach out today to learn more about therapy for teens.