Feeling Stressed? Think about Therapy at the Northwestern Family Institute

Do you have great insurance? I thought I did, but let’s be honest. These days, who isn’t substantially aware of the rising costs of living compared to the value of what we’re actually getting? For me, 2008 brought many exciting, but stressful surprises and, like many of you, I function at my best when I feel in control and can compartmentalize my exciting and exhausting life. Unfortunately, when I decided to seek professional counseling to ease the stress, I learned that even with insurance, I’d need to spend $500 of my own money on a therapist before my insurance would step in to cover a portion of the counseling costs. Enter Northwestern Family Institute.

A colleague’s friend is a PhD student at Northwestern and informed me that the Family Institute offers their counseling services to the public for $20 a session (the small price I thought I was expected to pay with insurance). However, there’s a catch: in exchange for $20-per-session counseling services by student therapists, we are asked to participate in their studies. At the beginning of each session, I fill out a survey that measures my progress in therapy, as well as the progress of the student’s counseling. As the process promotes the betterment of the student’s learning, the survey is actually the most ingenious idea ever. Think about it. How many therapists out there spend your time staring at their clock? This survey ensures that both parties maintain their end of the deal. My counselor jots our conversation down in a journal as I’m speaking to outline my common themes and struggles back to me—something I’ve only actually seen on TV, in theory, not practice.

For those of you politically incorrect people who think therapy is only for the crazy, think about this: in college (and throughout most of our lives in grade school) we’re expected and encouraged to see our school counselor, advisors and professors for mentorship. But the moment we graduate that door quickly closes and we are left to our own mental and emotional devices to solve life’s excruciating surprises. Honestly, I find it even funnier that, as an adult, the moment we admit we need help, everyone asks, “What’s wrong?! What happened? Are you okay?!” Perhaps we’re conditioned to think that success means you must never admit you’re tired and need a break.

For those of you who are hip and “with it,” log on to Northwestern’s Family Institute site for further details, or perhaps consider other Universities with similar programs, as the demand may put you on a waiting list. Good luck and hopefully 2009 will bring more exciting challenges!