Line #57 Main/TherapyIsForTheWeak


1	->''"Ha, therapy is for losers. ''[{{Beat}}]'' I made myself sad."''
2	-->-- '''Zack''', ''WebVideo/EchoChamber''
3
4	In this 'verse, the problem isn't that ThereAreNoTherapists -- the characters have just decided they're too cool for therapy. The concept of counseling, therapy, or treatment is discussed or brought up, but it's rejected.
5
6	The characters may feel this way originally but usually slowly realize the value of therapy and come around. If they do, this will likely lead to EpiphanyTherapy, and further visits are never brought up again. Another very common variation features the characters claiming this, not knowing that they're one GilliganCut away from bawling their eyes out [[FreudianCouch on a couch]]. If it's a PoliceProcedural or military drama and the protagonist is required to see a psychologist before being returned to "active duty," then they'll demand that the psychologist just "sign the damn paper already."
7
8	In major examples, characters might actually say this trope word for word and reject the idea of counseling [[TooDumbToLive despite intense psychological issues or self-destruction.]] In minor examples, the characters will probably just insist that they can handle their problems, a therapist couldn't help with ''their'' super special problems, or that they're just too busy.
9
10	[[MenAreTough More prevalent among men than women]]. See also NoMedicationForMe and DontYouDarePityMe
11
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
18	* ''Manga/OshiNoKo'': Aqua was put in therapy as a child after [[spoiler:seeing his mother murdered]], but [[StepfordSmiler faked recovery]] so he wouldn't feel like he was worrying his family. Aqua also has PastLifeMemories of being an adult, so he may have thought therapy would only be necessary if he had the mind of a regular child.
19	[[/folder]]
20
21	[[folder:Comic Books]]
22	* In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Alan Scott]] refuses to get counseling after his daughter Jade's death and the Zeta Beam incident because he thinks he must appear stronger than that for other heroes who have suffered during the same events.
23	* 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.
24	* ''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.
25	* 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\|DCComics}}''/the ''ComicBook/New52'' 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.]]
26	* ''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."
27	* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', 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."
28	* ''ComicBook/XFactor'': Doc Samson is a psychologist, and the team members pretty much sneer at seeing him... but they eventually come around.
29	* ''ComicBook/XMenRed2022:'' Shot down by the Fisher King in the first issue when talking with Magneto (who could ''really'' use a professional shrink). While Arakko is a ProudWarriorRaceGuy kind of place, they think it's stupid to be too proud to admit you need healing.
30	%%* [[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.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Fan Works]]
34	* ''Fanfic/ChangeMyMind'': WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse was reluctant to see a therapist [[spoiler:after his suicide attempt]].
35	* ''Fanfic/GazTasterOfPTSD'': [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZim 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.
36	* ''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]].
37	* ''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 down the line. In fact, when Lexi asked why she wasn't getting a therapist, Chloe replies "Therapy isn't in my father's dictionary".
38	* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8569799/1/The-Iron-Mask The Iron Mask,]]'' Plastic Man refuses to help out of a fear of not being [[CassandraTruth believed.]] It isn't because AllTherapistsAreMuggles, though.
39	* ''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.
40	* ''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.
41	* ''Fanfic/RocketToInsanity'': Rainbow Dash has been having terrible nightmares for weeks on end. It takes a toll on her psyche and she starts undergoing a SanitySlippage. Dash's friend tries to get her help, but she refuses. In the end, she finally snaps and [[spoiler:kills Pinkie]].
42	* Weiss' abusive father Jacques has this opinion in ''Fanfic/RWBYScars''. Upon learning about Weiss' {{hallucinations}}, he tries to cover it up by keeping her a shut-in. He believes that Weiss going to a hospital or seeking therapy will reflect badly on his image and his company's image.
43	* Despite Dick's urging, Tara in ''Fanfic/WedFlyAwayTogether'' refuses to talk to a therapist or take medicine.
