Is this a good reason to go to therapy or am I just stressing over normal stuff?

Choosing to go to therapy isn't about whether others see the events or your struggles as normal or not. It's about how you feel about it and how much of a struggle it's bringing to your life. If the events in your life are tough to deal with it's okay to ask for help.

Having said that, it sounds like the core issue is the way in which the faculty member is treating you. If they were to leave and someone else took their place, would that make you happier and not cause you to doubt the idea of staying in school?

Some people are smart and capable at what they do for a living but are terribly incompetent at interacting with others. They lack the social skills and cause others to think they're inadequate.

What about the idea of asking to work with another faculty member? You need to be with someone who's more supportive and respectful. You have every right to ask for this change. They'll understand that not all people work well together.

I would not call this normal stuff. The question, what condition are you in? If you're depressed, then you should see a doctor, if only to rule out the possibility that you have some other illness as well. If you're just stressed out, there are treatments for that.

There's no one-size-fits-all treatment for depression. There's a number of treatments. We're lucky to have them, but each one has its limitations. There's an advantage to having a professional who knows how to use them. You can find out about cognitive therapy with The Feeling Good Handbook by by David Burns, MD, the book recommended for depression most often by professionals. A really good book for stress reduction is The Depression Cure by therapist/researcher Stephen Ilardi, who developed this lifestyle program at his university. It's all things we need anyway and low cost, low risk.

You can take a free screening test online -- CES-D.

Self-confidence issues are hard to deal with because it's hard to be objective when you're feeling this low. However, when you do start to develop self-confidence, things happen quite quickly. That's the good bit.

There are a bunch of online resources, but the one that I've found the most helpful is called Thirty Days of Change (www.thirtydaysofchange.com) and it's free :)

http://thirtydaysofchange.com/

you might think its just minor stuff you should be able to get over and deal with yourself.... BUT if you take the bull by the horns and seek therapy you might find you only need one or two session to help get you on the right track and give you the boost you need.