going to my first talk therapy session on 23rd

and i'm piss scared about it.
it is a one on one with a psychologist(i refused group sessions..

so this dude is gonna be all over me....this first session is two hours and then it will be one hour per week...

has anyone ever done anything like this before?
what is said in there is confidential right?

i have a voice recorder and i am thinking of recording the session just in case i want to go back and analyse it later.....

think that is a good idea.

You actually have to watch out. There are few who genuinely care and focus on you as opposed to behaving like a tool who want to feel good about themselves. Plus, psychiatrists are generally analyzing you to see what chemical imbalances you have, and if you should be prescribed medication/anti-depressants.

I stick to a regular therapist. Luckily I hit a good one (third one's the charm lol).

[edit on 17/1/2008 by Nyorai]

Originally posted by Nyorai
You actually have to watch out. There are few who genuinely care and focus on you as opposed to behaving like a tool who want to feel good about themselves. Plus, psychiatrists are generally analyzing you

this is not a psychiatrist it's a psychologist....the shrink is managing my meds and the psychologist is going to give me my talk therapy sessions.


think it is a good idea to record the convo cause i am leaning towards it

reply to post by Boondock78


Oh... gotcha.

So what are you afraid the psychologist might do? Have you had a bad experience?

reply to post by Nyorai


not sure what i am afraid of.
never done a 2 hour jam with a stranger before....don't know what he is gonna ask. don't know how he is gonna react to me.....i am quite brash

reply to post by Boondock78


You've had a therapist before?

I certainly hope he identifies with you.

[edit on 17/1/2008 by Nyorai]

You know, I was just thinking. If you get yourself a therapist to talk to, a good therapist that is, then it could do you a lot of good. I can't go a week without seeing mine. However, we do go back and get into some pretty messy stuff which is difficult to deal with, but definitely for the better.

Therapy isn't all that bad, if you have a good therapist. I found it very helpful. Sometimes it wasn't fun and I had to talk and think about stuff I'd really rather not, but overall it was worth it.

Anything you say to the psychologist should be confidential but if you don't want to talk about deep presonal stuff the first time, try talking about how you are reticent about therapy. Get a feel for what the therapist is like. It's important that you like them. I had one therapist that I was convinced hated me, so she wasn't able to help me at all. Once I found a good one, he changed the way I saw the world.

The thing I hated most about therapy was this question - How does that make you feel? It's now my standard smart aleck reply for complainers at work.

Complainer: I gave the receptionist that package two hours ago to courier and it still hasn't gone out yet!
Duzey: Hmmmm. How does that make you feel?

'How does it make you feel' can be replaced with 'That must be really hard for you' if I feel the need to mix it up.

There is something rather nice about being able to talk about yourself non-stop to an attentive listener, even if you are paying them. Get used to talking about your feelings and remember, be honest! If you aren't honest with yourself and the therapist, you won't get the full benefits.

Good luck!

[edit on 17-1-2008 by Duzey]

Originally posted by Boondock78

has anyone ever done anything like this before?
what is said in there is confidential right?

Yes I have.....
No it isn't........

Anything you say to a health care provider becomes a part of your medical record.
Medical records can be subpoenaed and opened in a court of law and become public record.

Boondock, I would recommend that you not dive into stuff right away. The person may make you feel comfortable at first, but be careful. I've been to a few of these docs and most of them left me with a bad taste in my mouth. My shrink now is awesome, he's helped me more than any therapist can. I'm able to talk to him openly about what's going on, and I can tell he genuinely cares and wants to help me. And to top that off, he's in charge of my meds so he knows what's best and I don't have to worry about him talking to someone else about me and having to talk to two people about one problem.

Goodluck buddy, hope everything works well.



-Droops

I've been in therapy many years.

Find out what therapy model your therapist uses and research it on the internet.

Some therapy models work much better than others.

To really get the most out of therapy, don't BS the therapist.

I have gained many insights from therapy and feel I am much happier, less depressed as a result.

Good Luck!

[edit on 18-1-2008 by whaaa]

reply to post by whaaa


i plan on being totally on the level...
just a bit nervous i guess.

I hate to be psycho-analyzed! I've never had any therapy, but I used to work closely with some people in the social working field, and they often say things like..."How do you feel about that?" and other various things

I hope it helps you boon

I can understand the paranoia. I remember the first ime I saw my therapist--really uncomfortable. Then he suggested I enroll in his group therapy session. I was horrified! Well, after three years I have to say it was absolutely one of the best things I could have ever done for myself. Understand that anyone that acts as a good listener can allow for you to engage in one of the most basic psychological exercises: catharsis. This is simply vetting out your frustrations, fears, apprehensions, desires, worries, triumphs, etc. most of us do this with our close friends. This is why someone mentioned their Psychiatrist was so effective. Understand also, that generally, a Psychologist is a PhD, PsyD or even EdD who listens and counsels using any of a number of effective models or combination of them, as mentioned. A Psychiatrist, generally, tracks symptoms and prescribes your meds. He/she has an MD. It has been well demonstrated that the best results come from the use of meds along with therapy. And, no, a therapist, (psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psych Social Worker or anyone in a similar profession) may not reveal what you share! The EXCEPTION is when the client or patient reveals he/she has recently engaged in sexual abuse upon another or murder or the planning of these. Otherwise, confidentiality of the patient is EXTREMELY serious and when broken can result in severe penalties on the part of a care giver. It is also true that sometimes you have to search a bit to find the right one. I became a Psych Social Worker and Mental Health Counselor for 18 years--my schooling occurred while in therapy years back. Do this for yourself and good luck. Let us know how it went,
Oh, and by the way, I see no point in recording your session other than to review and analyze. If it makes you feel comfortable, however, do it.


[edit on 20-1-2008 by Corbin Dalus]

This is none of my business, and I'm sure you'll tell me so if I'm out of line, but why are you seeing a therapist at this stage of your life? That's a big decision to make.