44	* ''Fanfic/SunsetsRecoveryArc'': When Rarity recommends that Sunset see a therapist, Sunset replies that she doubts they could do much. Her reaction is not due to her seeing therapy as "weak", but due to the limits of modern medicine. The brain is complicated and Sunset Shimmer doubts that medicine or therapy will do much to help her.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* In ''Film/AnalyzeThis'', mob boss Paul Vitti thinks that going to therapy is a major sign of weakness, especially for a person of his position, who has a lot of enemies. But due to extenuating circumstances, he reluctantly goes to see a therapist. He has this exchange with his therapist Ben Sobel:
49	-->'''Paul:''' If I talk to you and you turn me into a fag, I'm gonna kill ya, you understand?\
50	'''Ben:''' Can we define 'fag'? Because some feelings may come up--\
51	'''Paul:''' I go fag, you die. Got it?\
52	'''Ben:''' Got it.
53	* Will from ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' is forced to see a therapist as part of a deal allowing him to forgo jail time for an assault. A troubled genius, Will treats the first few therapists he meets with contempt, but eventually begins to open up once Sean Maguire pushes back against his attitude (which includes [[BerserkButton threatening to kill Will]] if he tries to exploit Sean still being not over his wife's death).
54	* In ''Film/TheEliteSquad'' Nascimento is sent to see a psychiatrist, but he can't or won't open up to her about his problems. Admittedly, she failed to recognise when he tried to use IHaveThisFriend.
55	* In ''Film/WeOwnTheNight'', a police officer has arrived at the hospital to see his son (also a detective), who has been shot. When someone mentions that the department shrink is there for him, he snaps, "I don't need that crap."
56	* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', kind of remarkably for a major action movie, completely averts this, as a major theme is the struggle of soldiers to return to civilian life. Sam Wilson/The Falcon has already dealt with that struggle and now works as a PTSD counselor for other vets; he's seen leading a group session in which other returning soldiers share their stories; and Captain America himself, Steve Rogers, voluntarily seeks him out for guidance and insight.
57	* Ellen's stance at the beginning of ''Film/ToTheBone'', largely because no therapy has ever helped her. She initially refuses to try going inpatient again before Dr. Beckham manages to convince her.
58	* In the ''Film/LethalWeapon'' franchise, the police counselor is usually treated with scorn, and her efforts to help Riggs and Murtaugh with their issues are usually rebuffed.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Literature]]
62	* ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'': This recurs.
63	* ''Literature/BlackDaggerBrotherhood'': At first Zsadist steadfastly refuses to talk about his abuse, owing at least partly to the shame and unresolved guilt and horror, but not long before his daughter is born he begins talking privately to Mary--a trained therapist--and seems to be benefiting greatly from their sessions.
64	* In the Creator/StephenKing short story [[Literature/NightShift "The Boogeyman"]] (something of a spiritual predecessor to ''Literature/{{IT}}''), the principal character is indeed seeing a therapist. And yet, he insists that he doesn't actually ''need'' therapy and sneers disdainfully at what he imagines the doctor's other patients are like (gays, crossdressers, and people who [[NapoleonDelusion "strut around thinking they're Napoleon"]]).
65	* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'':
66	** Kestra'chern in ''The Black Gryphon'' counsel armies who are in a war that has been raging for over a generation. Unfortunately, many people in said armies consider them to be nothing more than very pricy prostitutes - in fairness, [[IntimatePsychotherapy they do some of that too]], as part of helping people feel that there is more to their lives than endless fighting.
67	** Chief counselor Amberdrake, who is becoming increasingly messed up as a result of losing his family and more and more friends to the war, states in the narration that he can't go talk to another kestra'chern about it, because he's their leader, and they'd be demoralized. Some of his patients-turned-friends end up being the ones to console him when he breaks down.
68	* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Grue has this attitude.
69	* In ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'', Christian seems to think so. So does his adoptive family, probably, seeing as they adopted a deeply traumatized child and never bothered to seek professional help for him, despite his being [[http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/SelectiveMutism/ selectively mute]] for two years. There is a psychiatrist, but he is only there to deliver exposition and to flatter Ana.
