History Main / TherapyIsForTheWeak

* ''Series/{{Perception}}'': Kate claims this. Bonus points for reciting the "just sign the damn papers so I can get better at work" line.

*** Though it should also be pointed out that [[BloodKnight Old Blood and Guts]] himself had shattering nightmares of [[TheChainsOfCommanding being faced with all the soldiers who died because of his command decisions.]] [[AFatherToHisMen Plus, he was one of the few WW2 generals to actually visit field hospitals and look at his injured men.]]

* [[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/christina-ling/societal-views-on-mental-_b_9488896.html This is a common attitude for people living in Asia]], where those who seek professional psychological treatment are perceived as weak and thus are stigmatized.
** [[http://www.psychedinsanfrancisco.com/youre-not-white-reasons-black-people-dont-go-therapy/ The same thing applies to Black communities, as well]]. They like to associate mental health issues with races, and like to view people who go to therapy as "crazy."
* Comes up in a lot of dysfunctional families, especially when one partner attends therapy but the other does not. The one who does not go ''will'' throw it in the face of the one who does. "You go to a therapist, and I don't. [[NeverMyFault That proves you're the one with the issues.]]" To this day, mental illness (even treated or managed) and/or seeking health care for it is often seen as enough to deny a parent custody or unsupervised custody. No one ever seems to consider that [[FridgeLogic attending therapy means the person is mature enough to recognize that they have issues and are trying to work them out]].
** Something explicitly stated by Britain's [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]], who admitted that his then-girlfriend Creator/MeghanMarkle got him to drop this attitude and seek help to deal with his unresolved grief over his mother's death.

** His partner Brennan is a "hard" scientist (forensic anthropology) with contempt for "soft" science like psychology. Not to mention [[AmbiguousDisorder her own passel of serious emotional issues]].

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/AnalyzeThis'', mob boss Paul Vitti thinks that therapy is for pussies and homosexuals but due to extenuating circumstances, he goes to see a therapist. He has this exchange with his therapist Ben:
-->'''Paul:''' "If I talk to you and you turn me into a fag, I'm gonna kill ya, you understand?"\\
'''Ben:''' "Can we define 'fag'? Because some feelings may come up--"\\
'''Paul:''' "I go fag, you die. Got it?"\\
'''Ben:''' "Got it."

* Mariner loudly protests being sent to therapy in ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' after one violation too many of Starfleet protocol. Of course, that also has to do with the fact that the ''Cerritos''' counselor isn't very good--he's condescending and, bizarrely, makes constant food metaphors about his patients' issues. Mariner decides that therapy ''does'' work after being defeated by a holographic simulation of herself which cut through all of her bullshit during their fight-slash-argument.

* ''ComicBook/XFactor'': Doc Samson is a psychologist, and the team members pretty much sneer at seeing him ... but they eventually come around.

* [[http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/813229.html#cutid1 This]] legendarily [[HoYay subtext-ridden]] comic has Batman telling Superman that using each other for therapy sure beats going to a clock-watching psychiatrist.

* Fred Perry's ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'' has therapists, or more technically, 'balance councilors,' for helping mages and other magical beings with their problems. The Queen of Dragons T'mat, however, will have no part of them, not even for ''centuries'' after the most traumatic experience of her life (that, among other things, caused her to lose a hand, and this is among the least of the scars it left). Eventually, her daughter has to go to significant lengths to get help, and deposing her is discussed.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'', Maggie suggests to Kate that recent events (i.e. Gotham being attacked by mythical creatures), coupled with the lingering effects of seeing her mother killed as a child, have caused her to develop (or at least start manifesting symptoms of) PTSD, making her slip up and make dumb mistakes while out crimefighting. Kate is very resistant to seeing a psychiatrist at first but ends up making some significant progress through her issues after a few sessions.
* In the end, the villain that caused the Sanctuary massacre in ''ComicBook/HeroesInCrisis'' plays with this: [[spoiler:Wally West was sent to get therapy because of his family becoming RetGone as a result of the events of ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}''/the "New 52" reboot, but the "therapy" he got from the Sanctuary AI did much more harm than good. Believing that his own personal weaknesses were the reason his therapy was going so slowly and that other heroes couldn't be this screwed up, he rebuilt the video confessional files of Sanctuary... and after seeing the ''many'' awful secrets and dark backstories of all of his fellow heroes, Wally didn't get a "YouAreNotAlone" inspiration, but rather a massive FreakOut that caused his powers to go out of control and ''kill everybody who was in Sanctuary accidentally''. The whole mystery of the arc is the result of Wally trying to cover his tracks at such a colossal FUBAR and eventually being DrivenToSuicide over it.]]
* ''ComicBook/MarshalLaw'': Suicida says he's been diagnosed with PTSD after coming back from war, but hates therapists because, "If you try talking to them they just walk all over you with their big dictionary words. ... What they need is a smack in the mouth."

