Customer service as therapy best for those who just want someone to listen

Some people who could benefit from more formal therapy avoid going because they believe there is a stigma around mental health issues

When Kate Lacroix was driving alone from Seattle to Vancouver for a funeral, she called AT&T to get an international wireless plan. By the time she arrived, not only did she have a new phone plan, she also had a refreshed outlook on life and death.
 
“I was feeling lonely and wistful,” she said, “so I shared, ‘I’m headed to a funeral for a person who was a stranger but became a friend.’” The customer service agent said, “Well, everyone’s a stranger before they’re a friend.”
 
Lacroix appreciated his thoughtful response. “It was something a therapist might say