my first therapy visit

[missy77]

i had my first visit with a therapist today. i'm sad to report that it did not go they way i thought it would. this is how my story goes..........i went to see my gp at the end of july because my anxiety was so bad. he doesn't know about the emet, because at the time i didn't know that it had a name so i could really explain to him what was going on woth me because i didn't know either(does that make sense?). anyway he refered me to the psychiatry department. i didn't get an appointment until mid august. so i went to talk to someone. at this time is still didn't really know what to say since i still didn't have a name for it. i told the therapist about my fear and how i was afraid of food because i though it would make me sick. right way he refered me to an eating disorder specialist. i told him i didn't have an eating disorder, but he insisted. so i went to the eating disorder specialist which was in the middle of september. i went through the motions of the eating disorder specialist. i told her about my fear of V*ing and how it is all that i think about. she decided that i indeed did not have an eating disorder, but that i have ocd. and i would benifit from talking to someone in the office that i first went to in august. so, ok, i make another appointment for another therapist who specializes in pobias at the same office i went to in august(everyone with me?) i call to make an appointment and i can't get in to see anyone until mid october. so today is the day i go and finally i have a name for my phobia and i have more information about it. in fact i printed what sage posted in the treatment section and took it with me. I was excited because i felt like i was finally going to get some help. i go in and i start telling the therapist everything about emetophobia and i even gave her the stuff i printed from the site. after we talk for about 30 min she tells me that they do not have someone there that just deals with phobia and the therapy for it.(they don't offer hypnosis either)she does say that they have a therapy group that is called depression/anxiety therapy and it is congnitive therapy in a group setting. does that sound right? is that what congnitive therapy is? working in a group of people? i got a little frusturated because i thought i could get one on one help. am i wrong? she said it was up to me if i wanted to join the group. she also said that i was welcome to go bact to talk with her but that she would only be able to see me once a month.i don't know what i should do. do you think the group therapy will help? i'm not on any meds and i'm not sure if that is the route that i want to take. any ideas or suggestionswould really help me. thank you for reading and letting me ramble on.[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[tcsarah]

You seem to have been messed about a fair bit, I'd bequite frustrated in your position. Unfortuately a lot of emets get incorrectly told they have eating disorders.


If I were in your position I'd probably make enquiries to try and find another therapist who could see me more often than once a month, but I'd also go along to the group therapy as it can't hurt to try. Cognitive therapy doesn't mean working in a group(it's very often doneone-one), it's actually a type of psychotherapy that focuses on changing unproductive thought patterns- itassumes that by changing your thoughts you can change how you feel.


Hopefully Sage will reply and offer some advice, as I'm not sure how the health care system works in US. Over here we can either go on a (usually long) waiting list to see a therapist for free on the NHS, or pay and go private and be seen straight away.


Don't give up on therapy though, if you aren't satisfied with the therapistyou see, try a different one- they all have different ideas and treatment plans, and some are just better at their job than others, like in all professions. Good luck!


Tracey

[tayda]

hmm.. I think you should be able to be seen more than that. Do you have a health facility nearby? I go to Harvard Vangard, and they have quite a few psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors.. it makes it a lot easier to get emergency visits if you really need them also. I have heard of cognitive therapy, and it will probably be a part of my treatment as well. I hope you don't give up on counseling, though, it can be INCREDIBLY beneficial w/ the right professional.

[bexcelica]

I agree too.. You should look for another psychologist. Someone who is
able to see you more than once a week. I don't think it's fair for her
to limit your experiences there to once a month or gruop... it's almost
like an ultimatum.

[kel12347]

If you can't find someone else, do both the individual and the group. When with your therapist once a month, get an action plan worked out that you're going to do as far as exposure therapy, etc. And then stick to that plan. You may have to do most of the work yourself, but you can still be cured that way. I think the biggest part of therapy is just sticking with it and doing all your homework (I have authorized my parents and boyfriend to yell at me or bribe me if my motivation ever starts to flag, lol).

[hanarky]

man my frist trip to the dhrink sucked too!
He pretty much said " you shouldn't be afraid of something naural because
sooner or later u will do it at some point" so at that point I nearly fainted fro
mthe panic attack i was having in his office. Ofcourse I didn't show him any
of my emotions or expressions. So he puts meunder hypnosis and I fake the
whole thing becuae eversince I was a child I have not been able to go under
no matter what! TRANCE NO TRANCE ALL I KNOW ABOUT TRANCE IS THAT
ITS A GENRE OF MUSIC ahaha
sorry but I lost al hope Ill just try and get comfortable with places so I can
finally eat there and not be psyched out. I need to take matters into my own
hands.
ps: u know what he charged me? for an hour? 126$/hr canadian.
see ya