09/01/2026
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t asking for help. It’s believing your pain deserves to be seen.
In Part 2 of our three-part Facebook Live series, Why People Don’t Get Help, Steve Sawyer explores some of the quieter reasons people may hold back from reaching out.
Sometimes people don’t believe their pain is “bad enough.” They compare their experience to someone else’s, minimize what they are carrying, or convince themselves that other people deserve help more.
Sometimes they simply don’t know how help works or how support will actually practically change things. We often talk about asking for support as though it should come naturally, but for some people, receiving care is something they have had very little experience with.
And sometimes vulnerability has been used against them. Steve shares about a community with extensive services available but help was not being engaged. The primary culprit was breaks in Confidentiality. They may deeply want connection while also protecting themselves from being fully known.
Continuing on this topic line, he also addresses the issue of stress related how vulnerable shares will be shared forward when helpers are writing down notes. What are they writing? Where is that information going?
These responses can make a lot more sense when we understand what someone has lived through—and what they may have learned about needing other people along the way.
Part 3 continues next Tuesday at 8 AM PT.
You can also watch Part 1 on YouTube — the video is linked in the comments.