70	* ''Literature/ImperialRadch'': Seivarden has this attitude. It's ultimately presented as exactly as stupid and self-destructive as it is, as Seivarden is, to put it lightly, a hot mess following [[ShellShockedVeteran losing her ship in an ambush]], [[FishOutOfTemporalWater being frozen in stasis for centuries]], [[ImpoverishedPatrician losing her family and everything she held dear]], becoming a drug addict and finally becoming a SatelliteCharacter to the protagonist.
71	* In ''Literature/IAmJ'', J begrudgingly goes to therapy because he can't go on hormone replacement treatment without therapy. J is however horrified at the thought of therapy and thinks he seems "crazy" for going to it.
72	* In Creator/DorothyParker's short story ''Literature/BigBlonde'' the protagonist clearly has issues and becomes depressed to the point of being suicidal. However, being in the '20s, all her peers just tell her to suck it up and stop being a buzzkill because other people have problems too but don't complain. This just makes her feel worse.
73	* ''Literature/{{Domina}}'': This is Robyn's problem when she starts going to therapy. Nevermind the fact that she got dragged to it by a [[PhysicalGod nigh-omniscient god-being]], people just really hate therapy.
74	-->'''Robyn:''' In this city, if you had problems, you were supposed to go out and kill something like a normal person. [[CityOfAdventure Monsters were great for catharsis]].
75	* In the short story "Literature/AModelLife", no matter how hard Alexis tried to convince him, James refused to seek professional help for his depression, insisting he didn't even have a problem.
76	* ''Literature/ZaraHossainIsHere'': After her dad's shot, he won't go see a therapist, and Zara knows it's because he's convinced going is a sign he's weak.
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
80	* On ''Series/{{Becker}}'', the title character feels this way, and only speaks in his mandatory therapy session after being told that he's "almost" broken the record for prolonged silence.
81	* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Barney refuses to go to therapy and instead sneaks into Lilly's kindergarten class to participate in "Feelings Hour".
82	* ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'': Don wants the therapist to just sign the paper and get on with it. He has no interest in actually engaging. Eventually, the shrink brings him around.
83	* ''Series/{{Bones}}'':
84	** Similar to the above example. The macho man Booth decides that Gordon Gordon Wyatt should just get him back on active duty and Sweets should just leave him alone. They both bring him around.
85	** His partner Brennan is a "hard" scientist (forensic anthropology) with contempt for "soft" science like psychology. Not to mention her own passel of serious emotional issues.
86	* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'':
87	** Bolander believes this, due to blaming a marriage counselor for his divorce.
88	** After his suicide attempt, Kellerman refuses to get therapy out of fear it will ruin his reputation even further and make him look crazy.
89	* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': ''Also'' similar to the ''[=NUMB3RS=]'' example. The team finally gets some long-overdue therapy. It... seems to help. A little.
90	* ''Series/TheMentalist'': It is implied that Patrick Jane believes that from the pilot. However, it later transpires that he actually saw one for a lengthy period after shutting down once he came across the corpses of his family, and benefitted from it.
91	* ''Series/Perception2012'': Kate claims this. Bonus points for reciting the "just sign the damn papers so I can get better at work" line.
92	* Jack from ''Series/ThirtyRock'', good ''God.'' One of his most famous lines:
93	-->"I believe that when you have a problem you talk it over with your priest, or your tailor, or the mute elevator porter at your men's club. Then you take that problem and you crush it with your mind-vise. But for lesser beings, like curly-haired men, or people who need glasses, therapy can help."
94	* On ''Series/{{Psych}}'', Lassiter has to grit out the word ''therapist.'' Shawn also cracks a joke about how he's proud never to have seen a therapist.
95	* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' features the mild humourous version. Lorelai/Rory have both dismissed therapy as unnecessary, only to end up talking for hours or bursting into tears and spilling their guts, respectively.
96	* ''Series/{{House}}'': House has very little faith in mental health.
97	* In ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', Turk concedes to Carla as far as attending their couples therapy but refuses to actually say anything.
98	** Carla later has this attitude about getting help for her postpartum depression. Jordan, however, emphatically denies it:
99	--> '''Jordan:''' You can't solve this through willpower, or positive thinking, or taking advice from a Hollywood actor and the dead science fiction writer he worships. You need some help.
