Posted by JohnL on June 1, 1999, at 4:43:09
In reply to Am I paying too much for therapy?, posted by mila on May 29, 1999, at 2:15:12
> I recently started therapy. As i have no insurance, I am forced to borrow money from my parents to pay for it. We are paying $175.00 per 45 min session. I have decided to go with this expensive psychdoctor/psychotherapist because he was recommended to me as being very good and necessary for myself given my history of 5 years of bad treatment. The person who made the recommendation is a highly regarded high profile psychiatrist so I trusted his judgement.
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> So far I have had two sessions which were both rather uneventful and seemingly unhelpful. I feel terrible for paying someone that kind of money after simply talking about whatever comes to mind at the time, and getting little feedback. Are the first few sessions of therapy supposed to be like this? Am I just wasting my money? Or is this an investment that will pay off in the longterm?Mila, let's assume for discussion you decide to find another doc. How to do it? Here's an experiment I tried. I called local hospitals, mental organizations, got referals. Also went through the yellow pages. Though credentials, location, referral, etc., can make a difference, it's that doc who really LOVES the work you want. Someone with a passion for what they do. The best in any professin are those that are in love with their work. I sent a duplicate one-page letter to my list of names, describing my problem, medicine failures, current status, etc., and asked if I sounded like a tough case that would add spark to their daily routine to please call me for a meeting. My family doc laughed at this idea claiming no one would answer because they are already too busy with problem patients and aren't going to purposefully take on a pre-advertised difficult case. Well, I got a response from almost half the names I mailed out to. That tells me those who responded love their work. They certainly have no shortage of work don't need me as a client. Then the process begins of an initial meeting to find that special "chemistry". This is just one way to find a good doc, but the money will seem irrelevent when you find the right one. JohnL.
poster:JohnL
thread:6789
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990601/msgs/6898.html