Posted by Racer on May 23, 2007, at 15:38:48
In reply to Re: choosing a new T, posted by peddidle on May 23, 2007, at 12:15:58
Falls had some good advice. At least, I think it's great advice, because it's essentially what I was going to say...
What I did, to find my fabulous-for-me psychoterrorist, was to interview a bunch of Ts over the telephone, and then see those who made it through the telephone screening, and then chose the one who worked for me. I did have a dead end on one, whom I saw a few times, then realized it was a bad fit, but the basic method worked well for me.
In my case, though, it was much harder to find someone willing to see me. Many therapists won't see an adult with anorexia, and even a few who did see eating disordered clients wouldn't see me -- they basically said that I needed to be treated inpatient, because my weight was too low to treat outpatient. But the telephone interviews told me enough that I had a bit of an idea even before seeing those who'd treat me. (One of who told me in the session that she had grave misgivings about seeing me OP, based on my size at the time.) And I could rule a few out right away, which helped keep the expense down. The one I found who's worked out -- two years and counting, and she's still fabulous-for-me -- did have the highest recommendations, but it wouldn't have made any difference if she hadn't been a good fit.
In your situation, though, you've got it harder. Here's what I'd do: I'd call both centers, and ask whether you can have "interview" sessions with a few therapists, or if you can switch to another if the first doesn't work out. If they say no, then I'd want an awful lot more information about each T there. And, if neither is going to work out for you, I would also ask them for referrals elsewhere. Sometimes, at least around here, some private Ts will see a certain number of sliding scale clients. It's worth checking into.
Lastly, although this is not the solution I'd use and I hesitate to mention it, there's a kind of a medical-expense-credit-card thing that has about an 18 month 0% interest that you could look into to pay for therapy. Believe me, I do know all the reasons not to do that, but it's out there and I thought I'd mention it. If you're interested, I'll go look for the name of it.
So, you're right, your situation is much harder than average, because of the insurance thing. But there is still something you can do, and I think going into it with the mindset that you're going to find a good-for-you-now therapist, rather than that you'll have to settle for what you can get, would be good for you. Very empowering.
Oh, yeah -- and firing a therapist who isn't working out is VERY empowering! I highly recommend it!
Good luck, and if there's anything I can do, let me know.
poster:Racer
thread:759004
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070505/msgs/759078.html