Posted by violette on August 11, 2010, at 15:51:51
In reply to Re: Off Lexapro? - apathy syndrome //Help! » violette, posted by Phillipa on August 10, 2010, at 23:43:32
Hi Phillipa,
Personal preferences sometimes dictate what patients find helpful or not helpful; for anyone whose been in the mental health system for a long time...I'd first try psychodynamic therapists. For people with really walled off emotions, I think conventional psychoanalyis might be a better place to start...
I found webites that offer advice on choosing a therapist to be kind of useless, but you might want to Google that if you've never read them. Some of the lists I've seen of 'good vs. bad' traits of therapists are sometimes unrealistic or much too black and white..
This is probably most useful information I've seen in one place:
http://website.lineone.net/~ve...erapists%20Abuse.htm
That's basically what you don't want in a therapist...
I think a therapist who has been in her own therapy is important...someone who does not let herself become intertwined with your issues. You can get really stuck if the therapist 'becomes who you want them to be'. It happens all the time, but I think it becomes a major problem if it's consistent/undiscovered rather than worked out.
For me, I don't work well with Ts who are directive/give advice. Someone with dependency issues may prefer that, but that will get you nowhere and keep you stuck. Psychodynamic therapists are usually ones who do not do this-instead, they will help you arrive at your own advice through insights.
Gender can be an issue...I have 'mother issues' and found that after working with several female Ts in the past, that working with a male is much better for me.
I always recommend starting here:
http://www.apsa.org/Find_an_Analyst.aspx
Some of the best Ts in my city are a member of that org.; my T is in the database though he was referred to me... Word of mouth is best. I don't trust any of those websites where therapist advertise-though some people may find good matches that way. In my experience, choosing someone with lots of experience and who gets referrals through colleagues made a difference...Ts on the list of that link generally will refer you to a colleague if they are not the best match for you as they usually know preferences of the Ts, who they work best with,etc. I think starting there is the best way to go.
Hope that helps.
:)
poster:violette
thread:957856
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100811/msgs/958264.html