100	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': There are at least two therapists in the fleet, but only Bulldog and Hera are sent to see them. Starbuck declines therapy, saying that those doctors [[PsychoPsychologist are more messed up than their patients]]. This is notable since Starbuck has major psychological issues, [[DysfunctionJunction as does much of the cast]].
101	* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie is ordered to see a psychiatrist in season 9, and remains reluctant until the next season.
102	* Lydecker is once shown attending an AA meeting in ''Series/DarkAngel''. He apparently does that solely to tell everyone that he recovered from his alcoholism by simply taking a good hard look at himself and deciding that he has to change, and everyone who needs to go to AA and take things one step at a time and so on are weaklings.
103	* Played with on ''Series/{{ER}}''; the doctors and nurses work closely with the staff of the hospital's psych unit, but most of them seem to view psychiatric intervention as something that ''other people'' need, not they themselves. Of all the main characters, many of whom at some point in the show's run suffer traumas that are shown to have destructive effects on their lives, only a handful ever enter therapy, and most of them drag their feet about it and only go because a concerned third party coaxed them into it. That said, therapy and counseling services are generally portrayed as a good and necessary resource, and the psych staff is genuinely interested in their clients' well-being.
104	* ''Series/Hunter1984''. In "Unfinished Business", Rick Hunter and Dee Dee [=McCall=] start arguing LikeAnOldMarriedCouple after they nearly shoot each other in a dark warehouse, so their captain suggests they see the department shrink. Both refuse while secretly seeing him behind their partner's back, until the cat gets out of the bag and they start going together like they should have done in the first place. Hunter at least might have had a good excuse not to see a shrink given that the first one he saw (under orders) turned out to be a serial killer, but this never comes up.
105	* ''Series/ReadyOrNot1993'': The Ramone family begrudgingly agrees to attend family therapy sessions as part of an agreement with Lucy Ramone, who has returned home after some time living on her own. Despite being unenthusiastic during the sessions, the family later has a EpiphanyTherapy.
106	* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
107	** In the episode Miles O'Brien is subjected to a [[YearInsideHourOutside virtual 20 year prison sentence that only took a few hours in reality]] by the paranoid Argrathi who then release him to return home. Back at the station Dr. Bashir finds there is no way to remove the memories of prison and that he will have to learn to live with them. As part of that Bashir has him go see Counselor Telnorri. O'Brien goes for a few sessions then stops going. Because of that he becomes more antisocial towards Quark, Bashir, and others on the station. When Bashir tells Captain Sisko that O'Brien was refusing to see Telnorri Sisko relieves O'Brien of duty until he completes counseling. Returning to his quarters O'Brien yells at his daughter when she tries to talk to him. Horrified over what he had just done he went to a cargo bay [[DrivenToSuicide to commit suicide]], but Dr. Bashir is able to talk him down. Having a better understanding of what happened Bashir gives him new medication but tells him he will still have to see Telnorri. O'Brien complies with the new treatment plan and is [[StatusQuoIsGod much better]] in a few weeks.
108	** Then in "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E25TheSoundOfHerVoice The Sound of Her Voice]]", Miles O'Brien is speaking to a starship captain about a range of subjects, and when he gets to the area of ships counselors explains that he does not see a need for them. She agrees, and they speak about how you can deal with these issues by talking to friends and loved ones.... except for the things that you cannot talk to your friends and loved ones about, and Miles laughs as he realizes that he has been led back to saying that the only people you can talk about these things with is a ship's counselor. This is apparently a recurring theme in Miles' life, as when a ship's counselor joins the cast in season 7, Miles O'Brien states his distaste for the profession to Julian Bashir. Their conversation starts as a Therapy Is for the Weak discussion, but eventually implies that Miles has nothing against therapy, he just feels that it should be done naturally and with loved ones, and not a disconnected professional. In other words, he hates therapists, but not therapy.
109	* One of the recurring discussed themes of ''Series/TheSopranos''. Tony considers that therapy is for the meek and has to keep his a secret, because if a guy in his [[TheMafia line of work]] is known to be talkative, he may very well end up dead.
