Were You Lucky Enough To Have The First Therapist You Saw Be The Right Counselor For You?

[Blondutch]

Yes still with my first&only therapist I've worked with. Although for me it was more figuring out the right type of therapy. Tried 1 counseling and 1 CBT but neither were the right type of therapy. Now in psychoanalysis 4 p/w, pretty intense, the therapist is challenging & highly skilled/experienced, (my therapist is also a psychiatrist & neurologist). It was a recommendation from someone who knows me very well & thought this person would be a good match. So, I am lucky in that sense.

 

[TruthSeeker]

If you have mental health issues and have decided to go into therapy, it's one thing to be set up with a psychotherapist. It's another thing to be set up with a therapist who you think is real good at it.

It can take time to find a counselor who you think is the right therapist for you.

When I went into therapy for the first time back in the day, the first therapist whom I was set up with wasn't that good at it, in my opinion. I'm sure some others would disagree with me about this counselor. But she wasn't the right therapist for me.

It took me awhile to find a therapist who was a good fit for me. However, it was worth the search because I found that working with therapists who I felt were good at it really helped me with my issues with bipolar disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

So with that said, I was wondering, who here that's been in individual therapy were lucky enough to have the first therapist you saw be the right therapist for you?

NOPE-the last one I had was not in touch with her own issues and brought her own stuff into the therapy session. That was a crazy-assed ride...still recovering from that experience....but the new one I have had for 6 months or so is awesome, intelligent, in touch and grounded, can help me stay grounded, skilled, highly trained, and very intuitive. It makes a real difference....I shopped around and found several out of trauma touch therapists....who said they were trauma therapist..... when I went looking for a new therapist. The "T-shopping experience" was very hard, so I tried a couple out on a short term basis......that was also helpful. After a couple of "test sessions" you know whether there is a good fit if you've ever had a shitty therapist before.

 

[osiris]

My first brush with therapy almost 20 years ago was through the NHS and I had no choice in who I saw. It was pretty awful.
This time around in a foreign place I have again found myself with very little choice who to see for cultural/language reasons. But T seems a fairly good fit so I am hopeful.

 

[Digz]

My first therapist was very good but had to leave due to moving. I was lucky that he set me up with another good therapist, so I knew I was seeing someone of quality, and she was very good too. Unfortunately she retired and after that I found it very difficult, just about impossible to find someone of quality that could deal effectively with my level of trauma. I bounced between therapists for a very long time, then I eventually gave up and went it on my own which was okay for a number of years. This is where covid-19 has actually had a benefit to me in this regard, as since online consultation has been set up, I am now seeing my first therapist again... and I must say it is so different. I spent so long trying to persevere with average before going it on my own, now being back with him I notice the hugest difference. It's so hard when you can't find someone that knows their stuff and who you click with.

 

[Lionheart]

No, the best therapist and the one who was right for me was the second one. I had fired the first one for blaming me for the abuse traumas. Still, I consider myself very lucky.