• Replies 47 replies
  • Subscribers 16 subscribers
  • Views 6143 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

How do you find talking to therapists?

Oran G. Utan

For about maybe seven months now, I've been using BetterHelp for private therapy. I can't say I've found there to be any progress, though I'm not sure I'm going in with the right expectations. My therapist tries to get me to reframe my thoughts. Use less negative language, try to imagine more positive outcomes to situations, that sort of thing. "What would it be like..." is her common language for this. To which my response is often along the lines of "Well that would be unrealistic because xyz". She also tends to point out my "yets" as hopeful, despite my assurance that it's just to avoid an absolute statement. I can't tell if I'm being too rigid and set in my ways, if her approach is ill effective for autism, or a bit of both.

For anyone that uses a therapist, how do you find your engagements with them?

Parents

  • I had a 9 week session on the NHS and I found it reasonably enlightening. I like many others don't seem to get any relief from either medication or CBT so I was sent along to speak to a therapist.

    Initially I was there to explore the reasons behind my depression and anxiety which turned out to be the elephant in the room, autism. At this point in time the fact that I was autistic was merely a suggestion and I had only recently been put on the assessment weighting list, which turned out to be very, very long.

    Once we were on this line of investigation I really began to explore what it meant to me and how it had impacted my life. Obviously there were stumbling blocks as I couldn't or maybe wouldn't comprehend my crippling social issues and that I mask constantly. We got there in the end with some tough questioning and with me being totally honest and open, which in truth is really difficult but completely necessary. I told her things that I thought were just matter of fact life stuff that she thought was massively important to how I felt and developed as a person. Who knew knew life experiences impacted who you view yourself.

    So I had  really positive experience and I would do it again if need be. I suppose it depends on who you get and what brand of therapy they prefer to practice. From what I was told that the therapist is supposed to use a certain technique which may or may not be helpful , mine liked to colour outside the lines which I thought was helpful as I often struggle with l thought and I'm fond of wandering off on a tangent.

    I hope that all this makes sense.

Reply

  • I had a 9 week session on the NHS and I found it reasonably enlightening. I like many others don't seem to get any relief from either medication or CBT so I was sent along to speak to a therapist.

    Initially I was there to explore the reasons behind my depression and anxiety which turned out to be the elephant in the room, autism. At this point in time the fact that I was autistic was merely a suggestion and I had only recently been put on the assessment weighting list, which turned out to be very, very long.

    Once we were on this line of investigation I really began to explore what it meant to me and how it had impacted my life. Obviously there were stumbling blocks as I couldn't or maybe wouldn't comprehend my crippling social issues and that I mask constantly. We got there in the end with some tough questioning and with me being totally honest and open, which in truth is really difficult but completely necessary. I told her things that I thought were just matter of fact life stuff that she thought was massively important to how I felt and developed as a person. Who knew knew life experiences impacted who you view yourself.

    So I had  really positive experience and I would do it again if need be. I suppose it depends on who you get and what brand of therapy they prefer to practice. From what I was told that the therapist is supposed to use a certain technique which may or may not be helpful , mine liked to colour outside the lines which I thought was helpful as I often struggle with l thought and I'm fond of wandering off on a tangent.

    I hope that all this makes sense.

Children