Tyler Posey of MTV’s Teen Wolf is just 25 years old and he’s ridiculously good looking like a lot of young stars. We haven’t really talked about him except when he was dating Bella Thorne, although they broke up at some point late last year. Tyler has an interview with Page Six which was conducted while he was at the JED Foundation’s annual gala. The JED Foundation is aimed at protecting teen’s mental health and preventing suicide, so that’s why he discussed the topic of therapy. He said that he’s been in therapy for years and that it’s helped him, and I was so impressed by how candid and open he was that I wanted to talk about it. Here’s some of what he said:
Tyler Posey isn’t afraid to admit he needs help sometimes.
“I’ve struggled a lot with therapy because it’s got a stigma to it and also it’s really gotta work for you, I’ve found. As open as you can be about it and as willing as you want to kind of experiment with therapy you still have to find the right person that speaks to you and feels like a good fit for you,” the “Teen Wolf” actor told Page Six at the JED Foundation’s 16th annual gala at Cipriani Wall Street Monday.
“The best thing about it is getting it all out there. Whatever you have on your chest it just feels really good to talk to somebody who you have no ties to … so I think therapy is great. I think everyone should try it out,” the 25-year-old continued.
Posey first struggled with depression after losing his mother to breast cancer and calling off his engagement to his former fiancée Seana Gorlick, both in 2014, so he turned to therapy to deal with his grief. Since experiencing the benefits of mental health services, Posey has inspired those closest to him to also try it.
“Taking even one therapy session is just one step in the right direction to getting help and getting better, so I think it’s great. I love it. I’ve convinced a lot of my friends to get into therapy, and they’ve given it a shot. Sometimes it’s not for everybody at that time,” Posey explained, adding that he’s started to reduce his sessions because of the improvements he’s seen.
“Right now I’m somewhat OK and mentally stable that I don’t need to be in it a couple of times a week, whereas other phases of my life I felt like I needed it at least a couple of times a week. Therapy just kind of gives you resources to manage your life outside of therapy, so you can kind of ween yourself off of it a little bit.”
For those afraid to go, Posey assured it’s a “safe place.”
I wish more young people would be both open to going to therapy and as outspoken about it. It would go a long way to reduce the stigma around it as Tyler is mentioning, as would more people admitting that they take antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. Therapy is expensive though. I live in a rural area and it’s about $100 an hour, but from what I understand that’s cheap and it can be more costly in urban areas. Plus you have to work with more than one person in a lot of instances before you find a therapist that can help you. When I was in college I had some very good counselors from school but as an adult, the couple of times I’ve tried, I haven’t had as much luck. I don’t know if that’s because I’m more closed to therapy, because I haven’t found the right fit for me, or some combination of those things. This interview reminded me that I should give it another try though.
photos credit: WENN and Getty
My common sense tells me that therapy is good. But I do not feel comfortable exposing my most inner feelings to anyone. Isn’t weird to have someone prying into your mind? Perhaps if Mr. Posey spoke to me personally over coffee he probably will convince me to go to a psychotherapist.
It is weird. And I say this as someone about to be a licensed therapist myself.
I go to therapy now but it took me a while to open up. Once I did it was like floodgates though.
Cannot stress enough how good therapy is for anyone and everyone. I do wish it was more affordable. Mine is free as a counseling student but it can be so expensive in the city.
That’s my problem too. I don’t talk about my imost inner feelings to anyone. I though that maye a therapist whom I don’t know in real life would make it easier but it hasn’t. And I don’t know why I am like that. Most of my friends and family are very open, but I have been like this since I was a kid.
I’m the same way because I tend to be everyone else’s therapist (even before going to school for it). As a result I tended to have breakdowns when it got to be too much because I had zero emotional outlet.
You don’t have to bare your soul but you may end up divulging a lot with the right therapist.
I must say though you shouldn’t see a therapist you know well. It brings up a lot of blurred lines with dual relationships that are difficult to navigate.
been there done that. it is scary for like 2 sessions. then it is just talking and thinking like you are gonna say sth crazy but the thing is that real therapists do not judge and let’s face it, they heard it all before.
we live in a crazy scary world and i think everyone needs to have someone to talk to about anything. our lives are fast, work is too demanding, we simply don’t have enough time for ourselves and on top of all that there are outside things, big, scary and sad, even frightening. And you cannot just rely on your friends cos they also live this hectic life.
I hear you. For me it took a major crisis with my son to go to therapy. As milla said, I didn’t want to burden my friends and family with my raging anxiety, knowing they all had enough going on in their lives. It was easy to vent to the therapist about what was going on with him and my fears and anxiety around it. And then I gradually was able to talk about anything and everything to her. I found it extremely helpful. I’ve now gone on and off for over 15 years, depending on when I need he extra support. And interestingly, I just went through a major medical crisis with my other son and I’ve been calm and ok though it — I credit all my years of therapy as giving me the tools to draw on when I need them.
I highly encourage giving it a try. You don’t have to bare your entire soul immediately. Maybe focus on a single issue and start from there. Best of luck to you!
I’m the same way, I’m very closed off. Byt my psychologist made me feel comfortable the minute I walked into her office. She also saw right through me. I never thought I would be this vulnerable with anyone, but here I am. I’ve been in therapy for about 10 months and I can honestly say it has changed my life.