* In the WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse fan fic, ''Fanfic/ChangeMyMind'' Steven was reluctant to see a therapist after his [[spoiler: suicide attempt]].
* In ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'', the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' loops are highly damaged. Naoki Kashima, anchor of ''Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne'', had it the worst. [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Conception]] was inevitable, and no matter what he did his friends always went insane, died, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs went insane and then died]]. He had no variants, very few other loopers, and few Fused Loops. This, as can be imagined, left him very troubled. In one of his rare fused loops, [[VideoGame/MassEffect Shepard]] offered him therapy, but he refused it. This was a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide very bad idea]].
* In [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8569799/1/The-Iron-Mask this]] fic, Plastic Man refuses to help out of a fear of not being [[CassandraTruth believed.]] It isn't because AllTherapistsAreMuggles, though.
* In the fanfic ''FanFic/TheNewRetcons''. There are therapists for the now completely insane Elly but her husband John ''refuses'' to seek them out, thinking it'd make ''him'' look bad.
* ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'': After her [[ColdBloodedTorture encounter]] with [[EvilSorcerer Lung]], [[NumberTwo Blankman]] suggests [[VillainProtagonist Jade]] see a therapist, but she refuses out of hand. And since she's clearly left with PTSD from the event, it doesn't take long for the SanitySlippage to set in.
* ''Manga/DragonBall,'' a ''lot.'' The [[WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged abridged version]] is the TropeNamer:
-->''"Therapy is for the weak!"''
* ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'': Raye has this viewpoint.
-->'''Raye/Sailor Mars:''' Therapy is for the weak! [[{{Satan}} My god]] doesn't accept quitters!

* In the ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13473286/1/Gaz-Taster-of-PTSD Gaz, Taster of PTSD]]'', Gaz refuses to talk to anyone about her lingering psychological issues from the time she was cursed to only taste pork (and was subsequently locked up in a lab as a media freak), because she doesn't want to be labeled as crazy. This causes her to have repeated nightmares as her trauma manifests, until she has a total breakdown.
* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'': Chloe Cerise could ''really'' use some therapy from the bullying she faced at school for being different and the fact her ChildhoodFriend could care less about her than his obessiones with Mew. After an incident where she was suspended for nearly killing her bully with a paint can -- after said bully pulled a ''Carrie'' on her -- one teacher told her father to give her a therapist, business card and all. Cerise...shoved the idea aside and decided that it was better to put his daughter in the Institute. This turned out to be a very '''very''' bad idea. In fact, when Lexi asked why she wasn't getting a therapist, Chloe replies "Therapy isn't in my father's dictionary".

-->'''Paul:''' "If I talk to you and you turn me into a fag, I'm gonna kill ya, you understand?"
-->'''Ben:''' "Can we define 'fag'? Because some feelings may come up--"
-->'''Paul:''' "I go fag, you die. Got it?"
-->'''Ben:''' "Got it."

* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'': Chloe Ceris could ''really'' use some therapy from the bullying she faced at school for being different and the fact her ChildhoodFriend could care ''less' about her than his obessiones with Mew. After an incident where she was suspended for nearly killing her bully with a paint can -- after said bully pulled a ''Carrie'' on her -- one teacher told her father to give her a therapist, business card and all. Cerise...shoved the idea aside and decided that it was better to put his daughter in the Institute. This turned out to be a very '''very''' bad idea. In fact, when Lexi asked why she wasn't getting a therapist, Chloe replies "Therapy isn't in my father's dictionary".

* Also a problem among emergency services workers and doctors (including therapists themselves sometimes), because they often, despite training and knowledge, inherently believe some variant of this trope, or are more interested in saving others/giving to others than taking care of themselves and their own emotions, especially in disaster situations or the like.

->''"Ha, therapy is for losers.'' (Beat) '' I made myself Sad."''

* Little Simz's "Therapy" is [[DiscussedTrope her rumination]] on why she's never felt the need for therapy, [[ZigZaggingTrope though also why she was considering the option]]. In the song, she imagines herself having a conversation with a therapist, going over her various insecurities and worries, her cynicism towards believing that she can really be "fixed" (let alone by someone she feels may be [[CondescendingCompassion condescending in their compassion]]), and overall affirming herself with the belief that [[AWorldHalfFull she can still deal with her flaws and live a strong, fulfilling life]].

** Thankfully, Beth gets some CharacterDevelopment later in the series, decides to work on being a better person, and gets back together with Jerry soon after, and that goes hand-in-hand with averting this trope. Seasons 4 and 5 both establish that the family (minus Rick, who still isn't interested) regularly sees her, particularly Beth and Jerry for couples' therapy, and have a happier, healthier relationship as a result.

* Beth and Rick in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' both seem to think this in "Pickle Rick". Beth refuses to concede her faults and instead uses the session as an excuse to blame her problems on her kids. Rick claims that therapy just makes people boring and complacent like livestock, and he's no cow. The therapist responds by pointing out that the real reason he is so averse to therapy is that it is ''boring'' in the way that brushing your teeth is boring. The work that is done to maintain and repair life is not exciting, but it's necessary for most people to thrive. But people like Rick and Beth are so AllergicToRoutine that they would do stupid and self-destructive crap just to avoid it. In Rick's case, he ''turned himself into a pickle in an attempt to get out of therapy.''
-->'''Dr. Wong:''' Why didn't you want to come here?\\

* In the StevenUniverse fan fic, ''Fanfic/ChangeMyMind'' Steven was reluctant to see a therapist after his [[spoiler: suicide attempt]].

* In ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'', the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' loops are highly damaged. Naoki Kashima, anchor of ''Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne'', had it the worst. [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Conception]] was inevitable, and no matter what he did his friends always went insane, died, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs went insane and then died]]. He had no variants, very few other loopers, and few Fused Loops. This, as can be imagined, left him very troubled. In one of his rare fused loops, [[VideoGame/MassEffect Shepard]] offered him therapy, but he refused it. This was a [[AxCrazy very]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide bad]] [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating idea]].

* In ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'', Sonic watches as Robotnik's psychosis takes hold of him, to the point that he must be put in a straitjacket. Sonic seems deeply troubled by this. He tries talking to Sally about it, but she tells him the equivalent of "Suck it up and quit being such a drag; you're harshing our mellow."