Therapist Experiences?

[xSuperMario64x]

I've technically been seeing a therapist since I was in 7th-8th grade, but I haven't gone since I left school back in early May. I want to start going again, but there's a problem. I don't feel like they help me at all.

The best way to describe it, is they seem to put a band-aid on my problem which solves it for about 2 hours. They expext me to pay like $25 for a therapist visit when it doesn't do anything to help me. I've been battling with severe depression since the beginning of my Senior year, and I've seen 2 different people about it, even my doctor, and nothing helps.

I'm not here to complain about my life, but I'm wondering what others experience is with talking to a therapist. Did they actually help you solve your problem? Or did they just talk sweet to you and make you feel good about yourself for a solid hour? I'm really starting to lose hope in ever finding help.

 

[Midoriya]

I had a really, really nice therapist that helped me growing up to help me cope with being born with Aspergers. We would always walk in and he had a nice office with a fish tank and a couch, and comfy pillows. I don’t see him anymore, but I miss his advice and actually him too, because not only what he said, but who he referred me to, helped me a lot in life.

Last year I struggled with severe depression and anxiety, but I managed to grow out of it and get over it on my own. I’m still feeling the after effects of it, but I feel confident that I will not fall back into that hole again. I’m no longer in those places online or associated with those people that were actually toxic things for me.

 

[Croconaw]

Oh, my. This reminds me of a terrible therapist I had back in high school. She talked me down for having a crush on a girl. She said it was wrong to have same sex relationships. She also wrote me up for wearing guy’s clothes. She also yelled at me the entire time when I wanted to wear a tuxedo to prom. It was bad enough she forced me to go to prom. Yes, it was forceful. She said “Oh, if you don’t go then there will be an odd number of people and you’ll be the reason someone else doesn’t get to go.” I mean, if she was forcing me to go I could have at least worn what I want. I actually did go to the prom in a tuxedo, but it took so much work to convince her it was my choice.

She seemed to force her views on so many of her patients. She made me feel so depressed for being a lesbian, but I never let her change who I am. I still cannot believe she is against me wearing guy’s clothes. It happens more than she thinks, and it definitely isn’t new. There are bigger problems in the world than boys who love boys, and girls who love girls. She did not help me solve my problems. I was seeing her due to my social anxiety and just anxiety in general, and to improve my social skills. Unfortunately, she made things worse. I was able to gain confidence myself.

Since then, this therapist was actually fired from her job. I had a new therapist my senior year of high school, and she was so much more helpful. I actually trusted her and I liked going to see her.

 

[Keldi]

I've been through quite a few.
Therapist #1: I dunno if she was good or not, considering I wasn't old enough to actually know that these problems I had were problems. However, after she suddenly quit/left/whatever when I was in 7th grade, I quickly developed issues with opening up about my problems.
Therapist #2: I honestly don't remember but I only had her a few months before moving to a new state, I remember she had a cool-*** dollhouse tho
Therapist #3: She was the cliche "how does that make you feel" type of therapist =_=
Therapist #4: She never pushed me about my problems and just let me play with the toys while she watched
Therapist #5: I'm back in my home state and start up with this one. And oh my God, she was just-- she focused more on distracting me from the fact that I want to shoot a bullet through my **** head than trying to make me not want a bullet to fly through my head. I left pretty quickly.
Current therapist: I haven't started opening up yet, but I have started weekly visits with her and will soon test her as a therapist. But we get along awesomely as friends so I'm really praying for this one!!

 

[Grawr]

I'm incredibly supportive of therapy. I've seen different therapists since I was 16. I'm 24 now, and they help me every bit as they ever did - if not more.

If anyone here is considering therapy but questioning it, I highly *highly* suggest you give it a shot.

 

[Flare]

Well... I didn't really feel any better from going to a therapist but that doesn't mean it didn't help me at all. It felt nice seeing them and being able to talk to them about my personal problems freely without letting anyone else know. Then my therapist was pretty nice too so there's that. Tbh he actually gave pretty good ideas on how to cope and actually helped me realize many things.

