It takes a lot of courage to finally decide to go to counseling. If you’re reading this, and you’re taking that step for the first time… Bravo! You’re doing something that everyone should, but most probably won’t. It’s hard to admit when you need help.

I know for me there were a number of things that I would have found helpful to know before I went. Additionally, there are quite a number of people that I know who have been who have shared their experiences with me that mentioned some things they wished they had known.

So, I’d like to offer a few things to help you prepare for your own experience.

I found myself in Las Vegas at the house of a great leader of a great church there, sitting around a fire pit with other great leaders when the conversation of dealing with stress came up. Many of the leaders sitting there began to talk about the incredibly difficult situations they found themselves trying to navigate. One by one they talked about times and seasons that felt crushing and caused them a ton of anxiety. They’re all leading what look to be thriving and flourishing large churches and their congregations number over a thousand, some of them over thousands. Then many of them began to say things like…

WHEN I WAS IN COUNSELING, OR, LAST MONTH AS I TALKED TO MY COUNSELOR…