how much does therapy help?

starshine · 31-07-2007, 01:38 AM

if i can ask, how many of you have therapists? If you do how much do they help. If not what do you think about it? I have HAD to go to therapists alot but never felt it helped. Just wonder if anyone can relate or tell me how you made it work?

Amaryllis · 31-07-2007, 02:09 AM

You have to find the right therapist for it to help. I'm serious about that part.

behindblueyes · 31-07-2007, 02:16 AM

I have been in therapy. I dont think that any kind of therapy will help unless you will want it to help. It is a commitment between you and your therapist. If you are really serious, try looking on the internet at all the different types of therapists there and see which one would best suit you. Sometimes it takes a long time to find the right person who you can trust and rely on. Dont force yourself to like a person, becaus you will not benefit from it.

It took me awhile to find a good therapist. But once I found her she was the best thing that could have ever happened to me and my life.

It is quite a big step to take so take it carefully. But I am very proud of you for looking into taking it. Let us know how it goes, yeah?

Take care of yourself.
x Kate

*broken-play-thing* · 31-07-2007, 03:27 AM

as much as you choose to have it help. It is not a quick fix, but that chance to explore yourself and figure out what you are thinking, why you are thinkng it, and find out some ways to deal with it. For a long time I didn't want therapy to help, so it didn't. I wish I could go back now, because now I needed it and want it, but everyone thinks i am okay, so I'm stuck. But as said up above, the therapist is a HUGE part of it, so pick carefully.

inherent · 31-07-2007, 05:10 AM

You definitely have to find the right therapist. It has to be someone you are totally comfortable with. Successful therapy has a lot to do with what you put into it but it also has to do with you trusting what the therapist says. They can often tell you things about yourself you didn't realize and can help you resolve things you can't manage on your own. I wish I could say my first round of therapy years ago solved everything but it didn't. I can say that every time I go to therapy, I learn something new and heal some more.

one_step_closer · 31-07-2007, 11:44 AM

I think that if you are forced to have therapy that it won't be beneficial, this has to be your choice. Therapy involves a relationship between you and the therapist, and if you're made to go into therapy I don't think that you'd be at the point where you really want the relationship and are willing to work through it. If you choose to see a therapist then, as has been said, you can find someone who is right for you and pick and choose until you find that person. Therapists work in different ways, and it may be that the therapists that you have seen don't work in the right way for you.

Personally, i'm unsure about therapy, sometimes it seems to help and other times it doesn't. But looking at that, I think I still need to find the right therapist for me. I hope that everything goes well for you. Please get in touch any time. Take care. xxx

x-dying-inside-x · 31-07-2007, 01:29 PM

i do.
i dont really like it, its not my thing.
i hate talking about what is going on in my life.
it works for different people in different ways.

HazardxToxMyselfx3 · 01-08-2007, 12:52 AM

I'm sure someone's mentioned this already but you have to want to get better, you can't sit in a session and say nothing and expect a miracle fix.
You really need to participate because 90% of therapy is you working through your problems.

{[holding on]} · 05-08-2007, 11:31 AM

I'm lucky i'm open about everything well sometimes. You have to go in there and be prepared to cry but you must be honest because lying wont help at all you wont escape from anything by lying and dont attempt to tackle everything at once!

hypocrisy · 05-08-2007, 07:01 PM

i had a therapist but it didn't help because while talking was comforting- when i could talk coherently, it didn't change the sistuation which is the reason i need/ed therapy in the first place. now, i just have a psychiatrist which doesn't help either.

Tattoo Man · 07-08-2007, 12:56 AM

I think all the above answers are great advise. I myself am on therapist #4 and I have had some good ones and one real nut. The thing that is important is if you can find one that fits your diagnosis. I have multiple personalities and I kind of trained him howto deal with us. I don't recommend doing that. If you can find out from friends etc. if someone is good for depression and that kind of thing then give them a try. Sometimes the personalities clash and you just don't get along with them they remind you of your mother or father or someone you really didn't like. They could have mannerisms that distract you. You have to think about whether you would be able to open up to a male or a female. We had a hard time talking to a female because of our abuse and having to talk of sexual stuff. It was embarassing for us to talk to a female. So those are a few things to think of. Just remember what has been said. You can't go and expect miracles unless you open up and talk. You can't tell them what you think they want to hear. You have to be honest. It has helped us a lot. The 6 of us go to therapy everyother week and look forward to it.

starshine · 16-08-2007, 11:52 PM

OKAY, i really want to work on feeling better (I mean who wants to feel like ****) but talking about all this depressing stuff just triggers me. And then theres the fact that most of the therapists make it completely known that this is their job and 'caring' is just a job requirement.

Now my current therapist does have some hope, she's real nice and she understands that it hard to share my feels,she doesn't rush me like the last one. But i still feel that shes just someone hired to listen to me complain and then tell me how she thinks i should fix it. Theres no true concern of weather i live to see her in two weeks or not. (Im not suicidal,this is just my example). I just fear i'll never resolve any of my past because therapy is just so fake and unconfortable!

Amadeus · 17-08-2007, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starshine

But i still feel that shes just someone hired to listen to me complain and then tell me how she thinks i should fix it. Theres no true concern of weather i live to see her in two weeks or not. (Im not suicidal,this is just my example). I just fear i'll never resolve any of my past because therapy is just so fake and unconfortable!

I spent, easily, the first four sessions talking to my therapist about exactly this. I mean, does he really care about me after I leave his office? He's going to get paid the same after each hour, regardless of whether or not the session helped me. And if he can prove that he did the bare minimum, then it doesn't even matter if I kill myself, he'll be free and clear.

Of course, I'm still with him, after almost a year.

I think part of what helps (besides the fact that he's been a psychotherapist for at least 15 years) is the fact that he specializes in "Child and Adolescent Assessment and Counseling Services". In other words, he's spent most of his therapy career working with ****ed up teenagers, i.e. me.

But it takes a while to find out if the person you're seeing is going to be good for you or not. And that usually translates into a lot of money for an uncertain result. Which can suck. A lot.