110	-->'''Tony:''' Let me tell ya something. Nowadays, everybody's gotta go to shrinks, and counselors, and go on "Sally Jessy Raphael" and talk about their problems. What happened to Gary Cooper? [[TheStoic The strong, silent type]]. That was an American. He wasn't in touch with his feelings. He just did what he had to do. See, what they didn't know was once they got Gary Cooper in touch with his feelings that they wouldn't be able to shut him up! And then it's dysfunction this, and dysfunction that, and dysfunction vaffancul!
111	* ''Series/{{The Night Shift}}'': Averted in season two. After starting therapy [[spoiler:for his PTSD, TC]] brings up how great therapy is on multiple occasions.
112	* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'':
113	** Jessica emphatically states that she neither needs nor wants therapy, instead relying on self-medication with alcohol and internal repression. Her coping technique when under stress is to recite the street names of her childhood home[[note]]based on a real-life grounding technique taught to assault survivors[[/note]], but she at one point angrily laments how little it actually does.
114	** Several of the Kilgrave survivors who go to the discussion group become disillusioned as time goes on, and are easily stirred by Robyn to abandon their talking in favor of retribution. They point out that sharing their stories over and over again is not fixing anything.
115	* Subverted in ''Series/UnbreakableKimmySchmidt''; the title character initially refuses a therapist's offer to get help for her many hang-ups and believes she can handle everything on her own. After going through a dissociative fugue state however, she decides to take up on the doctor's offer and goes through more than a few sessions.
116	* It's revealed in Season 2 of ''Series/YoureTheWorst'' that Gretchen has suffered from clinical depression since she was teenager, and it's become increasingly obvious that the coping mechanisms she developed aren't working as well as they used to (plus, when it ''really'' flares up, she goes beyond feeling crippling sadness to just being [[EmotionlessGirl completely non-functional]]). However, she never sought out any help or treatment because she "doesn't want to lose her edge". At the end of the season, however, [[spoiler:she realizes that it's not worth suffering anymore and how her illness affects the people around her, especially her boyfriend Jimmy, and she begins therapy in the following season (but it's made clear it's not a magical or instant cure-all)]].
117	* ''Series/NorthernRescue'': Zigzagged, after the death of her mother, and getting arrested, Maddie ''has'' to see a court-appointed therapist, but the whole forced aspect of it does make her a bit unhappy about it.
118	* ''Series/StrongMedicine''. After Andy's husband slaps her during an argument, she promises to reconsider leaving him if he goes to counseling. He claims to be going, but she notices a discrepancy in his story and realizes that he's been lying to her. He scornfully declares, "I don't need that mumbo-jumbo".
119	* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' begins with Bucky Barnes seeing a therapist to work through his Hydra brainwashing issues, but he finds it unproductive and is antagonistic as a result. Later, he has a joint session with Sam Wilson, which is PlayedForLaughs as they [[VitriolicBestBuds bicker with each other.]]
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Music]]
123	* In early Music/{{Eminem}} songs and appearances, Eminem brags about how he doesn't need therapy because his violent, SelfDeprecation-heavy, MuseAbuse-filled raps do it for him. (In "Kill You", a song about murdering and raping his own mother as well as women in general, he raps at the end, "''Know why I say these things? 'Cause ladies' screams keep creepin' in Shady's dreams, and I don't see why I have to pay these therapists [=80 Gs=] a week to say the same things [[PainfulRhyme tweece]]...''") However, this is [[KayfabeMusic part of kayfabe]]; he ''has'' in fact had talk therapy (some of it mandated by the court after his assault charge; most of it by choice) and found it helpful. He points this out in "Stan", where, after receiving increasingly unhinged letters from his LoonyFan [[ActorRoleConfusion convinced that Eminem is serious about everything he says]], Marshall writes back a letter recommending Stan get therapy ("''to help keep your ass from bouncin' off the walls when you get down some''").
124	* 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's strong enough that she can still deal with her flaws and live a rich, fulfilling life]].
