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April is Counseling Awareness Month and the American Counseling Association created the social media campaign #BurnBrightNotOut as a “...nod to the awareness that those who have dedicated their lives in ensuring others take care of themselves, also must find time to do the same.” As counselors, we must set a good example and role model ways that we manage self-care. Additionally, many celebrities have discussed ways they have utilized counseling as a form of self-care.
In early 2020, Oprah Winfrey sat down with Stephanie Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga, during Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour with the goal of helping people gain clarity for their 2020 vision.
Lady Gaga has a strong record of advocating for mental health and created the Born This Way Foundation to create a kinder and braver world with the aim of supporting the mental and emotional wellness of young people.
One way Lady Gaga has encouraged people to have conversations about mental health is to share her personal story with others:
“I think the most shocking thing that I could possibly do is be completely vulnerable and honest with you about my life, how what I've been through, the struggles that I've seen that I've also been a part of, and share that with the world so that I can help other people who are suffering and one of those things that I deeply care about is mental health.”
Lady Gaga discussed several issues including overcoming bullying; being kind; understanding mental health as a medical condition, medication, and counseling.
Bullying
“When I was younger, I went through a lot of struggles in high school. I was really bullied, I didn't feel good about myself, and I got made fun of." —Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga said people in school made fun of her for wanting to be a singer and actor which led to feelings of seclusion and isolation. Later in life, she pursued her dreams and mentioned that creating the persona Lady Gaga allowed her to create a superhero for herself, believe in herself, develop confidence, and through sincere effort and passion, she gave herself the wings to fly.
She encouraged people to talk about their feelings, especially with counselors, in order to navigate the difficult feelings that can arise as the result of being bullied.
In her Oscars 2019 Best Original Song Speech, she encouraged people to fight for their dreams and reminded us, “... it’s about not giving up. If you have a dream fight for it ... it’s not about how many times you get rejected ... it’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and keep on going.”
Be Kind
“Kindness heals the world.” —Lady Gaga
For some people, it is hard to think about being kind when they are working to overcome bullying. She asked people to be brave every day: “Just be a little braver every day. If you feel like you can't do something, just go do a little bit. And I promise you before you know it you're taking a big old bite of bravery and it's amazing.” Lady Gaga encouraged us to do something small to give back to ourselves every day. “When you give back to yourself, you sit in a state of gratitude and then you are able to give to those around you and be kind. That is how we heal the world.”
Mental Health as a Medical Condition
“Mental health is a medical condition. It should be treated as a medical condition. It should not be ignored.” —Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga revealed a lot of personal information during her interview with Oprah including that she suffers from fibromyalgia and PTSD due to being repeatedly raped as a young woman. She discussed self-injury, physiological and psychological trauma responses, and how self-injurious behavior “...was not helpful in any way.” She encouraged people to tell, not show, when they are in pain. She admitted that she used to cut herself to show people that she was in emotional pain, and, through therapy, she has the tools to discuss (tell) her emotional pain.
She also encourages person-centered language (“I used to cut” as opposed to “I used to be a cutter”) to help decrease stigma and demystify mental health. To emphasize the importance of researching mental health issues, she dedicated herself to helping: “I'm going to get the smartest scientists, doctors, psychiatrists, mathematicians, researchers, and professors in the same room together, and we're going to go through each problem one by one. And we are going to solve this mental health crisis.”
Medicine Can Be Helpful for People Who Suffer With Mental Health Issues
“I know that this is controversial in a lot of ways. But, medicine really helped me, and I think a lot of people are afraid of medicine for their brains to help them.” —Lady Gaga
Medicine can be helpful for people who experience mild to severe mental health symptoms, especially when the medicine is prescribed by a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are experts in analyzing people’s symptoms and prescribing individualized treatment plans to help alleviate symptoms. A lot of people talk with their primary care physicians, family practice doctors, and gynecologists about mental health, which is wonderful. It is even more wonderful when these doctors refer to psychiatrists. After all, would you seek an osteopathic doctor if you experienced heart problems? No. You would seek a cardiologist who is an expert in heart issues. The same goes for mental health—see a psychiatrist who specializes in your specific mental health concerns. Lady Gaga also discussed the need for increased access to mental health care and the lack of resources available for people.
Different Theories of Counseling
“I had mental health issues. I take a lot of medication to stay on board. And I'm a survivor. And I'm living and I'm thriving and I'm strong, and I'm going to take all my life experiences and I'm going to share them with the world and make it a better place.” —Lady Gaga
There are many different theories of counseling—the theory a counselor prescribes to is called their theoretical orientation. Lady Gaga mentioned that she has experienced benefits from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Other theories of counseling include psychoanalytic, Adlerian, psychodynamic, feminist theory, Gestalt theory, systems theories, and many more. People can research these theories and talk to counselors to determine which theory you are drawn to. Interestingly, researchers have shown that it is the quality of the therapeutic relationship, not the theory, that is the best predictor of positive therapeutic outcomes.
Radical Acceptance
“It’s hard to change something if you don’t accept it in the first place.” —Marsha Linehan, creator of DBT
Lady Gaga discussed radical acceptance, a concept within DBT, that encourages people to accept what is—it’s the practice of letting go and realizing it is not a catastrophe to not have what you want, and accepting reality. We must accept aspects of our reality that we don’t like if we want to create change in our lives. There are some things we cannot change, but we can accept that fact and create a plan to change things that we do have control over.
“I'm an authentic person and here I am, I'm perfectly imperfect ... and we all are. And we all have our things that we go through. And I just felt like, why wouldn't I share this when I share all of myself with the world, all the time. And I could maybe help people. ...” she said. Additionally, she mentioned, “... you cannot problem solve if you're lying to yourself. I got to a place where I didn't know who I was anymore so I broke. My brain shut off. But once I started to get to know myself again, I was able to [problem solve].” Talking with a counselor can help you understand the different aspects of yourself, leading to insight and self-awareness.
Therapy Takes Time and Effort
“Some days are better than others. Some days I have lots of self-love. Some days I have less. Some days I have lots of self-confidence. Some days I have less.” —Lady Gaga
What most people don’t know is that therapy takes time. Many people want to know how much time they will spend with their counselor—the time frame is different for each person. Counselors are trained in creating individual treatment plans to help people reach their own goals and insights—no two people are the same. At times, therapy can be difficult and people can feel like they are not improving, however, with a dedicated effort, counseling can help people work through difficult times. Lady Gaga talked about her experiences in therapy:
“... every day can be different, and that's okay. It doesn't mean we're not moving forward in therapy. They say sometimes when you take three steps forward. You might also take one step back. What's important is to try to keep tabs on making sure that if you take two steps forward, you don't also to do something that takes you 10 steps backwards at the same time.” There are many myths about therapy and it is important for people to understand the facts.
The Takeaways
The important takeaways in any discussion about mental health are knowing that counselors can help people, even when they feel like there are no solutions. Talking things out can result in developing insights that were previously known to individuals. Remember that you are not alone and that counselors are here to help.
