So, you've already made the tough decision to actually seek treatment for your mental health condition. You've already gotten a diagnosis and a treatment plan, and maybe you've been in therapy for a bit. This is where I ran into a problem with my recovery. I was going to therapy every 3 weeks, and in the time between those appointments, I was really struggling. I was dealing with all of my intrusive thoughts and the rumination, and my anxiety was holding just below the point that tips me over the edge into a panic attack because as new things came up, I wasn't getting the help I needed to work through them.
I had been in therapy for just over 3 months. My therapist and I had a great therapeutic relationship. I liked her. I trusted her. The only problem was that I was getting worse because of the time between my appointments. That was no one's fault. It was just the state of the community mental health system. My therapist was so busy that she didn't have time to see me as much as I needed to get better.
This problem meant that I had to make another tough decision. I had to decide whether or not to find a different therapist that could see me every week. (To treat OCD, it's recommended that I attend therapy once a week for at least 6 months, possibly up to 12 months.) I didn't want to find another therapist. In fact, the whole idea of letting yet another stranger into the deepest, darkest parts of my mind caused me more anxiety.
I was afraid to find another therapist for other reasons, too. I was afraid that maybe the new therapist wouldn't really understand me or that this one might think I was crazy. I was afraid that I would be a nuisance to a private therapist. I was afraid that the change would make my anxiety worse, and that the new therapist would really push medication. I had all kinds of fears that I ended up not having to worry about.
At the urging of my mother and the advice of my therapist, I made the decision to look for another therapist. That was a process. I looked online, in mental health directories and Google, and I only found 3 therapists, 2 of them located a couple of counties over, and 1 in a different state that specified that they could treat OCD. They were private therapists that may or may not take my insurance. Those options didn't look like great options. Other than that, the only options I knew about were the other community mental health organizations in my county.
Then a friend of mine recommended a private therapist that wasn't listed in the online directory I had searched. I had another option. I Googled the therapist and checked her reviews. Then I actually had to call to see if she could even treat my condition. Then I had to see if she took my insurance. Then I had to see if she was taking new patients and how long it would be before I could get an appointment. I tried to contact her a few times before I heard back.
The next step in this process was to make an appointment with the therapist I started with. I had to see her to get her to sign a release so that my new therapist could call her and get my file. Then I was no longer considered a client of the community mental health system.
I changed my therapist because I needed to have more frequent therapy appointments, but other people may need to find a new therapist for various reasons. They may not be a good fit as far as personality, so a therapeutic relationship may not work out. Maybe the therapist doesn't know how to adequately treat a disorder, and the patient notices that they aren't getting the help they need. Maybe the therapist just makes the patient uncomfortable for some reason. The list could go on.
I'll end with this: If you don't mesh well with your therapist, if something about them makes you uncomfortable, or if you feel like you aren't getting the help you need, it's perfectly acceptable to ask for or seek a new therapist. You have a right to adequate mental health care.
No comments:
Post a Comment