Posted by Joslynn on January 12, 2005, at 11:01:36
In reply to pdocs who do therapy, posted by CareBear04 on January 12, 2005, at 4:02:32
When I was very severely depressed three years ago, I did therapy plus med management for an hour a couple times a week for 1-2 weeks with pdoc. Then I got an MSW therapist (much cheaper and a woman, which I wanted) for regular weekly therapy, still seeing pdoc for an hour every 4 weeks for therapy.
I have cut down on the therapy with the pdoc because I was getting too emotionally dependent and it just wasn't working for me anymore to have that yearning and oversensitivity to every little thing he said. It's a long story. I still see him, but less often and for shorter lengths of time. I miss him very much, but it was something I had to do.
I think a pdoc can be a great therapist, if it's the right person. This split of having pdocs just for meds and MSWs/counselors for psychotherapy is a recent trend, started in part by the insurance industry I believe. Pdocs used to do much of the therapy as well.
For me, the therapy is important because my depression has situational triggers. Yes it runs on my father's side of the family (mixed in with alcoholism) and does seem to have biological components, but I can usually trace the beginnings of an episode to an emotional trigger. So I am using the therapy with the female T to manage those triggers. (That sounds so "therapy-ish" doesn't it.)
I think that ideally, having one person to do the meds and therapy would be the best, actually, if it's a good doctor who is as good with people as he or she is with meds. That may be hard to find though...
poster:Joslynn
thread:441031
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050111/msgs/441135.html