Maybe therapy really did help me. Currently I myself am considering seeing either the same therapist or a new one too actually.

- - - Post Merge - - -

Oh but yeah I definitely recommend seeing a therapist. Even if didn't help someone else it doesn't mean it won't help you.

 

[Rizies]

I would take $25 visits for a therapist. When I was seeing one I had to pay $100/hour. That particular therapist didn't help. I find I am pretty self aware of how I feel and why I feel a certain way. She tried to give me a few exercises and such, but none of them really worked for the situation I was in.

I also did a group therapy session for anxiety. The way it was structured was like a learning experience on anxiety. I actually really liked that one, even though I didn't learn a whole lot. I really liked hearing everyone's experience and how they are anxious.

With that being said, what helped me the most was having a good doctor who was patient in finding the correct medications for me. The antidepressants made a huge difference. And of course exercise and eating healthy too.

 

[Mr. Cat]

I never had a good one. I sought out a diagnosis of Apserger's/Autism on my own at age 21 after about 2-3 years of reasearching to be totally sure it fit me and I wouldn't look like an idiot walking in to get tested. My mom said the deacription fit me 100%, especially when I was a small child and she had me at the pediatrician complaining about harmful stimming, meltdowns in public places, how "shy" I was. Always to be told "she LOOKS normal to me". So it was relieving for both of us to figure this out. I got tested for it and they came to the conclusion that I am autistic without a doubt, girls just rarely got diagnosed as children back then in the early 90s. So the last time I tried to get a therapist to help me with autism related problems (I think this is why no other therapist has worked for me in the past, they didn't understand the problem, thought it was social anxiety or something), they refused to give me a therapist who specialized in autism because I'm a girl. Then the therapist I did get (didn't know much about autism) said I looked too normal to be autistic and honestly this stereotype gets really f***ing old. Plus, she said I was promiscuous after I said I had been in 2 relationships in my lifetime. Like, really, lady??? So I just gave up on the idea of ever finding an actual therapist that will work out. It's not worth paying the $20-30 out of pocket cost every week to get absolutely nothing accomplished. I really dislike therapists. I understand there are some that are really good, but they seem to be few and far in between. Most of them don't know what they're doing and they enjoy to gossip about people in your life after you tell them things to try to make you feel better about your problems, which I can't stand. I want to work on myself, I'm not worried about what you think of my friends/family.

 

[allainah]

I think therapist can help you just have to find the right one for you which can only be done by trial & error :/
I started seeing a therapist very very recently and i'm already turned off by it bcs exactly that, she just sweet talks to me for an hour & it's annoying? idk some of them treat everyone like children. i'm 21 and this therapist talks to me as if i'm 11 years old.

Therapy also isn't for everyone, and it prob isn't for me. I get so annoyed when I mention my problems (like anxiety, or motivation for school, etc) and I get told some lame advice I could find on Yahoo Answers. I prefer to just take my meds and not talk to anyone

 

[mitfy]

i went to a therapist for a little while when my anxiety was at its worst. it was the only therapist i've tried and she was nice (she had a dog in her office whom i loved sm he'd sit on my lap and sometimes we'd take him out on a walk around the building while i talked). though i did feel like she talked a lot, and i could never really tell if it helped. i'm not the type of person that likes to talk about my feelings out loud, i'm better at typing them out.

i believe there are some things online where you can message people if you're not feeling great, but i don't remember what it's called. like just people to help you feel better or help with the problem. maybe that sort of thing could help? even if it's just to vent.

