All teachers should have easy access to therapy’

When someone first suggested to me that I might consider having talking therapy, my first thought was of Tony Soprano.I am not the head of an organised crime group; nor do I battle guilt over my murderous past, yet just like the lead character of Nineties crime drama series The Sopranos, I approached the idea of therapy with some trepidation.But, after a difficult school year and then a cancer diagnosis, I eventually arranged to have weekly, hourly, face-to-face counselling sessions.Talking therapy has been a great help to me during my time off work for my treatment: I meet with someone who is highly-trained and non-judgemental, in a professional but relaxed setting. The time is dedicated purely to me, how I am feeling and the plans or changes I want to make in the future.If that sounds self-indulgent, well, that’s because it is. Nevertheless, I still think that therapy is something that we should all try – teachers in particular.