I think the first line of treatment in most first-time temporary mental health cases, i.e. situational depression or anxiety, should be therapy, not meds

I totally agree. I had a sort of nervous breakdown in my early twenties, and initially I was prescribed some pills, which I took for about a year - but I didn't really get better until I started therapy. All the pills did was dull down the anxiety a tiny bit, instead making me numb and lethargic. If I'd gone into therapy earlier, I might not have needed them at all...