“The best gift you can give yourself is a good therapist” was told to me by one of my treatment therapists at Gentle Path. I did A LOT of therapy during my coming out process. Being the product of the Southern Baptist meat grinder of Christianity, it took a lot of effort to untangle the truth from the misinterpretations about myself that I believed over the years. Talk therapy helped tremendously after I finally accepted the role it should play. Resisting was just a waste of money and time. I finally allowed myself to listen, embrace the process, and learn from others to eventually realize that I wasn’t defective. It took a while and was wickedly expensive. Having a primary counselor for years and then doing in-patient is an investment I’m glad I made. I hated every fucking minute of it, but in the end, it was well worth being able to watch my children grow and eventually marry the man of my dreams. So, while I agree that a good therapist is a great gift to yourself, it also depends how you receive that gift.