School counsellor vs psychologist

[Deleted member 44204]

Hey everyone!
This is my first post so I hope I'm doing this right ahaha.

I'm just wanting some help and people's thoughts on what I should do in this situation.
So I saw a school counsellor for the first time on Tuesday and talked about 'some' of my problems and we worked out what we're going to start working on next time I see her.
But the thing is, I feel her only being a school counsellor we can only work on basic / minor things, like sleeping troubles, minor depression or anxiety, ect.
So there were some things I didn't mention to her, like the past trauma I've been through and other things.
I finish all my classes in the middle of November but the school is open up until mid December I believe then it's summer break (Australia). So I can see her until then, but I'm not sure if I'm coming back next year to continue my studies at this school.

So I'm just not sure if I should continue to see her and work on some things or if it's better to just ask her for some referrals to some psychologists outside of school and work with someone who can helped me with everything..?

has anyone seen 2 T's at once??
Could I maybe see my school counsellor and a different T outside of school for my past trauma?
Seeing her I think will help me get through the rest of the school year, and it's free, I'm
just not sure on what to do.

Thank you for the help!

 

[Suzetig]

I wouldn't try to see two at once, bathe use your school counsellor to deal with stuff that impacts your day to day living which may be enough help tbh. Unless you feel past trauma is impacting you now there may not be any need to rattle that cage just now - not everyone who has a traumatic past needs or wants to deal with it in therapy.

Maybe identify what you feel you need to work on just now and go with that. If you feel trauma is what you need to work on just now and you think your school counselling will end before the work is done you could look for a private therapist.

 

[Qansns]

I guess that's true and I didn't look at it in that way.
I think I'm going to set some time to think about everything I need/ want to work on and putting them in order.
For me I guess the trauma is something that isn't bothering me everyday, but it does come to mind.
It's something I know deep down it's going to be hard to work through, but I wish I could just get it over with and it be a quick fix. But it doesn't work like that hahha.

 

[The Albatross]

In school I had 3 at once (high school) and because I was a minor I had no chance of therapeutic intervention. So I saw my counselor, the head counselor and a psych teacher... they got me through school. However I was candidly honest.

Personally if you can clarify your goal for your school counselor to assist you with functioning and successful course completion and graduation.... then keep clear the issues the other shrink will assist you with... without muddying/mixing them up. Great... two heads are better than one.

 

[Briellewannabe]

I have two T's and a psychiatrist. I don't necessarily recommend it, but I wouldn't discourage it either. I think it's really important to think of these things on a case by case basis. If your school counselor is helping you get through the days/weeks well enough, that's great! Adding another person to the mix could be helpful, but I'll admit, I become more self-focused the more help I get. During the really hard times having 2 T's is almost a necessity, but in the rare but few good weeks I have, it isn't helpful. I got the 2nd T to do EMDR, which my 1st wasn't certified to do. I'm fortunate to be between jobs and have the flexibility to do so, however, when I was in school trying to see 2 T's it was hectic. It would wipe me out so much.

So, if you think you need to address your trauma and you're not comfortable sharing it with your counselor (even if it's broad, so she has a better understanding and can perhaps give you better advice), then it might be a good idea to see another T. Sometimes we can work through traumas on our own and other times we can't. I tried for 12 years to be okay after mine but I kept getting worse. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad now if I had gotten help before it got too bad.

 

[EveHarrington]

If it isn't something that bothers you every day, I'd skip working on it for now. Opening Pandora's box can literally make you non-functioning and life just becomes a pit of despair. That is, school could become a no-go. I'd stick with the school counselor for now.

 

[scout86]

Your school counselor would probably find it useful to know the full extent of what you're dealing with. Not so much gory details, just an outline. And, perhaps you could discuss with her how to proceed. She probably doesn't have the training to do trauma therapy, but she's probably got an idea how to handle your situation and who to go to for more help. And when.

 

[Sideways]

Being practical, it's unlikely that your school counsellor is actually qualified to do much. Even psychologists, unless they are actually qualified, are limited in what they can actually do for. It's part of the licensing.

So, keeping it practical: if you open up to your school counsellor, and they're not even professionally allowed to teach you coping skills, and they have no qualifications or experience with trauma, is that something you want to do?

Psychologists are licensed to teach skills like cbt and mindfulness. They also have the type of training where if there is mental illness, they actually know how to listen constructively.

But if you reach a place where you think you're ready to talk about the trauma itself, I'd really recommend getting a referral to a pdoc who specialises in trauma. People in support jobs can be incredibly well intended, but that doesn't mean they actually have any training or experience in knowing how to actually help.

If right now all you want is a bit of assistance with coping with school, then the school counsellor would be super qualified. If you want to learn skills to manage your depression and anxiety, then really you'll need a psychologist. If you want to deal with trauma stuff? Start with your gp and talk to them about the best type of specialist for you.