Remote Treatment - A bit of a "Not much fun" gripe about whatever happened to face to face?

[DogTired]

A bit of a "Not much fun" gripe about whatever happened to face to face?
Meanwhile, The suggested treatment for my PTSD is mind adjustment and a shrink messing around inside my head.
(No, I don't do medical terminology).

Meanwhile, mind adjustment (making my mind think differently) is going well.
A video link on Zoom and the therapist has got to know me and knows full well that I don't take on new notions very easily and like to go away and get my wife to translate what was said into DogTired speak which I can understand. Then, usually after a week or so, what was said by the therapist and wife suddenly makes sense.

Then there is the psychotherapist aka the Shrink, and his first Contact with me.
Him. He started saying (after the pleasantries) "Make an appointment and come in for a chat".
Me. "Err No. You work 103 miles away from where I live so I can't just "drop in" for a chat."
Him. "That's not too far away."
Me. "What happened to 'your care will not be further than you can travel in 45 mins'?"

Tell me folks, is it too much to expect a local(ish)"face to face" medical consultation.
Or has the mental health side of things in the UK got lazy like general doctoring has?
So now I'm thinking "Is this going to be a video link AGAIN?"

Read on.
Him. "You can always use your Smart phone".
Me. (I'm getting angry now as) "We don't own one".
Him. "Oh. Well - - - a USoft Teams meeting is how we operate."
Me. "Our very old laptops can't run Teams and barely manage Zoom."
Silence.
Him. "You could always go to the public library and use theirs!"
Me. "So you want me to go to the public library and sit in the open and discuss mind things with you for everyone to hear?"
Him. "That's not such a bad thing."
Me. (I'm steaming mad now) "Put that in an email to me."
Him. Silence, a long pause, then the phone line goes click, and I'm hearing the dial tone.

Somehow I am sensing a breakdown in communication before communication starts.

C'est la vie, but I'm not one to talk to someone I think is an idiot so that probably means I've just stuffed myself.
(Slang English for:- "I'm in a bad or seriously disadvantageous position that I may not be able to get out of")

Later on, when I'd stopped trying to punch through the bedroom door, I calmed down and talked to my wife about the possibility of me going back to France to the hospital that treated me . The result? "Fat chance of me letting you do that chum".
She knows me too well, and that I might just try to get back into the mire again if I go off on my own.
After all, there is a sort of calm that some will know when doing what one enjoys.

 

[Friday]

Me. "What happened to 'your care will not be further than you can travel in 45 mins'?"

So they’re issuing Italian automobiles now, or helicopters, with your treatment?!? Sign me the f*ck up. Now. Yesterday. Hell… I’ll. be. there. last. week. if they drop ropes. HRST is my first true love. But? I could accept a Ferrari or Lamborghini. As a reasonable accommodation.

Somehow I am sensing a breakdown in communication

ROFLMFAO.

The result? "Fat chance of me letting you do that chum".

Good on her. Although there IS a really fantastic place in Germany??? Mmmm mn. Mmmmn mnmnm mmm m.

 

[barefoot]

How come your psychotherapist is 100 miles away? Are you seeing them privately or through NHS?

 

[DogTired]

How come your psychotherapist is 100 miles away? Are you seeing them privately or through NHS?

NHS set this up via a Charity (approved NHS contractor).
However, it looks like 'eyes on' will only be a video link, or not, (see post).
Anyway, it's annoyed me a lot as I thought treatment would be eye to eye like it was when I was fixed the first time.
Although that was many years ago. Before home computers and before Mobile Phones.

 

[barefoot]

Ah…good that the charity has made the support available, but frustrating if it’s difficult for you to actually access it (too far geographically for face-to-face / not the right tech to support video call)

Would the charity help with providing a laptop that would support MS Teams? I know it’s not really how you want to have the sessions as you’d prefer f2f. But if there was a way to get a budget / refurbed / second hand Chrome book, for instance, it could give you an option at least?

(Sorry if this is not a realistic/practical suggestion!)

Definitely agree with your earlier post that no way can you use a computer in a public library for a therapy session!

Hope you can find a way forward so you can get the support.

 

[DogTired]

Ah…good that the charity has made the support available, but frustrating if it’s difficult for you to actually access it (too far geographically for face-to-face / not the right tech to support video call)

Would the charity help with providing a laptop that would support MS Teams? I know it’s not really how you want to have the sessions as you’d prefer f2f. But if there was a way to get a budget / refurbed / second hand Chrome book, for instance, it could give you an option at least?

(Sorry if this is not a realistic/practical suggestion!)

Definitely agree with your earlier post that no way can you use a computer in a public library for a therapy session!

Hope you can find a way forward so you can get the support.

Thank you for your reply. Note I'm UK Based.
It's been my experience that most smaller 'niche' charities are good and want to work with your needs to achieve a good resolution.
BUT, the smaller they are, the less money they have to work with.

However, some of the self proclaimed "BIG" boys in mental health care are blatently not so forthcoming or want to be adaptable to suit an individuals needs.
In my case, 'help' is coming from a MH charity contracted to do NHS work.
That help has stalled from the get go as we can't afford to upgrade our margarine let alone our laptops.

Meanwhile, The UK's NHS has been reported as cutting back on mental health care.
However, the NHS is also beginning to push Digital mental health technologies.
No therapists, just an AI computer program, or an App to run on a smartphone or android.

Once that gets going, face to face will probably end up as The Terminator telling you to take the two Red (or was it Blue) pills.
Personally I think I'm approaching a cross roads. Therapy via YouTube, wait for the "we'll get back to you", or try to fix myself.

 

[barefoot]

Yes, I realised you're in the UK. I am too, but I haven't accessed therapy through a charity, so I don't have any experience of that.

The NHS is certainly under huge pressure with services being squeezed all round. Sorry that you're feeling the sharp end of that at the moment, and I hope the situation improves for you sometime/how...

 

[DogTired]

Yes, I realised you're in the UK. I am too, but I haven't accessed therapy through a charity, so I don't have any experience of that.

The NHS is certainly under huge pressure with services being squeezed all round. Sorry that you're feeling the sharp end of that at the moment, and I hope the situation improves for you sometime/how...

THank you

 

[Mr Man]

I haven't accessed therapy through a charity, so I don't have any experience of that.

Hi I'm also in the UK, and told my CPTD is sever so will need many years of therapy, can I ask you both barfoot and DogTired what type of therapy you've accessed and how many sessions you got ? I ask because my NHS CBT Therapist said 8 sessions, but I needed a lot more. So I've been offered "Psychotherapy for much longer" but I've no evidence that's available on the NHS and the letter I got just referred me back to the NHS CBT therapist, so ? Any feedback would help, as I'm too ill to work, so need to do something.