The one change that worked: I committed to therapy and began to chip away at my grief and depression

"I used to think I was great at therapy...I was a conscientious student... Once my allotted number of sessions was up, I would leave, knowing that if things began to feel stressful again, I could return and pick up new strategies."

"As my mental health deteriorated, I realised I needed to return to therapy... I began searching privately...After a few months, though, I found another professional, with a similar Asian background to mine..."

The article reflects on the author's journey through therapy from adolescence into early adulthood. Initially confident in therapy's efficacy, the author experiences a major breakdown at 23, facing unemployment and deepening depression following the loss of a parent. Struggles with conventional counselling and lengthy NHS waiting times push the author to seek private therapy, which leads to varied experiences of feeling both paid for a chat and eventually more effectively engaged in their mental health journey with a culturally relatable therapist.

Read at www.theguardian.com