When do you know you need professional help to get you through a problem? How do you go about choosing one? How does it help?
When do you know you need professional help to get you through a problem?
How do you go about choosing one?
How does it help?
I was forced into one as a child because of my anger problem.
Depends on the problem, my first suggestion is talk to your doctor who may have a referal for a specialist in the area you seek help with!
If you want to PM me and tell me what the problem is I might have a suggestion.
Good luck!
Yeah. Same here. I had, in the terminology of the day, "a nervous breakdown," when I was 7 or 8. The doctor just had me draw a lot of pictures but never talked to me beyond that. I didn't think it did much for me so we stopped going.
I have a love/hate relationship with the mental health profession. My extensive experience with it has showed me there are a lot of bad mental health professionals out there.
I just saw two people for my current issues. One was very helpful if a bit weird. The other ignored my reason for being there completely, focused on my history, handed me a packet of Effexor and told me to come back in two weeks. He was a total asshole and I didn't return to him.
The key to finding a good therapist is to educate yourself about what is going on, what you want to get out of therapy, and then interview potential therapists as seriously as you'd be interviewing nannies for your kids. Write it all down and bring it with you. Ask about their experience with the sort of issues you have, what goals you are seeking, and what method the therapist thinks is best to achieve those goals. Ask about their credentials and years in practice.
I found another therapist via Body Electric who I am very excited about seeing and hope he will be able to help me with achieving some of the breakthroughs I need.
The key to success is finding the modality that works for you. I have seen at least 15 or 20 different shrinks of various sorts from classical analysts to the new agey. The smartest one I saw once told me, "You know far more about your illness than we do. You have to guide us." He was right. Be proactive, don't be intimidated, and if something isn't going the way you like then say so just as if you would say when something is going the way you like.
My last warning is fairly simple even if it is sad. Be sure the person you see is gay-friendly. I've run into a few therapists who were quite repulsed by my sexual orientation even if it is no longer a DSM classification.