I hope therapy works for you!
Like a few folks here, I've seen a number of therapists in my time.
My issues were family related (mom/dad) along with my struggling with crossdressing/sexuality issues.
Remember that even though you are the patient seeking a professional's help, YOU are still the one in charge.
YOU decide who to see
YOU decide what you want to talk about
YOU decide whether you will take medications or not
YOU are in charge.
I say this because I work in the medical field and my wife does also.
I can tell you that some of the most difficult patients to deal with are the ones who:
1) don't get involved in their own treatment i.e., "I don't want to hear all that mumbo-jumbo, just tell me what to do"
or
2) arrive with a negative attitude, a chip-on-the-shoulder i.e., "Fix me now! If you are incapable of doing that, I'll just find another Doctor who can!"
Both patients are wanting, no, EXPECTING modern medicine to cure them!
There is no cure without the patients help.
I see that by your being here, you are someone who seeks to understand and involve yourself with your life's issues.
I applaud you!
One thing I hope you realize about yourself is that you are a STRONG person. Some folks may think the Internet is an EASY place to hide from public exposure/embarassement, but I still think it takes a bit of strength to come out in a place like this.
Your strength does show here.
My experiences in picking someone to talk with range from opening up the phonebook and calling, starting with the A's.
To getting ahold of a health professional directory and going through the backgrounds/areas of specialty of the therapists inside.
If you have a County Mental Health office, you might find some good info on the therapists in your area.
As mentioned above, deciding if you are comfortable speaking with a male or female is a good first step.
But ultimately, you should meet with the person or even at first speak with them over the phone, to get better acquainted.
Definitely think of questions you want to ask them such as,
"What areas of mental health do you specialize/are trained in?"- there are some folks who are just marriage/family counseling, some have experience and a desire to help with sexuality issues, rape/incest, phobias, etc.
"What methodology do you use in your therapy sessions?"- I have seen one who tried hypnosis on me, one lady who suggested meds in our first meeting, one who listened and mirrored what I said well but let me figure out what direction to go, one who did a lot of physical therapy like having me lie on the floor vocalizing and bouncing my body up and down, and finally the lady my wife and I are seeing now who I think is the best thing since sliced bread! Basically, I didn't always ask this question, and so I spent a few hours with some of these people which I truly feel wasn't productive. That's why I wound up not staying with many of them.
"How much do you charge, do you submit to my insurance or do I?"-costs can be an issue even if you have insurance. You should know what your coverage is going to be, and how much deductible you will have to pay. I personally HATE dealing with money issues when it comes to patients, but it is a fact-of-life for almost anyone in the medical field now. There are ways a Physician or Therapist can work with billing/diagnosis codes that help with insurance issues, but you don't want to get involved in anything that basically boils down to lying to the insurance company. Lots of problems there.
"What kind of information about our sessions, about me personally, about the indicated treatment (medications, hypnosis, etc.) do you have to report to my insurance company" - remember, your insurance company does need to at least have a diagnosis, plus other info in order to process any claim. Don't let the feeling of "Big Brother" scare you off from help, but you might be able to minimize the amount and type of information going out of your therapist's office by working with your therapist on this.
YOU ARE IN CHARGE! Didn't I see that somewhere else?
You need to ask the questions popping up in your head! Don't dismiss them as insignificant or as some folks put it, "stupid!", because they are NOT Stupid!
Well, as you can see, I need HELP in the "BE CONCISE AND NOT TOO WORDY" area of life.
My apologies again for such a long post.
The older I get, the more advice I want to give
Best wishes for your health!
).
