Starting CBT therapy advice needed!

[MrMr]

Hi Guys,

I've finally got my appointment to see the CBT therapist (been waiting since before Xmas).

Now while I've been doing Dr. Richards tapes with pretty good results so far,I wanted to suplement this with 1 on 1 CBT.

I've not been to see a therpist before,so I have a few questions that I hope some of you that have been for CBT might answer.

1. what way does the first meeting go,do they try to assertain what you may have or do you just tell them what you think you may have?

2. should I tell them straight away that I think I have SA and have been doing CBT on my own,or should I let them decide what I have.

3. what sort of questions should I ask off my therapist?

4. my memory is not great,so do you think I should write down all the things that bother me in life?

It's funny that I did write down all the things that were bothering me around xmas and had a look over them last night and almost half of those things don't bother me anymore.So i guess the CBT tapes are working!!

I would be grateful for any further advice that any of you can give me regarding this.I am a bit nervous,mostly because I'll have to talk about myself to a stranger.I'm not the greatest are talking about my feelings at the best of times,not even to my family!

Thanks again for the help and support that I have got from this site.

 

[pitkreet]

Hi Mr Mr,

I'm glad you've finally got an appointment. It was also really good to read your latest Dr Richards Tapes report. It sounds like you are genuinely making progress and this has happened in a short space of time relative to how long you've had SA. I'm impressed.

I can't answer your questions as I've not been to see a therapist, but I would suggest your idea of writing down things that bother you can only be a good one. You've already seen that you can cross off some of the things that were on your Xmas list, which is fantastic news and proof of progress. It's one of the best ways to track progress.

I suggest you take Xmas the list to the therapist to show them what you've already achieved by yourself and what still causes you difficulty. It may well be that there are certain things on the list that you'll find harder to tackle without the additional advice and support from the therapist....at least it'll give them something to work on with you. I wouldn't hide from them the fact you've already started self-help.

As for feeling nervous about talking about yourself, I think you should take pride in what you're doing. You recognise you have a problem and are acting in a very sensible and positive manner in order to make yourself better. Don't go to the session worrying that you'll appear weak. Instead, remind yourself that you are strong for being able to admit your problem and then show resolve by acting to solve it. These are very positive characteristics.

Also, it may be an idea to look upon the sessions with curiosity and intrigue rather then trepidation. In the same way that if you have a physical problem (eg. a broken leg), you go to see doctors and physio-therapists to learn about how to get better, what exercises to do, how often, etc. View the CBT as another learning experience. Stand back from any embarassment you may feel about your social fears and faulty thinking and just view it as a medical condition like a broken bone or any other condition, in need of specialist treatment in order for it to heal correctly. You're there to glean information, the therapist is there to provide it.

To be honest, I've been feeling pretty low in recent weeks, things have been a bit sh*tty for me and I've been losing the motivation to try to help myself, but reading your latest Dr Richards report and this thread is helping me to regain some inspiration.

 

[MrMr]

Hi Pitkreet,

Thanks for the words of advice,they are much appreciated.Don't give up on the series.I have had many setbacks,but I just pick up the series and this gives me all the motivation to continue on.I remember once leading to a large extend the kind of life I dream of now and I'm sure I can get there again,with some help.Somewhere along the line I allowed my self to go right of the tracks.It's not always easy to continue on,especially as SA turns us into very depressed people at times.I still get this way at times,but I do a pretty good job of masking it from the people around me.But just remember that you too can have a good life if you believe it will happen.Stick with it.

 

[zyxockjm]

Can anyone tell me how this CBT is done? Most websites I've seen about this topic say what CBT is used for, but not how it's actually done. If anyone can give me anything useful it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[MrMr]

Here is a description of how CBT works.

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/factsheets/pfaccog.asp

 

[MrMr]

Hi Everyone.I had my first appointment with the CBT therapist Today.I forgot to take my list,so he couldn't see how I was feeling at Xmas.He was real nice and supportive of the work that I was doing on the Dr. Richards audio series.While he hasn't heard of this series,he did find it really interesting and asked my to bring it along next appointment,so as we can work on it together along with some other CBT techniques that he uses himself.It was real nice to hear this and I think he's going to be real easy to talk to.The great news also is that this treatment is provided free of charge by the health board.Makes a nice change in the money grabbing societies we now live in.I will continue to update the post about the series as often as I can.