 

[duckykate]

my inpatient therapist was a complete thot but the one i have now is nice

 

[Livvy]

1st therapist: She always seemed anxious, which made me anxious. Gave some good advice sometimes, but overall was a negative experience.
2nd therapist: Initially I felt more comfortable around her than my first therapist, but it was because she spoke more, so I didn't have to as much. However, she spent most of my sessions talking about celebrities or other patients (which she should NOT have been) than I spent talking about myself. She made inappropriate comments about some of the things I was going through, which actually had very negative affects on me, and made me not trust myself. Should be pointed out that #1 and #3 were psychologists, and she was just a licensed therapist.
3rd therapist: Absolutely amazing. Made me feel comfortable, but was still professional. Very rational, but empathetic. Gave really good advice every session. I can't see her anymore though, because I had to get new insurance when I turned 26 (can't be under my parents anymore), and she's not covered under my insurance now. However, she really helped me a lot when I was seeing her, and I think the positive affects of seeing her are still benefitting me.

 

[Kamzitty]

I've only seen one therapist/counselor in my life, and it wasn't for me.
After my parents divorced my mom forced me and my sister to see a "christian counselor" saying we needed to talk about our "feelings on the situation" (when in actuality, we were pretty fine about the whole situation lol)
He was a male, and my mom was very against us being in the room with him alone for some reason?? Even though he was married with kids, and very religious??? So we were only allowed to speak to him together, and that made it very difficult to talk about how we felt lol. Like I said, we were fine anyways so a lot of the sessions were very awkward and he would usually just have us pray and talked about God instead??? The only problems we were dealing with at the time was the way my mom was reacting to the divorce (she would talk negatively about our dad, drill us with questions every time we went to see him,and mentally abuse us everytime we talked positively about him) but we didn't want to discuss that with him because he was her therapist as well and we didn't want him relaying any info to her lol. It was honestly a waste of time and I dreaded going every week.
Maybe if I had seen a normal therapist, alone, it would've done some good? But nowadays I usually talk about my problems/anxiety with my bf and he helps me a lot.
I've never thought of therapists as a negative thing and I know they help a lot of people. It really just depends on who you talk to and how they are. Just in my personal experience, it wasn't great lol.
I would be down to talk to a therapist if the sessions were cheap and I felt comfortable with them, but I don't think I need it right now? Idk though, if the opportunity ever comes around, I'm willing to try it again.

 

[tumut]

All 3 of mine have been supportive and great luckily, except one who I saw for a few months who kept reccomending medication.

 

[Kotori]

I had some quite interesting therapist experiences:

First: Guess she wasn't having that much of a blast like me...
Second: Said that I was interrupting my mom's life and etc...
Third: Tried to ask some super personal things on the first session. Heck no! I'm not so desesperated to open my whole life and family problems to someone that I met for the first time.
Fourth: He was also a pastor, so some things really didn't conected.

 

[visibleghost]

oh yikes i have seen so many therapists and honestly it sucks so much, especially seeing new ones because when you're starting over you have to go through all the "yes i've done dbt, no it didn't help me, yes i've heard about this very basic thing you're telling me will cure me in no time and it didn't cure me, yes i have tried just not being sad can we Please actually talk about my problems now" stuff and that's really, really annoying. i'm so tired of having to open up everything to fifty different people so that they can realize that i'm not depressed in the relatively mild way many others they see are, only to have them act like i am because they don't have the resources to really help me.

i have had one therapist who was really good, i saw her for two years and while she wasn't perfect she was always listening and learning and when something wasn't working out in therapy she made us solve it rather than just having her telling me how it should work and not helping me. i stopped seeing her in october last year and i honestly miss her so much because i haven't had any good experiences with psychiatry or therapists since and i think i really need good therapy. i used to be anxious about our sessions but i'd use them as "well i can survive until our session on wednesday" but now i'm like "huh i could die so i wouldn't have to deal with seeing this mental health person next week!"