It can be a little daunting a first, but then you develop a rapport with your therapist, so it becomes easier. And they don’t exactly ‘pry’ into your mind, you are always in control of what you share – a good therapist provides you with a safe place and some insightful commentary, mostly, but in the end you are the one who is curing yourself (which is the great thing, your are the author of your recovery, nobody can take it away from you)
Also, if at first you don’t want to talk too much about yourself directly you can talk about books and movies that you feel represent your feelings… it gives that little bit of distance which makes the experience less stressful.
I love this.
Young men are one of the hardest groups to reach with this, and Tyler is all over it. Good for him for speaking out, and for actively convincing his friends to try. I wish we treated mental health more like physical health, regular checkups, maintenance etc.
On top of the regular advice for finding someone (they practice the type of therapy you want, you get along), I’d say if you are a feminist, make sure you find a feminist therapist.
I’m on board with the concept of therapy. However, for the average person, it’s way beyond means.
What exactly is the educational background of a therapist? I’ve seen a lot of “mental health specialists” on TV and in newspaper articles that did not have a degree in psychology. In my country, the rules are very strict. I also read somewhere that psychology as a major is not really valued in the US, whereas here it’s one of the hardest things to get into. Is that true?
At least in Argentina you study Psychology at university. A Psychiatrist studies Medicine and specialises in Psych.
Most legitimate therapists have at bare minimum a masters degree in family therapy, clinical psychology, etc. Psychology majors might not be considered valued because a BA (or BS depending on the school) is not enough more often than not and you need more education to be able to practice as a therapist, do research etc.
In my country a bachelor’s degree isn’t enough for employment in most fields. You have to have a master’s.
@Kata – A sample timeline could be as follows: My future daughter-in-law just turned 27 and she’s been going to school for five years since earning her Bachelor’s (undergraduate) degree at age 22. Her Master’s degree took two years, and she’s been working on her doctorate for the last three years. In addition to class work she has volunteered/interned at hospitals with domestic violence victims and their children, and she has worked suicide prevention hotlines. She has heard and seen a lot in her limited exposure. At the end of April she submitted her dissertation for review, in May she met with the panel to defend it, and now she is in the process of publishing it. By the end of this year she will have earned her PsyD in clinical psychology and begin two years of internship work before she can practice. She will be 29 when this is achieved.
Definitely great he’s not afraid to admit he sometimes needs help. Plenty of us need it. Going to therapy was the best for me. I’m now not afraid to open up my feelings because I learned I’m not the only one with problems.
My insurance only covers therapy if it’s coupled with rehab. I rarely drink and I don’t do drugs so, unfortunately, no therapy for me.
Agree that you need to find the right one. My third is amazing and I can definitely feel the difference and can tell she really gets it. I deal with anxiety/depression and intrusive thoughts and it’s An ongoing cycle of good days/ weeks and bad ones and the more ppl r on your side the better but it can get overwhelming on family. Also I feel that if you’re struggling, please please see someone if you can, it’s very hard to get better on your own (impossible I’d say)and from the people that I know that should get that help and don’t, they just seem to get worse and worse 😔
Almost everyone would benefit from therapy and it should be covered by health care, 100%. My mum is a psychologist and she volunteers a lot of her time to help families and teenagers unable to afford therapy. I’m lucky my health insurance covers 90% of my therapist’s fee and I am so lucky.
I really like Tyler! It’s kind of crazy for me to think he’s only two years older than me, for some reason. He says some great things here. Lately I’ve been considering giving therapy a try a lot.
One way you can get affordable therapy is find one with a sliding fee scale, a lot have them.
Another way is therapists and psychologists need thousands of hours in order to get thier licence.
I was seeing a psychologist who had taken her Orals but was still working on her thesis and required hours to get her PhD.
I was in college and in crisis and at first saw her for 4-5 times a week for 10$ an hour.
Eventually I tapered down to 1-2 times a week
I saw her for 4 years, I was paying 20$ a secession at the end.
She saved my life, literally. Thank you Ruth Boles <3
So look for PhD program at universities or for therapists with sliding fee scales. You want someone with at least a master's working on thier mfcc or msw licence under others supervision.
I've had luck with this both in southern and northern California
I wish more young people in Hollywood would try therapy. They are exposed to a lot of messed up people and messed up “standards,” and unfortunately, a lot of them seem to think the “fix” is plastic surgery. Therapy would be a much better choice for most of them (surgery doesn’t “fix” the root of their problems).
I will also add my two cents and say that therapy is super beneficial. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but definitely one of the best decisions too. I was lucky that my student insurance allowed me to see a psychologist when I started having breakdowns in my grad program (ironically enough, for school counseling lol). I had to stop seeing him eventually, but it definitely got the ball rolling and since then I’ve found two other people that I listen to that have helped me mentally so much. I can honestly say that I feel like a free person in my mind, very psychologically empowered 🙂 And it’s free! I listened to:
-Christine Hassler http://christinehassler.com/category/podcast/ she is extremely warm, and she counsels people in her podcast. Very easy to imagine that she’s talking to you (I secretly cried a lot while listening to episodes at work, haha).
-Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist who teaches two classes at the University of Toronto. Both his Maps of Meaning and Personality and its Transformation psych classes are on youtube. His classes have enlightened and transformed my life in a positive way. https://www.youtube.com/user/JordanPetersonVideos
-Oh, and a little bit of philosophy from Heidegger is enlightening too 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHT-xeU1LEk