How did you pick your therapist?

[Still Standing]

I've been wondering, off and on, this week, how many of you went about picking the psych doc or therapist you are seeing? I can say, I was ignorant of the whole process and simply, and randomly, picked a guy from a huge list of providers from the internet. All I knew is that I wanted to see a guy and a psychologist or psychiatrist. I didn't' know what ailed me, so I didn't even put it together that they have specialties. I knew that I didn't want to see a woman because of having a child psychologist, for a short time when I was in the 4th grade, who betrayed my trust. And then that of a lady social worker, who made me stay in solitary confinement, until I told her I wanted to go home, even though I would be placed back into abuse. So, women, are harder for me to trust. With that being said, I also discovered that most anyone I was to see would be much younger than myself, so I had to overcome an age barrier, too. In the end, my psychologist is a man the age of my youngest son and he just happened to be a PTSD trauma and EMDR specialist, both of which were what I needed. I don't think I could have done better had I been aware of my disorder and the understanding that therapists and psych docs have areas that they focus on. How did you get to the therapist you are currently dealing with?

 

[Missycat]

I was having telephone counselling at first and the counsellor said i would benefit from EMDR and seeing a therapist face to face who specialised in trauma and CSA. So i checked out my insurance company list of therapists and looked for the above criteria and also that they had to be female. I saw the profile of my t and knew she had the skills etc as she is a consultant pyschologist and worked both withing the NHS and private practice. I have been very lucky.

 

[MyWillow]

GP is the starting point in our medical system. I had a good relationship with my GP who recommended my current T who then recommended my current psydoc. My GP moved on but I lucked in on another great one at the same practice. For me who knows nothing about the process it’s been really helpful to have people who know something about me and who they think would suit my nature and my situation.

 

[ShadowWolf]

My current therapist? Also pretty randomly. I used my EAP at work for free grief counseling (my father-in-law had just passed away), and they just asked my zip code, and gave me the first person on their list. I was kind of annoyed at first, because I would not have picked him!

Of course, talking about my father-in-law passing away brought up my trauma with my bio father (since I had cut contact with my bio father, and my father-in-law was my only father figure) so when my free sessions ran out, he asked if I would like to keep going or not, very much not trying to pressure me either way (which I thought was strange at the time, but now I get it). But he had done so well in helping me work through the grief, that I very much wanted to continue.

I'm so lucky it worked out! He is amazing and adaptive with me. He was the one that figured out I had PTSD.

I've had 3 other therapists by searching psychology today for someone who takes my insurance, didn't do religious therapy, and who treated either anger management or anxiety (what I thought my issues were). Two ended up being terrible (quit in less than 5 sessions), and one was decent (went for 6 months), but I never really connected with her. So now I'm kinda pro-just randomly picking until you find someone you can work with. You just don't know until you talk to them for a while.

 

[whiteraven]

I was looking for a specific type of therapist, one who had experience with trauma and depression, who didn't disbelieve DID, and who was spiritual, Buddhist specifically.

I was looking one day in an alternative medicine magazine in our area and saw his add. He is a Zen priest and just about the kindest, most compassionate person I have ever met. And, he fit all my other qualifications as well. :-)

 

[KwanYingirl]

Two previous therapists, both who I liked, recommended that I consider EMDR. I just happened to mention it to a client. She and I are both recovering alcoholics and had a good relationship. I trusted her opinion. She gave me the name of the therapist she was with. I carried that piece of paper for a year before I called. He’s a trauma specialist and teaches other therapists skills to help them help people with PTSD. Best therapist ever. A real steady Eddie. He encourages me to have body centered healing like yoga and reiki and massage/polarity therapy.

 

[Hopeforlife]

I needed a quick fix. Knew that I needed to do some EMDR and they needed to be English speaking. My midwife recommended her. I knew from the first session that it was going to be a perfect fit. From there she thought I needed some medication to stabilise me and referred me to psychiatrist. He specialises in EMDR and PTSD and also speaks English. I have been lucky to find a doctor and therapist who speak my language. Extremely lucky that both are very good at what they do and have a wealth of knowledge. They both communicate about what’s going on with me. So I don’t need to repeat myself. I like it this way.

 

[Casper1018]

I've been wondering, off and on, this week, how many of you went about picking the psych doc or...

I looked on Psychology Today website at counselor profiles who took my insurance and specialized in PTSD/trauma. I have been seeing her twice a week for 5 years and couldn’t have found a better match.

 

[Harmonics]

I've been wondering, off and on, this week, how many of you went about picking the psych doc or...

I used the Psychology Today site to search for psychologist who took my insurance. I also looked to see what types of therapy they provided. Then I looked at those who had websites to see if I could get a better idea of what their practice philosophy might be like. In the end, the website of one individual practitioner caught my attention. I liked the description of the practice, and the location was perfect for me. So I got up the courage to call. This turned out to be a great match for me. I know that not everyone finds a good fit the first time, so I was especially grateful to not have to keep searching.