Experiences with Psychologists/Counsellors, etc

boombox

boombox

New member
Hey guys, first post. ::eek::

I was wondering about everyone's individual experiences with seeking professional help. What good came of it? Any negatives? What did they do to help you overcome anxiety?


Personally, I started out with a psychologist at around 14/15yrs and continued one-on-one therapy for roughly a year.

The positives:
* She successfully managed to get me into a habit of smiling at strangers, rather than averting everyones gaze
* She made me genuinely believe that I wasn't the centre of the universe, and everyone wasn't watching me (though it is still very hard to shake that feeling, and I definitely succumb to the anxiety on that one quite often)
* She made me realise that i had significant control over the present and future direction of my life

However, coming out of those sessions, I did find lots of gaps in my treatment.

The negatives: My psychologist never actually mentioned the term 'social anxiety', and my specific fears were never discussed, nor was there a plan to begin conquering them. I can safely say she did most of the talking, and I guess in hindsight I would have liked to have discussed more difficult or embarrassing situations that were ingrained in my mind. I've read about group therapy using techniques of slowly confronting fears through roleplay, etc, but looking back I'm amazed that after those sessions I was kind of expected to walk out the door and be cured, I suppose? I remember feeling that I wasn't ready to stop therapy, but at the time I'd already continued my sessions with her for the second time, and felt I'd be too much of a burden on my parents continuing and my psychologist to some extent - I didn't want her to think she'd failed curing me. (Ha, the irony of it all :rolleyes:)

So I see my own fault in the process, but I do think my psychologist wasn't familiar enough with the extent of SA. I'm going to try and re-enter therapy with some new perspective and experience, being a few years older now.

Thanks. :)
 
Josette

Josette

Well-known member
I've been in talk therapy forever and a day (11 years) and have been feeling similar--that my therapist didn't do enough. (Though I can't say she did most of the talking. Sometimes I think she doesn't talk enough.) I am now seeking more "active" therapy as I think of it. Specifically, cognitive behavioral therapy.

If I look at it objectively, I believe she has helped me. It's just been too slow. Maybe that was what I needed though. I was really bad off back then. Her main contribution was to show me that some of my thinking was seriously screwed up, that I was ascribing motivations/thoughts/feelings to people that weren't there to support my belief that I'm a "loser." She also helped me to see I'm not responsible for other people's feelings & behavior.

I wish she had pushed me to do more though.
 
upndwn

upndwn

Well-known member
i have been in and out of therapy for the last 16 years. I've had four different psychiatrists, and three of them gave me a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. My first psychiatrist didn't really help me a lot. I think he didn't take my problems seriously, seeing I was only 16 that time and he figured it was all teenage anxiety.

My second psychiatrist was the one I had the longest relationship with, and he was the one that really helped me overcome my social anxiety and discover that I also was bipolar. I went to him for eight years and it had its up and downs. I had a long period where everything seemed fine. I got myself a job, a girlfriend and everything seemed swell, but my girlfriend dumped me after a couple of months and I struggled with my job especially when my depression manifested.

Eventually my meds lost their effect after I had been on maximum dosage for a couple of years. At the same time my psychiatrist got cancer and I was left in a vacuum with no meds, no shrink to go to and I also lost my job and my apartment. It took me two years before I got into treatment again, but I didn't really click with my new shrink so I changed. She was fresh out of school and didn't have any experience so I guess I was quite a handful for her to handle. Eventually we found some new drugs that worked and I've been on them for about half a year now. I have stopped seeing her since she's on maternity leave. I am currently awaiting to get transferred to a new therapist.

Overall I have mixed feelings about going to therapy. I know it has helped me a great deal, but at the same time I think it has taken waaay to long to finally get a diagnosis of my problems and finding a treatment that works. The psychiatrists I saw also had a tendency to repeat themselves session after session as if they had forgotten what we had been talking about the last time.
 
emre43

emre43

Well-known member
I've had a counsellor for only six months and already it's working wonders for me. I haven't got any negatives to mention. She has instilled a gritty determination into me to recover no matter how difficult things might seem. She also made me realise that no matter how rubbish I am publically it's a whole lot better than being alone.
 
Paahi

Paahi

Well-known member
It's good to have some support.
She helps me to challenge my negative thinking.
The meds I was prescribed was very helpful back when I needed them.
 
C

carecrab

Well-known member
Bittersweet said:
It's easy to confuse the two. But if you think you need to see a counselor, you can do so with the assurance that they won't prescribe medications or lock you away.
Click to expand...

well that's nice to know :]

But when does one need a counselor?

