4 ms·

Nope. You can't solve it declaratively, because for therapy to work, you need to find a therapist that "clicks" with you. Pick a therapist. Tell them you're sh

Nope. You can't solve it declaratively, because for therapy to work, you need to find a therapist that "clicks" with you. Pick a therapist. Tell them you're shopping, you'd like both a trial session and recommendations for alternatives. If they're not willing to do that, they're not the right person. Most are.

whitepoplar 8y ago
I agree with you that it's important to find a therapist that "clicks" with you, but I'm convinced that taking the first step and making an appointment is the hardest part. An order of magnitude harder than making a second or third appointment. Therefore, I think the most important problem in mental health is getting people through the front door and sitting in someone's office.
- entee 8y ago
  I think the concerns could be harmonized with the OP by simply spitting out, "Here are 5 people to call" with perhaps a little info on their approach. This could of course link to a description of what those approaches mean, i.e. "CBT seeks to change mental habits in the moment by teaching tools to rethink and process reactions as they happen" etc. edit: Typo
wjossey 8y ago
Want to strongly re-affirm the fact that you should tell them you're exploring multiple therapists, and that you SHOULD try a few. Each therapist has a different style, and therapy is not a formula that everyone just "implements". Being able to form a connection with your therapist is very important, and while you might pick the right one off the bat, trying a few will help you pick the right one for you.
- ondoheer 8y ago
  This is absolutely true, as a therapist myself, I always recommend this.
mhanon 8y ago
Completely agree with this, and will even say that the weird thing about mental health is that you may not even be able to trust your own judgment, since that's the part thats sick. A few years ago, I had decided on my own that I needed medication; the depression was so overwhelming that I felt like the problem had to be chemical, and no "touchy-feely" talking therapy could possibly help. I went to a few psychiatrists, with varying degrees of success (I caught one reading side effects of a medication off of wikipedia) and stopped going several times because I felt like it wasnt helping. It was only when things got bad that I found a therapist (I think I just googled "therapist <my neighborhood>") -- who I liked -- and she convinced me to just give her way a try. It worked. I am on medication again, and its helping, but it was really the therapy that I was so against thats making the biggest difference. All of this is to say that find someone you like, and then be open. Deciding how you want to be treated from the outset doesn't necessarily make sense. Mental health issues are like any other illness -- we go to doctors for their advice and expertise. But you need to go.
throwaway-18613 8y ago
Of course. The trouble is finding those first few people to talk to in the first place.
- groby_b 8y ago
  https://www.google.com/maps/search/therapist+near+me/ https://www.google.com/maps/search/therapist+near+me/ I'm really not kidding. The range of usefulness of therapists is so large that "any therapist is a good starting point" usually works. It's better when you can ask friends, but if you can't, any therapist will do.
  - briandear 8y ago
    I work in the mental health space (we make practice management systems for therapists) and I couldn’t disagree more. The quality of therapists varies so widely that frankly some of them, I can’t imagine how they ever got licensed.
    - throwaway-18613 8y ago
      Working in the industry, would you have any specific suggestions for someone who feels overwhelmed to winnow the options from 1000-ish to under a dozen?
      - Nrsolis 8y ago
        As a person who recently had to do this, my suggestion would be to find someone close to either your home or work. Next would be to find someone of the gender you prefer (I prefer same-sex), then find someone in the age group you're in. I've had good luck using this heuristic to whittle down the list to a few names. Then go for a brief session with each of them. You should pick the person you feel most comfortable talking to EASILY. This person should be someone you don't feel judged or threatened by. You should be able to understand them clearly and they you. Think about it like it's a date. In a way, it kinda is.

whitepoplar 8y ago

I agree with you that it's important to find a therapist that "clicks" with you, but I'm convinced that taking the first step and making an appointment is the hardest part. An order of magnitude harder than making a second or third appointment. Therefore, I think the most important problem in mental health is getting people through the front door and sitting in someone's office.

entee 8y ago
I think the concerns could be harmonized with the OP by simply spitting out, "Here are 5 people to call" with perhaps a little info on their approach. This could of course link to a description of what those approaches mean, i.e. "CBT seeks to change mental habits in the moment by teaching tools to rethink and process reactions as they happen" etc. edit: Typo

wjossey 8y ago

Want to strongly re-affirm the fact that you should tell them you're exploring multiple therapists, and that you SHOULD try a few. Each therapist has a different style, and therapy is not a formula that everyone just "implements". Being able to form a connection with your therapist is very important, and while you might pick the right one off the bat, trying a few will help you pick the right one for you.

ondoheer 8y ago
This is absolutely true, as a therapist myself, I always recommend this.

mhanon 8y ago

Completely agree with this, and will even say that the weird thing about mental health is that you may not even be able to trust your own judgment, since that's the part thats sick. A few years ago, I had decided on my own that I needed medication; the depression was so overwhelming that I felt like the problem had to be chemical, and no "touchy-feely" talking therapy could possibly help. I went to a few psychiatrists, with varying degrees of success (I caught one reading side effects of a medication off of wikipedia) and stopped going several times because I felt like it wasnt helping. It was only when things got bad that I found a therapist (I think I just googled "therapist <my neighborhood>") -- who I liked -- and she convinced me to just give her way a try. It worked. I am on medication again, and its helping, but it was really the therapy that I was so against thats making the biggest difference. All of this is to say that find someone you like, and then be open. Deciding how you want to be treated from the outset doesn't necessarily make sense. Mental health issues are like any other illness -- we go to doctors for their advice and expertise. But you need to go.

throwaway-18613 8y ago

Of course. The trouble is finding those first few people to talk to in the first place.

groby_b 8y ago
https://www.google.com/maps/search/therapist+near+me/ https://www.google.com/maps/search/therapist+near+me/ I'm really not kidding. The range of usefulness of therapists is so large that "any therapist is a good starting point" usually works. It's better when you can ask friends, but if you can't, any therapist will do.
- briandear 8y ago
  I work in the mental health space (we make practice management systems for therapists) and I couldn’t disagree more. The quality of therapists varies so widely that frankly some of them, I can’t imagine how they ever got licensed.
  - throwaway-18613 8y ago
    Working in the industry, would you have any specific suggestions for someone who feels overwhelmed to winnow the options from 1000-ish to under a dozen?
    - Nrsolis 8y ago
      As a person who recently had to do this, my suggestion would be to find someone close to either your home or work. Next would be to find someone of the gender you prefer (I prefer same-sex), then find someone in the age group you're in. I've had good luck using this heuristic to whittle down the list to a few names. Then go for a brief session with each of them. You should pick the person you feel most comfortable talking to EASILY. This person should be someone you don't feel judged or threatened by. You should be able to understand them clearly and they you. Think about it like it's a date. In a way, it kinda is.