Psychologist Recommendations for online therapy

[gms1976]

Hello,

I'm hoping some of you lovely folks can help as I'm looking for a psychologist who does online therapy and specializes in trauma.

I recently stepped away from my current therapist who is a LCSW. No disrespect intended toward LCSW's but there does appear to be a significant difference in training and knowledge base. She didn't seem to grasp the concepts of complex trauma or the triggers associated with it. There were certain things she wouldn't let me talk about which was frustrating, leaving me feeling silenced and unheard. She was also critical and judgmental during a mental health crisis last year that left me reeling, feeling like I'd been kicked in the chest and essentially reopened old wounds with disastrous consequences. I was ready to give up and just end things at one point.

My previous therapist was an amazing psychologist who specialized in trauma and I was with her for 10 years before she retired.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be wonderful. I'm willing to pay out of pocket. I feel very alone and cut off from the world and am trying to wing it solo in the interim.

Thank you in advance for any info.

 

[PamelaS]

Hello,

I'm hoping some of you lovely folks can help as I'm looking for a psychologist who does online therapy and specializes in trauma.

I recently stepped away from my current therapist who is a LCSW. No disrespect intended toward LCSW's but there does appear to be a significant difference in training and knowledge base. She didn't seem to grasp the concepts of complex trauma or the triggers associated with it. There were certain things she wouldn't let me talk about which was frustrating, leaving me feeling silenced and unheard. She was also critical and judgmental during a mental health crisis last year that left me reeling, feeling like I'd been kicked in the chest and essentially reopened old wounds with disastrous consequences. I was ready to give up and just end things at one point.

My previous therapist was an amazing psychologist who specialized in trauma and I was with her for 10 years before she retired.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be wonderful. I'm willing to pay out of pocket. I feel very alone and cut off from the world and am trying to wing it solo in the interim.

Thank you in advance for any info.

I had a bad situation with my previous therapist, whom I worked with for 10 years. I left a bad taste in my mouth and inability to trust. I have waited for a year before seeking to replace them. And I decided to go with a different type of therapist, one who is specialized in trauma and trained in trauma informed therapy. It’s going so much better. I feel that I wasted the 10 years working with someone who was not trained in trauma, but simply had trauma listed as one of the things they work with. Wishing you well in moving forward.

 

[somerandomguy]

Find someone who specializes in trauma therapy, and then confirm that they actually specialize in trauma therapy. Ask them what modalities they use to treat trauma. If they say "hypnotherapy" or "only talk therapy" keep looking. I would expect any good trauma therapist to be able to use at least one of these: CPT, EMDR, Narrative therapy, ACT, DBT, IFS, and probably a few others that do not come to mind at the moment.

One of my best trauma therapists was a social worker.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

Another comment to find a therapist who specialises in trauma, and to stray away from councillors ‘n’ talk therapists. It’s always alright to “interview” them before deciding to try someone out. I’d suggest finding someone local, if possible, in-case you click and eventually want to meet in-person, if that’s possible for you; I always find in-person sessions better than online. Look at their websites for what they do, methods, approach, qualifications… see what you think. Some Ts know (of) other Ts, too. My current one was a recommendation from… some form of social worker? I cannot remember at all, but turned out to be a good one; My T is very trauma informed and has training in EMDR, we don’t yet use it in full, but do take resources from it. She has a very human approach, which I like. It’s a professional relationship, but we can interact openly, like people.

Someone who understands window of tolerance, trauma processing, and how to approach that safely is a good sign. Wanting you to spill about all your trauma history quickly, isn’t.

Had a therapist in my teens who in response to me struggling to come out with anything or trust her for a while, made our sessions less frequent and/or shorter. Poor practice all round, wasn’t what she advertised, and after her it took years of everything getting catastrophically worse to build the will (desperation?) to seek another one. Very sorry for your experience with your last T. It’s always a drag down when they’re not good for you, but it is worth to keep looking, even if very tiring. I hope you find somebody.

 

[oliver767]

I get the hesitation with those subscription models.