LetItGo2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Today is a really bad day. I woke up feeling I am slipping into a deep depression. I feel I am in need of some professional help ASAP to help me get through the difficult situation I am in and to move on and detach from the MM, so I can take care of my son better and rectify my life I have nailed down a few therapists I am interested. For those of you who used or is using a therapist, any suggestions in terms of what I should look for to determine the right therapist? Do you talk to them on the phone briefly about the situation and gauge your likeness of the therapist before scheduling an appointment? What should I prepare for and expect from the first session. Does gender of the therapist matter? thank you very much in advance Edited July 17, 2014 by LetItGo2014 1 Link to post Share on other sites
I am Bud Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Dear LetItGo2014 You should schedule an appointment with the ones that you are interested in and then meet them face to face. In this type of situation you are going to be revealing a lot of personal details about your life and you should choose the one that you click with and or feel comfortable enough to share information with. It's all about personal preference and you will definitely know which therapist you like after you have met them. All the best - Bud 1 Link to post Share on other sites
chelsea2011 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Bud is spot on. I will add that the best referrals come from people in the industry. If you know anyone and feel comfortable enough to ask them, they will give you a few names of therapists to contact. Then, like bud says, pick the one you click with the most. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Cdngirl5279 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Check and see if the places you are interested in have a website. I really lucked out as one company website and little videos of all the therapists talking....I watched them all and booked an appointment with the one I felt I could connect with and truly open up to. She is an amazing therapist and has helped me so much during my journey. It was worth the extra time and research to have the right fit! Good luck! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author LetItGo2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Check and see if the places you are interested in have a website. I really lucked out as one company website and little videos of all the therapists talking....I watched them all and booked an appointment with the one I felt I could connect with and truly open up to. She is an amazing therapist and has helped me so much during my journey. It was worth the extra time and research to have the right fit! Good luck! thank you. I am having my first session tomorrow. Do you have any suggestion in terms of how to prepare. I asked the therapist on the phone. She said I woulc think about what I am trying to accomplish and what my goals through the therapy. Link to post Share on other sites
Cdngirl5279 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Honestly, I didn't over think it when I went in for the first time. The bulk of my first session was just getting everything off of my chest (which felt SO good!) then we took it from there. Good luck tomorrow! 2 Link to post Share on other sites
chelsea2011 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Cdngirl is right. Your therapist probably wants to know your general goal. Other than that just start spewing everything you have on your chest right now like cdngirl said. As long as there is an end goal, you will both start to sift through the rubble together. My goal was to stop attracting emotionally unavailable men. Through therapy I indentified what I was doing to attract them and now I'm working on accepting healthy relationships into my life. It's working. I'm not dating yet, but I know I will when I'm ready and not a second before. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
HereNorThere Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) So in the U.S., you usually start with either a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. Most people go to a psychologist first, and then he recommends them to see to a psychiatrist that will prescribe medicines needed. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and you may see the psychologist one time a week or up to one time a month, and usually see the psychiatrist once a month to go over your meds especially at the beginning. My first talk therapy session, my therapist ask me why I was there. I replied, "I am here to gain some insight into the reason why I am constantly feeling anxiety, panic attacks, and mild depression" which he thought was a good answer. He asked me to explain a little bit more about myself my life, my background my family, my work, what were some of the things that I was just obsessing and panicking about to get a better understanding my personality type. My therapist has always been good about asking the right questions, not telling me what to do. He has a certain sense of empathy that allows him to show you how other people may not be as malicious as you might think, but also suffer from some of the same emotional intimacy issues that you yourself may have. I gained a sense of compassion for people that I did not have before. When I discuss a certain anxiety provoking trigger for me, he gives me different ways and viewpoints to look at it and cognitive behavioral techniques to help stop the excessive thought before I go overboard. I honestly feel like weight has been lifted off of my shoulders every time I leave there. P.S. - I went to a psychologist first, but I didn't like him because he pretty much just suggested that I start playing golf so I eventually found a psychiatrist that does talk therapy and that turned out to be the best thing for me. Man, 3 years later and the best money I ever spent. This isn't a battle you win one day, you it's a constant keeping the upper hand and recognizing when you're losing it thing. Edited July 23, 2014 by HereNorThere Link to post Share on other sites
MayP Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 How did your IC go LetItGo2014? Mine is scheduled for later. Her PA only asked on which area it is related to. and I said 'relationships'. haha... complicated stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
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