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
128	* [[TheCorruption Chaos]] influence ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' causes a lot of people to go crazy... which is considered a sign of weakness so no one generally cares enough to do anything about it save for shooting them when they snap.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Video Games]]
132	* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', Corporal Betsy, one of a group of snipers, got caught and raped by a raider, and after escaping she went back to work like nothing happened. She didn't want to show any weakness to her battle buddies, so she didn't seek therapy, but convincing her that she does indeed need to seek therapy is one of the side-missions in the game.
133	* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'':
134	** Nathan Prescott's serious mental problems go mostly untreated because of this. He was briefly in therapy, but his father took him out (despite the ''strenuous'' objections of the therapist) because he decided the whole affair was worthless. Worse, he's been [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney bribing the school]] to cover up Nathan's many indiscretions; if Nathan's repeated outbursts were made public, he'd probably be forced into court-mandated therapy that could actually do him some good.
135	** David Madsen has PTSD from his time in the army and is avoiding therapy implicitly because of this trope. In the better endings, he starts going to therapy and getting properly medicated.
136	* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda:'' Dr. Lexi T'Perro, the medical officer for the ''Tempest'', sees this one coming, and sends an e-mail to the entire crew (all ten of them) listing the typical warning signs of stress and trauma as a means of heading it off. Problem is, Ryder's crew tend to avoid Lexi at any turn (and conversation implies at least one of Ryder's team is beginning to develop some issues).
137	[[/folder]]
138
139	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
140	* Fuminori believes this in ''[[VisualNovel/SayaNoUta Saya no Uta]]''. He lies to his doctor and pretends his condition doesn't exist because he's afraid of being institutionalised, instead relying on his [[{{Yandere}} doting girlfriend]] for support. Unsurprisingly, this doesn't end well.
141	* Aaravi in ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'' has a route where you help her avoid her therapist. [[spoiler:The trope eventually gets subverted however, as the good ending of said route has her submit to therapy and benefit from it. This carries into the sequel, where she's considerably tempered from the last game thanks to her therapy, although she does still have a few issues.]]
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Web Animation]]
145	* In the ''WebAnimation/MyStoryAnimated'' video ''I Wish That My Sister Was Never Born'', the girl's sister has BPD but refuses therapy because she doesn't think anything is wrong with her.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Webcomics]]
149	* In the backstory of ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'', when the Commander's [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/but-mental-illness-is-so-cool-and-enviable spacefuture superiors tell him that all his siblings are dead]] (they aren't).
150	-->'''Commander:''' ''[crying]'' I-I think I'm gonna need to talk t' a professional about this.\
151	'''Admiral:''' Why are you crying, you pansy? You're supposed to be a brooding anti-hero! Like Batman! Why aren't you Batman?\
152	'''Commander:''' I'M GETTING A LAWYER!\
153	'''Admiral:''' Goddamnit, that's even lamer than a therapist!
154	* In ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'' Tessa refuses to see anyone about the rat with glowing eyes that only she can see or hear, after one incident where she zones out and sees horrific images that make her visibly freak out her boyfriend, Julian, makes her see a doctor. Grudgingly she visits the researcher who designed her implants and he suggests that her ocular implants are miscalibrated, after they're re-aligned she mentions the "hallucinations" to Julian who berates her for not mentioning that sooner. She reminds him that he once attempted to kill himself and asks if he sought any professional help before that. Granted Tessa's visions are actually due to a sadistic AI hacking her implants.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Web Videos]]
158	* ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'': Raye has this viewpoint.
159	--> '''Raye/Sailor Mars:''' Therapy is for the weak! [[{{Satan}} My god]] doesn't accept quitters!
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Western Animation]]
163	* In the short film ''WesternAnimation/AnimalBehaviour'', Victor the gorilla thinks therapy is a waste of time and mocks all the other patients; he's only there for court-ordered anger management therapy. It's not until [[spoiler:he thinks [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he got Dr. Clement killed]]]] that he realizes he really does need help with his anger management issues.
164	* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Bill tries to kill himself. Peggy suggests sending him to a therapist, but Hank only responds "He's not crazy, he's just suicidal".