Sometimes i want too see one but i think it's just to have someone who listens to me.. and well I'm too afraid that i won't be able to explain myself, even though i know i probably can , sigh.
 
emre43

emre43

Well-known member
carecrab said:
well that's nice to know :]

But when does one need a counselor?

Sometimes i want too see one but i think it's just to have someone who listens to me.. and well I'm too afraid that i won't be able to explain myself, even though i know i probably can , sigh.
Click to expand...

I was exactly the same but I am delighted that I went through with my decision to see one. In fact I wish I started seeing one earlier. There's no pressure on you to explain yourself.
 
B

Bittersweet

Well-known member
carecrab said:
well that's nice to know :]

But when does one need a counselor?

Sometimes i want too see one but i think it's just to have someone who listens to me.. and well I'm too afraid that i won't be able to explain myself, even though i know i probably can , sigh.
Click to expand...

That varies by person, but I'd say that someone probably would benefit from seeing a counselor if they have issues that they are unable to resolve on their own or with the advice of family or friends.

There is nothing shameful or weird about needing professional help. Sometimes life gets overwhelming.

The first visit is basically filling out forms, answering basic questions about your background, and explaining why you decided to see a counselor and what you would like to work on in your sessions.

If you're afraid you won't be able to explain yourself, that is actually a good thing to mention to the therapist. They are trained to ask questions in a way to help you feel at ease, as well as help you with any difficulty expressing yourself.

Another key: It may take a few times around before you find a compatible therapist. This is commonplace. You have to find someone you feel comfortable with.
 
emre43

emre43

Well-known member
Bittersweet said:
There is nothing shameful or weird about needing professional help. Sometimes life gets overwhelming.

The first visit is basically filling out forms, answering basic questions about your background, and explaining why you decided to see a counselor and what you would like to work on in your sessions.

If you're afraid you won't be able to explain yourself, that is actually a good thing to mention to the therapist. They are trained to ask questions in a way to help you feel at ease, as well as help you with any difficulty expressing yourself.
Click to expand...

Personally, I didn't have to do any of this on first visit. I explained my problem by phone a couple of weeks before and got straight down to business upon my first visit.
 
C

carecrab

Well-known member
@ Bittersweet

thanks man will do this year before my government starts cutting back on medical support money so i have to pay everything myself
 
N

NihilSlayer

Well-known member
carecrab said:
im pretty scared to go to one.
Am afraid they'll give me pills and put me in a madhouse
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Whether or not they want to give you pills depends on the severity of your symptoms I reckon. If you decide you don't want meds, however, they can't make you take them unless you are an imminent danger to yourself or those around you. That's my experience when I decided to stop the meds anyway.

No worries about the madhouse- the cake is good. Just don't say your going to off yourself or someone else and you're fine. They'll ask you, "have you ever thought of suicide?", you can say "yes" to that one, because who hasn't? But don't say... "by golly Mr. Man, I'm going to blow my head right off, I will, as soon as my gun license clears!"-- Then they by law usually have to put you in a safe house/holding facility thing until you're deemed stable. I knew a guy that was sick with diabetes, heart issues, and failing kidneys. He made an off-hand, dark joke to his GP once about driving his car into a brick wall, and they sent him to the madhouse with all our fellow nutters, and he had to stay there for 3-4 days (memory is hazy about exact length of time) bunked up with this bloke he had to shun away with his pillow regularly.

My most uncomfortable experiences from therapy usually took place in the waiting room. There you sit in a room with smorgasbord of folk endowed with varying degrees of crazy, and you sometimes have to interact with them to some degree. Once when I was around 16 this kid of about 10 sat next to me and started stroking my arm and leg and made me really, really uncomfortable. His mother was right there also and didn't do a thing. I just kept edging away, unsure of how to handle that truly weird situation. When they finally called my name back I jumped up and ran back to my shrink, and requested that he control the other crazies or call call me on my cell phone to come in while I wait in my car. You might have to go through a lot of different psychologists also. My therapist got it in his head that my issues stemmed from a lack of success with girls, so every session turned into an annoying sort of "how to woo women" fest-o-fail. It was more like he wanted to be a pimp than a therapist-- annoying. I would speak up if you ever aren't happy with the direction the therapy is going. Maybe try their technique for awhile, but after a bit you should know if it will work or not, and if it doesn't work be assertive and tell the fellow, and if he won't budge, bring down the guillotine of your checkbook closing and find a new mind-mender.
 
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