i've been seeing therapists since i was 13 (but with an almost two year gap between ages 13 and 15, i saw someone for 6 months when i was 13 and then i didnt see anyone until i was forced to go again at 15) and honestly most of my experiences with different mental health professionals have been bad. often when i express this to people (especially mental health professionals) i'm told i've just been unlucky with the people i've met, that i'm exaggerating or that it's not working out because i don't give them the chance to (which is stupid to say because when someone starts off by telling me that the worst thing about me being suicidal is that it makes my parents sad, or when someone will only talk about cavemen, or when they threaten 13 year old me with being hospitalized or put on meds (lol) if i don't talk to her, or when they refuse to talk about anything other than a smallish problem i have it's not me who is the biggest problem and to expect me to still be as open to "treatment" (aka them just being rude to me) with that person after that is a bit unfair) but honestly i think there are a lot of bad mental health professionals out there. and it sucks that they often focus so much more on self harm than on any other problem because at least for me that is the wrong end to start working from but when i tell them that they tell me that i just don't want to get better and that i am making their lives difficult :')

i'm not saying therapy isn't worth it or that all mental health professionals suck but it really sucks when therapy isn't working out and when only two of the over fifteen different mental health professionals you've had treating you have been actually great and the rest have all ranged from alright to absolutely terrible you kinda start losing hope. when therapy is good it helps you deal with your issues, when therapy is bad therapy itself becomes an issue you have to deal with.
a part of what makes it bad is the system, the way psychiatry for adults works in sweden is basically "unless you have something specific that can easily be solved in ten or fewer sessions, preferably in group therapy, you can Die (except we have to make sure that you meet someone here who hates you somewhat regularly so that when you do kill yourself no one can blame us)". i never thought i would think psychiatry for kids and adolescents was good but in comparison to what i'm dealing with now it was so much better because even though they wanted to get rid of me they weren't This bad.

anyway i have some advice for u. if you feel that therapy isn't working for you it could be a good idea to switch therapists. the therapist you're seeing now doesn't have to suck for you to transfer to someone else, sometimes it just doesn't work that great. switching therapists sucks but it can help you make progress.
it can also be good to think about what help you think you need and if you can it's good to find something specific to work on (all this can be pretty much impossible and it should really be something you and the therapist figure out together but sometimes everything sucks and you have to help yourself instead.)
idk anyway i hope your situation stops being bad

 

[deuces]

my first few were gross. i was a troublemaker and honestly such an ass LMAO still kinda am humor wise but they sorta gave up after two months and talked trash to my mom about me. the inpatient ones? garbage. but you only know them about a week, so...
my last one tho. after years of trying, he got through to me. he was amazing, knew him 6 months and my mom thanked him soo much. im finally happier and living life without constant anxiety. he was a miracle tbfh

 

[MalinkaLuna]

When I was younger I saw several therapists because my parents forced me to go. I never liked them, I've always felt uncomfortable around men and generally dont really like to open up to men, even as a child. I cant really remember a lot but I do remember, that at some Point I felt like they couldnt help me at all, that it was all useless and wasted time. I never wanted to be changed as this was what I thought what the therapist did: Change me, brainwash me.

So I started lying to him. made him believe, things were improving at home. At some Point I was free to go, but my Mom caught on though I believe during that time things really did get better, so I cant even tell IF I did tell lies on purpose.

A few years later we went to a Christian Family Thing for the first Meetings and then it was mostly him and me alone. Same Thing really. Now I dont trust in therapists at all, even though I once went to a therapist on my own and felt quite good after the session, I never really went back.

I dont trust in those People being able to help me, I know some can help some People but I just cant see, how they are supposed to help me. But, in General, im a mostly happy Person with only a few minor knacks that dont Keep me from living a normal and happy life

 

[Buttonsy]

I only had one therapist, he would zone out when I talk, miss the point when I spoke about significant parts of my life, and would give me really un-called for and invasive responses to things. I like to think most therapists are better, but the experience was so negative that I've been having trouble to get motivated to reach out again.

 

[thatonemayor]

I've been to one, but the reason I went was I went to africa and some medication I had to take on the trip to help keep me healthy actually jacked up my anxiety. So I started going to the lady who offered therapy at my college for free.

She's one of the few people from the college I took time at graduation to give a hug and thank. If that clarifies how important she was in my life.

I think if you find the right person, it can actually help you. Obviously you have to put in some effort yourself, but...the right person can really help you think about things in the right light.

I hope that you get whatever form of help your mind most needs. It sucks being in this boat.