> What does that mean, to "need" to talk? What are you looking to get out of the conversation? Do you need advice because you don't know what to do? Do you feel

> What does that mean, to "need" to talk? What are you looking to get out of the conversation? Do you need advice because you don't know what to do? Do you feel alone and isolated and need evidence that you are not? I had the exact same experience as you, and have zero faith in the institution of psychology, but also had a recent revelation that led me to appreciate the "talk about it" angle. In cases of things like perceived injustice, sometimes you just need some validation. Using CSA as an example, something may feel very wrong, but all other signs (and even perhaps the people around you) suggest that everything is as it should be. It creates a crippling cognitive dissonance. Doesn't help that everyone and their dog knows what gaslighting is these days-- and are generous in dispensing it. You can't punch your way out of that situation; it's unhelpful in every way. The people around you may be criminally complicit and actually colluding against you. You can't bottle it up either; it'll eat away at you and manifest in some nasty ways later. Short of faking your own death and moving to Thailand, the only way out of that fog is to solicit a second opinion from an outside, objective source so you can address it. It's less about advice and more about closure. You feel like something is wrong, and you want to be told (a) you're crazy and here's a treatment plan, or (b) you were right all along and by-the-way-I-called-CPS. (Of course, the kids are gaming this with therapists in telling only the favorable half of the story; you get out of therapy what you put into it. Bullshit in, bullshit out.)