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Therapy

Expecto_Patronum

I'm not asking for medical advice, I'm just interested in experiences. I have recently started therapy again but I don't think it's going that well. We have agreed that CBT is not the right fit for me. So she is looking at other things that could help but so far none of it feels like it's the right thing. I feel like I'm just saying no to everything and it's wasting sessions but I don't know how to engage with something that just doesn't feel right.

So people, particularly if you have AuDHD, what therapies have you tried that are NOT CBT. Did they work? What did you find useful? What did you find wasn't useful? Did you really have to push yourself to get anywhere with it? 

I obviously want to do whatever I can to improve my anxiety and depression and have better coping skills but so far I just don't see anything I'm being offered as useful but I have no clue what would be useful.

Obviously I know that none of you can tell me what is useful. I'm just interested to hear other people's experiences so I can see if they are a) similar to mine and b) if there's anything other people have tried that I think sounds helpful and could suggest to my therapist. 

Thanks in advance.

Parents

  • Talking Therapy (counselling) was certainly helpful to me. It did however require me to advocate for myself and ask for in person counselling. Neither phone, nor video call works for me. A neurotypical person only receives like 5% of all communication when they only have voice to go by. Video calls also minimise the available information. So for me, I like to give myself all the information to potentially give me a higher chance of interpreting tone, and reducing misunderstandings. 

    The last counsellor I worked with attempted to take an approach that highlighted Transactional Analysis. This was before I had my diagnosis, and officially considered myself autistic. It was helpful though. So to, was Psychodynamic Therapy. It's difficult to come across on the NHS, but it can have its uses. Both require you to be honest and fairly open to the process. So that means a counsellor or therapist that you trust, get on with, and feel understands you.

    The most important thing I think is going into counselling with a clear idea of what you are hoping to achieve. 

    For example, I've self-referred for counselling again post-diagnosis. My aim and the answer I'll give when they ask 'what do you hope to achieve' is: to put the autism diagnosis into context. To explore how it has affected me in the past, and reanalyse what I consider to be 'normal'.

    Previously, my aim in counselling was to work on some long standing traumas and understand how the past experiences were affecting what I thought was depression. Having that clear idea of what I hoped to get from the process aids both yourself, and the therapist to understand where you're going. What the point of the process is.

  • in reply to martintheactor

    Thank you. My therapist is trying to understand but I don't think she's really getting me at the moment or what would help. I find it really hard to explain so I don't think we're quite gelling at the moment.

    I think part of my problem is I'm struggling to have a specific aim. I just want something to get better. There's so many aspects to my mental health, I just don't know how to pick the right one.

  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum

    Why can't you be treated holistically? All of your issues will be interconnected and I think trying to seperate them is a bit pointless.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    A fair point. She did say last time we could just talk for the rest of the sessions if that's what I'd rather. I just want them to have some meaning because they're limited.

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