To Dr. Fox,
I write this to you around one year since my first therapy session with you. I came to Chapman Psychological Services as a scared and lonely freshman who was 3,000 miles away from home for the first time in his life. It’s crazy to see how much has changed in 365 days, but one thing stays constant and it’s my insurmountable gratitude that you came into my life.
I’m here at Chapman for my sophomore year and I constantly look back at that person I was one year ago at this time and it’s someone I don’t recognize. This type of transformation wasn’t possible with your understanding, your humor, your ability to listen and also making yourself heard. To be able to go to you when things got rough and I needed to get it all off my chest or when things were great and I needed someone that could understand how important the good times are, is a luxury I can’t believe I have. The sessions we had from September all the way to May saved me from myself and my internal monologue and my self doubt and my anxieties of college life. What I learned from you that I applied to my life makes me wish can happen with everyone. I wish everyone could see the amazing benefits of a therapist, whether it’s the best time of their life or at their lowest point. I also wish people would own up to their mental health the way I did. I wish more people in the situation I was in last year weren’t so scared to address their mental health or see a therapist. I wish everyone in this country wouldn’t see therapy as a bad thing, as something exclusively for just crazy and disturbed. You were a helping hand and I want everyone to experience that too in some way, shape, or from.
I know there have people out there in the same conundrum of depression I was last year who won’t admit to it or won’t try to seek help. It’s easier to go things alone, but you prove how beautiful it can be to open up to people. I used to keep things in: my emotions, my fears, my morals, but having that first person who hears you and understands makes so much easier to open up to others and be more vocal about mental health.
You’ve not only taught how to love myself, but you’ve taught me a mindset. A mindset i pray every person in this country can get behind as well.
Sincerely,
Brendan Weissman
Dirty Water 
Brendan’s topic is about accepting therapy in times of need. I am familiar with the topic, as I had a therapist for my last two years in high school, so I connect with the points Brendan brings up and I am very happy to read his open letter! Addressing the stigma that surrounds mental health is very prevalent, and I love reading about how much therapy has helped him. His unabashed quality with which he writes does the piece wonders as well. His exigence is clear and lies in the fact that he has received therapy and discovered its benefits. This definitely heightens the letter’s sense of purpose – it makes the text extremely personal and gives Brendan more authority. The situation is that it is around the one-year anniversary of his first visit with his therapist, and so he uses this letter as an opportunity for reflection. I would love to hear about more concrete differences between his “then” and “now” selves. His specific audience is Dr. Fox, and in a broader sense, anyone who is unsure of therapy (whether they should try it, and whether it is only for the “crazy and disturbed”). These audiences are certainly appropriate. Brendan primarily uses ethos and pathos, and both are very effective in his heartfelt message about therapy. He could perhaps incorporate logos by citing some relevant information about the commonality of therapy despite its still present stigma, or perhaps about its helpfulness, as I’m sure there are studies that quantitatively measure this. I would love to see this piece fleshed out more, both with facts and with more details of the personal experiences outlined, but this letter is effective and a very interesting read.
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