Therapist question

[Sinner]

I have been assigned a pychologist specializing in PTSD in Minnesota. I an in central Missouri. We will communicate by phone and video chat. This is through the VA. Is this normal? Cool? Feels a little weird. But I really need some good help. They said he is excellent. And kind.

 

[Kubash16]

I’m so glad you found someone!! Did they not have anyone available locally?

 

[Sinner]

I’m so glad you found someone!! Did they not have anyone available locally?

I guess not. I must be one sick puppy. I just want to start working through some of this. I'm tired of hurting. Tired of my unhealthy coping mechanisms. I've just never been counciled this way.

 

[Kubash16]

It’s definitely not unheard of. If I were you I would give it a shot for a couple of months, see how you feel about, then go from there.

 

[Wendell_R]

It’s definitely not unheard of. If I were you I would give it a shot for a couple of months, see how you feel about, then go from there.

Yes. A good therapist far away sounds better than a bad therapist close at hand. I think it's important for you to be honest, though, if you do not feel a good connection.

My therapist's practice is doing more and more video counseling. Not always ideal, but it seems to be a growing phenomenon.

 

[Sinner]

It’s definitely not unheard of. If I were you I would give it a shot for a couple of months, see how you feel about, then go from there.

That seems reasonable to me as well. I'm just really scared. Thanks for your thoughts. Also, second question: some times I receive a message saying my post was moved to another thread. How do I know which thread it's moved to and why do they move them? I don't mind I just want to start posting right if I'm doing it wrong.

Yes. A good therapist far away sounds better than a bad therapist close at hand. I think it's important for you to be honest, though, if you do not feel a good connection.

My therapist's practice is doing more and more video counseling. Not always ideal, but it seems to be a growing phenomenon.

I'm game. Just a little quizy. I would be with anyone. I've oped up more to you guys than anyone so far.

 

[Kubash16]

You’re good, for future reference use the contact us form for forum questions. In the meantime, they move them around to fit into different categories for easier searching/browsing/organization. If you know what category your question will fit into then go ahead and post within that subsection, otherwise just post in general. You can see which threads by clicking on the notification.

 

[Wendell_R]

I'm game. Just a little quizy. I would be with anyone. I've oped up more to you guys than anyone so far.

Yup. That makes sense. This is a hard one, but telling another person is the first step to feeling better about yourself, ending the mal-adaptive coping, and starting good self care. It's a hard journey, but that journey can bring you peace of mind that's hard to even imagine right now.

 

[Missycat]

Hi, my T relocated abroad and we have sessions via skype. We had built a good working relationship so when i wanted to return to therapy (actually needed to) i contacted my T and she agreed to see me and use skype with the understanding that we would monitor the effectiveness of the sessions. My T had said that Therapy and in particularly for trauma was better face to face but having a strong trusting working relationship is also important and thats why its working for me. I would agree with one of the comments above that its the quality of the therapy not so much the distance thats the most important. I wish you all the best.

 

[Friday]

My guess is that one of the data entry people -who are often military wives from overseas / English isn’t their first language- just typed the wrong state abbreviation on the electronic form. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri & Mississippi get f*cked up all the time. All 4 getting written as MI. Montana people, meanwhile, get assigned people in Missouri because of the MO. Same sort of shit happens with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas (since Alaska is AK), & Washington state vs Washington DC. A few others. Minnesota catches a lot of interstate “oops” though, because data entry people ask why they’re being asked for an override / non-matching zip code, and someone brings up the twin cities = out of state = don’t worry about it. Click yes. :banghead:

Point being? I’d ring them up and ask them what state they have you residing in, on their records, because you’ve been assigned a therapist out of state. It’s the VA. They specialize in f*cking shit up.

 

[Sinner]

Hi, my T relocated abroad and we have sessions via skype. We had built a good working relationship so when i wanted to return to therapy (actually needed to) i contacted my T and she agreed to see me and use skype with the understanding that we would monitor the effectiveness of the sessions. My T had said that Therapy and in particularly for trauma was better face to face but having a strong trusting working relationship is also important and thats why its working for me. I would agree with one of the comments above that its the quality of the therapy not so much the distance thats the most important. I wish you all the best.

Thanks for the insight. I guess I do not trust my own thinking due to a little paranoia.

My guess is that one of the data entry people -who are often military wives from overseas / English isn’t their first language- just typed the wrong state abbreviation on the electronic form. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri & Mississippi get f*cked up all the time. All 4 getting written as MI. Montana people, meanwhile, get assigned people in Missouri because of the MO. Same sort of shit happens with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas (since Alaska is AK), & Washington state vs Washington DC. A few others. Minnesota catches a lot of interstate “oops” though, because data entry people ask why they’re being asked for an override / non-matching zip code, and someone brings up the twin cities = out of state = don’t worry about it. Click yes. :banghead:

Point being? I’d ring them up and ask them what state they have you residing in, on their records, because you’ve been assigned a therapist out of state. It’s the VA. They specialize in f*cking shit up.

Yeah, we all have story's about the VA. In all, I have had decent experiences. However, there are times when they have really screwed up. I will double check the location.