I Cannot Find A Trauma Therapist

[Forgetful]

As its been suggested here (and my psychiatrist agreed ) I have been actively looking for a trauma therapist in my area. I have actually found 2 nearby but neither accepts medicare. Both gave me other therapist names.
They didn't accept it either. They all (5) had a sliding scale for clients with no insurance coverage. Even with that it is too expensive. Both my husband and I are on SS disability so money is very tight.

My question is there anybody out there know an experienced female therapists in the northern NJ area? Or can suggest where I might be able to find one.

So far I've asked my psychiatrist for a recommendation ( she did not and the counseling center where she works didn't have one ),
I've looked online, phone book, taken suggestions from other trauma therapists. I don't know where else to look. Any ideas?

Thank you for your time.
Mary

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Have you searched the Medicare website for a provider?

 

[NewDayTomorrow]

Try group therapy if you can find it cheaper? Maybe better than nothing? Try going less frequently to save money if you find someone who allows it? I pay out of pocket but only go every other week because the therapist doesn't have a super full schedule and its ok for her to let me tie up a slot without coming every single week. Are you near a university? Maybe you can find cheaper help from a school with a psych department who trains interns? The book Waking the Tiger by Levine is good for self-help without re-traumatizing you too much if you need to do stuff on your own while you look around.

 

[Hashi]

There are some sources of information that are specific to a type of trauma. For example, for healing from sexual assault/abuse there's information about resources here: http://pandys.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=30038 and here: http://centers.rainn.org/. For combat trauma, there will be other places to find lists of resources. For refugees, there will be other places, and so on.

I don't know what type of trauma you've experienced but I wonder if there's an agency or help centre who could point you towards possible resources.

Do the therapist licensing bodies where you live provide a searchable register of therapists? I don't know how it works where you are, but in the UK we can search for therapists who are registered with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) via the BACP website.

It sounds like you've already done a lot of searching so these ideas may be redundant. I have found, though, that it can be hard to find the right therapist except when I've gone through some sort of directory or list of resources.

Good luck.

 

[Forgetful]

Thank you all for your ideas. Now I've got more places as to where I can search.

 

[Forgetful]

I just wanted to post an update. After about a zillion phone calls I decided to call medicare directly. They gave me a list of therapist near me but they couldn't tell me if they had any experience with PTSD/trauma.

The first one I tried has trauma experience and her office is only 15 mins away. I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon which is good for me. It doesn't give me too much time to talk myself out of going. I expect that tomorrow morning I will start to panic and the voices in my head will try to convince me to cancel the appointment. To combat this I will write down the symptoms I've been experiencing along with some of my mental health history. I will also list questions that I have.

I will keep the rest of the phone numbers I got from medicare just in case.

Thank you all for your guidance and suggestions.

Mary

 

[Abstract]

Excellent news! Well done. Let us know how it goes. Is there anything important that you want or don't want from a therapist? Have that in mind when you go. Good luck.

 

[Forgetful]

Earlier today I saw a post by stronger now asking Anthony for a list of questions to ask a therapist. I couldn't find an answer. Does anybody out there have any suggestions?

 

[Abstract]

Here is one that Sidran does Dendrite

And some other generic questions after having a quick look:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archiv...d-therapist-an-interview-with-dr-john-grohol/
http://ptsd.about.com/od/ptsdbasics/a/askatherapist.htm
But have a think if there is anything that is particularly important to you.

 

[Forgetful]

As predicted yesterday I had to ignore those voices in my head telling me to cancel my appointment.

My day started around 5 AM when I woke up from a recurring nightmare. I woke up completely confused as to where I was and since it was still dark outside it took a couple of minutes to turn on the light. Then another couple of minutes to realize I was safe in my bed.

Since sleep was no longer a possibility I got up. I spent the next 8 hours listening to music and cleaning the apartment just to keep my mind occupied. The place hasn't been that clean in quite awhile. Around noon I was unable to control the anxiety and became very nauseaus. The voices just got louder and more persistent. It helped a little when I hot to hold my granddaughter for a couple of minutes.

By the time I dropped my daughter at work I was shaking and the nausea was worse. I stopped at the pharmacy to buy more Emetrol ( sold over the counter for nausea ). Its disgusting but usually works.

I drove to the complex where my therapist's office is. I realized that I left my lists and her name and phone # at home. But I found her office. She was about 10 minutes late ( she told me that it might happen ). It took all I had just to stay and wait. By the time she got there my stomach was so bad I was afraid that talking
would make me throw up.

The session was just getting to know each other and basic information. At one point she asked me to rate from 1-10 my average daily anxiety level. I answered 6. Then she asked me what my current anxiety level is ( also using the 1-10 scale. My answer was 20. Then to rate my current depression. I told her maybe a 2. She asked some basic questions about depression such as self care and daily schedule. She told me that I am still experiencing depression just not the sadness part. Overall I think the session was good. I'll see her next week. She's hoping my anxiety won't be as bad next week.