165	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': It seems like Bob Pataki thinks like this in "Helga On the Couch". Since he's a proud man, it's no surprise that he would think this. Ironically, he's the one who causes the dysfunction in the Pataki family in the first place.
166	* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'':
167	** Beth and Rick 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.''
168	--->'''Dr. Wong:''' Why didn't you want to come here?\
169	'''Rick:''' Because I don't respect therapy; because I'm a scientist; because I invent, transform, create, and destroy for a living, and when I don't like something about the world, I change it. And I don't think going to a rented office in a strip mall to listen to some agent of averageness explain which words mean which feelings has ever helped anyone do anything. I think it's helped a lot of people get comfortable and stop panicking, which is a state of mind ''(Belch)'' we value in the animals we eat, but not something I want for myself. I'm not a cow, I'm a pickle... when I feel like it. So... you asked.
170	** Thankfully, Beth gets some CharacterDevelopment later in the season, 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.
171	* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' holds this view, which is so entrenched that even when he starts seeing one in Season 5, he justifies it [[BelievingTheirOwnLies to himself]] by referring to her as a friend. [[spoiler:At the end of the season he's screwed up so badly that he gets over this and goes into rehab for his various addictions. He even candidly admits that he needs help.]]
172	* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. The b-plot of one episode deals with Dewey and Webby finding out that Donald goes to an Anger Management Therapist to keep his anger in check. When they confront the therapist about several things, like that Donald is still one of the angriest characters in the setting, said therapist points out (correctly) that the therapy isn't just making him less angry, it's about helping him find useful outlets for that anger (in this case, [[PapaWolf parental instincts]]) so he doesn't take it out on other people or things.
173	* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E09CrisisPoint Crisis Point]]", Mariner loudly protests being sent to therapy 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.
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Real Life]]
177	* A serious problem for pilots: commercial, private, and military pilots will lose their certifications if diagnosed with a mental illness (no matter how mild) or if they take medication for one (even an antidepressant or sleeping medication) - losing their career and ability to work likely permanently. This leads to pilots refusing help and therapy ''because'' the consequences of seeking it are being punished and stigmatized, and therefore often self-medicating and/or being ''more,'' not less, prone to act out in ways that risk the life of the public/their passengers. Several murder-suicide crashes have resulted, and the usual outcry is for more testing.
178	* One reason the suicidal often don't seek help or, if they do, refuse to acknowledge having suicidal thoughts is that in many places, confessing to suicidal thoughts or especially planning/attempts - even if no one but the individual would be harmed - is seen as a sign the person is so mentally weak and untrustworthy they need to be involuntarily incarcerated.
179	* 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 [[TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes taking care of themselves and their own emotions]], especially in disaster situations or the like.
180	* General Patton publicly called PTSD sufferers "weaklings." It was a... [[ValuesDissonance different era]].
181	** Even at the time, he got called out on this when he beat up a soldier for perceived weakness when the latter had just returned from combat and had severe stress. It led to a rather large public outcry against him though the soldier himself played it down and Patton apologized later.
182	** Since UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, it has been commonplace to treat combat troops with PTSD and shellshock, even TBI, by offering brief, focal counseling and then sending the men back to the front as quickly as possible.
183	** Even now, the military has a rather... interesting relationship with therapy. On the one hand, modern armies are much better at screening out the mentally unfit and helping soldiers who've been through traumatic experiences. On the other hand, there's still a prevailing attitude of hostility towards the mental health profession, especially among the combat arms troops. The fact that visiting a shrink or taking anti-depressants is a good way to get one's security clearance called into question -- not to mention being accused of gayness by one's fellow troops -- doesn't help matters.
184	* [[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."
185	* 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.
186	%%* Unfortunately there are plenty of parents that use this as an excuse to keep their kids from attending therapy. It either starts a cycle of the kids adopting the same beliefs or they seek therapy themselves upon adulthood.
187	%%* There are some anxiety disorders that can lead to a person refusing therapy either because they're too embarrassed to go, the thought of therapy causes them anxiety, or because they don't think a therapist will care about their issues.
188	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TherapyIsForTheWeak