Resident Psychiatrist Is Not A Therapist

[Dana1010]

Saw a resident psychiatrist for "therapy" today. Sample quote: "When you say 'triggered,' what does that mean?"

She is not a therapist anymore than I'm a NASA engineer. I cannot see myself talking about anything substantive with her. The thought is laugh-out-loud ridiculous.

Starting to lose hope of finding a therapist until I can qualify for different insurance.

 

[anthony]

One would think a psychiatrist would be good, from a knowledge view... solving problems that is.

 

[joeylittle]

"When you say 'triggered,' what does that mean?"

Is it possible she wanted to know what you meant by the word, specifically? (Since it's become rather ubiquitous...)

 

[Dana1010]

Is it possible she wanted to know what you meant by the word, specifically? (Since it's become rather ubiquitous...)

Sort of... Part of it was just ignorance, though.

 

[Friday]

Resident Psychiatrist... Meaning they've earned their MD but are somewhere in their 4 year Residency program? (AKA are not yet licensed or board certified, yet, and may not be for several years.) Do you know what year? A first year Resident & a 4th year Resident are going to be very different. Ditto, do you know what their specialty is, or if they've chosen one, yet? Or are still in the few months of rotation in each phase?
( Category:Psychiatric specialities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ).

 

[Dana1010]

Do you know what year?

I don't know what year.

Ditto, do you know what their specialty is, or if they've chosen one, yet?

I didn't ask. What kinds of specialties do psychiatrists have?

Our conversation sucked--that's probably why I didn't ask too many questions. We just didn't sync at all. She seemed to be phoning it in like, "Here I am at WORK in my quilted Channel flats and my silk blouse, working with a CLIENT at the CLINIC before I meet my COLLEAGUES at the restaurant for COCKTAILS." In other words, she was doing the bare minimum she could get away with to inch closer to the check she's salivating over.

 

[Justmehere]

My trauma trained therapist just asked me the other day "by panic, what do you mean?" I know her, I trust her, and I knew she was probably getting at something useful, I know she is very qualified, but it was still an annoying question. (In the moment, I asked what she meant, and she wanted me to explain what the panic was like for me to experience - was I shakey, etc.)

I can see how it would be really hard to trust a doc-in-training who asked that if you didn't really know them very long.

That being said, people with PTSD who are triggered respond to being triggered in really different ways. While you may not be an expert on space travel, you are uniquely and expert on you and your experience of PTSD. You have a lot of power in the relationship to give the therapy the best chance you have got, or to not give it any chance of success at all. If you don't talk to them and share with them in a substantial way about what is going on for you, then you will get the results you will get.

Residents don't actually get paid much at all and most doctors don't really go into medicine for the money anymore. Psychiatrists don't usually get a ton of training in therapeutic techniques - but the good hung about a resident is that they are closest to their training and have some of the most up to date info. They also have a more experience doc always looking over what they are doing.

If you and the resident are not clicking and or the resident doesn't know her stuff well enough to help, advocate for what you need. As for the supervising doc. Talk to them about your concerns. I used to be seen at a teaching hospital for a brief period of time and they always had residents and the supervising docs were great with my expressing any concerns and used it as a moment to not just teach the resident to do what they do better, but would invest more effort, care, and skill into helping me than any doc established in private practice ever has done for me. I hope you don't give up but tell that supervising doc this resident is phoning it in. Use your true expert voice about what you know you need.

 

[Riot]

One would think a psychiatrist would be good, from a knowledge view... solving problems that is.

Thank you, @anthony. I'm not sure if you meant that tongue-in-cheek, but that made me laugh very hard. :roflmao:


@Dana1010, I am curious, too, like @joeylittle, to know if the psychiatrist was more asking your point of view on meanings. My psychotherapist was the same way in the beginning, and like you, I got the same sort of feelings and vibes. I am so relieved that ignorance was definitely not the case with my therapist, and I am hoping it's not the case in yours. However, if you got a seriously bad vibe, maybe you should look around for a bit? Or clarify with your doctor directly? (I just brought in Walker's book and laundry listed questions I had.)

 

[Dana1010]

Thank you, @anthony. I'm not sure if you meant that tongue-in-cheek, but that made me laugh very hard. :roflmao:

Can someone let me in on the joke here?

maybe you should look around for a bit?

I would, but I don't really have anywhere else to look at this point. If I did, I wouldn't be seeing a resident psychiatrist in the first place.

 

[Riot]

@Dana1010, sorry to hear that. Maybe next session you could clarify the intentions for the questions. I hope everything works out for you. As for the laughing, I just personally found the statement amusing. Psychiatrists aren't well liked around these parts by most people.

 

[Dana1010]

Psychiatrists aren't well liked around these parts by most people.

Ahh. They're more likely to just prescribe meds than solve problems?

 

[Riot]

@Dana1010, I would assume that's the general reasoning for the dislike.