Lakeshore Therapy at 51 Austin Street, Sandusky, Michigan.

An extremely dear friend of mine visits this place to try to feel better, but all that she receives out of this experience is sadness, frustration, and an even stronger feeling of worthlessness. It breaks my heart when my companion texts me saying that she almost cried because her therapist says that it’s normal what she’s going through, which suggests that my friend is over-exaggerating and has no reason to feel the depression that plagues her mind everyday. According to my friend, a therapist here snapped at her for misusing terminology. Instead of gently informing her of the misuse, the therapist decided it best to obnoxiously correct her.

In addition to this, the therapist tells my friend to write in a journal and read her inner-most thoughts aloud to said therapist. My friend is uncomfortable with this, especially with the way that the therapist patronizes her and belittles her experiences.

Therapy is supposed to be something that you look forward to (but also sort of dread) because of hope it will get better and a way to be free from all the judgement and negativity the world holds. From what I have heard of my friend’s experiences, Lakeshore Therapy does not provide this. Instead of starting to heal, my friend is falling deeper into the pit that is depression. I only want her to begin to heal, and it is becoming more obvious that Lakeshore Therapy does not heal.