I have so many issues to address. I have a history of sexual abuse, Im a breast cancer survivor and I am a lifetime insomniac. I have a long history of depression and Im beginning to have anxiety. I have low self esteem but Ive been happily married for almost 35 years. Ive never had counseling about any of this. Do I have too many issues to address in counseling?
Do I have too many issues for counseling?
This is a common worry clients have about counseling. Something that can be helpful to remember is that what we're seeing as different issues often have a theme or are connected in some way. For example, the sexual abuse and cancer history you shared have similar traumatic and stressful effects on the mind and body, and insomnia can be exacerbated by the longer-term effects of what you've been through. Similarly, anxiety and depression are different ways our pain and distress presents itself but have underlying connections - sometimes they're even connected to the same trauma response. The hope is that you'll have a counselor who can help you explore these different areas of wellbeing, and facilitate a process of putting the puzzle pieces together while creating space to discover what you need in order to find some liberation and healing from the issues you've named.