As someone who hated the idea of any therapy besides retail, I was taken on a trip that shopping could never give me. I went into my first session, head down, thinking that I was there because something was wrong with me or that I was the problem. This wasn't it at all, I didn't need to be "fixed". No one needs to be "fixed". I needed an outside perspective, someone to listen and put me back on track. It took time, but here I am, writing about the need to redefine therapy, bullying, school, body image, friendships, home life, heartbreak and every other problem that makes you feel like your world is crumbling as a teen. Now, I write it out rather than swiping a credit card every time something small happens. It's natural not to have coping mechanisms, but everyone needs an outlet, which is probably why you're here. Advice Avenue was created as a space that I wish I had four years ago; yes, therapy was terrific, but there were times I didn't want to talk, even if I needed help. As someone who's quite literally been through it all, from divorced parents, being bullied, all the way up to being a victim of domestic violence at the early age of 11, I decided I had been through enough by now to share my story with other people who are in the same position that I was.