Im finally going to see a therapist

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katesmom

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I decided yesterday that its time to go talk to someone about my problems & I made an appointment for Thurs evening.

I would say that I am mildly depressed. Ive been dealing with it in different degrees since I can remember. It comes & go’s regularly. This more recent episode was probably the most eye opening. I talked to my husband & he shared with me his feelings about my sadness. It was very enlighting to see his point of view - a light bulb went off.

Ive been running from it. Not seeing it for what it is. Ive tried to cover it up. Ive tried to put the focus on other areas (I thought if I only went back to college, If we lived somewhere else, If I made X amount of dollars, etc…) I would be happy. I realized that nothing outside of myself is going to bring me happiness (well maybe temporarily)

I might be a difficult patient because I dont want antidepressant medication. I havent shared this with my therapist yet, but I hope she can help me without prescribing meds.

I would love to hear from others who were helped by therapy…Thank you!
 
the key is finding a GOOD therapist. i’d say you have a 50% chance. after my parents divorced i was helped tremedously by family therapy as was my whole family.

God Bless
 
Be careful. Please find a Christian therapist who practices cognitive therapy.
 
Some recent research showed that cognitive therapy combined with antidepressants (at least in the short-term) was the most effective treatment for depression. The reason I found this iinteresting was because a family member, like you, did not want to take antidepressants. But in the end, his therapy included both and he finally made impressive gains which in his case saved his life. My advice would be to find a doctor who you can trust, then trust him or her to know the best therapy for you.
 
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ReginaNova:
Some recent research showed that cognitive therapy combined with antidepressants (at least in the short-term) was the most effective treatment for depression. The reason I found this iinteresting was because a family member, like you, did not want to take antidepressants. But in the end, his therapy included both and he finally made impressive gains which in his case saved his life. My advice would be to find a doctor who you can trust, then trust him or her to know the best therapy for you.
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What exactly is cognitive therapy? Is that like behavior modification? I have been on antidepressants, with out therapy, they helped, but. I am depressed again.

of course life is more stressful with the price of gasoline etc.
 
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Lilyofthevalley:
What exactly is cognitive therapy? Is that like behavior modification? I have been on antidepressants, with out therapy, they helped, but. I am depressed again.

of course life is more stressful with the price of gasoline etc.
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Lily–I had never heard of cognitive therapy either. Apparently, it is the most effective “psychotherapy” for mood disorders, specifically depression. I bought a book about cognitive therapy called “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy” by David D. Burns, MD (available in paperback for $7.99). Cognitive therapy helps people develop a positive outlook on life by recognizing what causes their mood swings, dealing with guilt, handling hostility and criticism, overcoming addiction to love and approval, buidling self-esteem and nipping negative feelings in the bud. (I am quoting from the back cover of the book.) The book would give you an idea of what cognitive therapy is. But anyone with depression probably needs to find a psychologist or psychiatrist who is trained in cognitive therapy. I recall searching on “cognitive therapy” and finding a web site that locates psychologists and psychiatrists (based on your zip code) who are trained in cognitive therapy. Also try searching on cognitive therapy because the research report showing that cognitive therapy and antidepressants was the best therapy came out about a year ago. Hang in there. It’s hard work.
 
Be patient. It will probably take a very long time to help you, maybe years. It may also take several therapists until you find one that you like.
 
I will echo the previous poster’s suggestion to make sure you have a Catholic(-friendly) therapist! There’s another post (here) from a while back where a poster tells a horror story about a non-Catholic-friendly therapist.
 
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Timidity:
I will echo the previous poster’s suggestion to make sure you have a Catholic(-friendly) therapist! There’s another post (here) from a while back where a poster tells a horror story about a non-Catholic-friendly therapist.
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Thank you for that link! The therapist I originally chose was not a catholic friendly therapist, so I cancelled my appointment. I followed the link you provided above & found a therapist in my city! Im so happy about that!

Thank you for the great advice everyone! I appreciate your honesty & support
 
Other styles of therapy to look for are solutions-based/SBT or “brief” therapies, which are specific types of cognitive (behavior modification) therapy. These therapy styles all focus on setting functional goals and restructuring therapy frequently if rapid progress is not being made. You should have “homework” and a clear short-term timeframe to get yourself back to the point you want to be. Depending on your therapists method and what you are working on, you should be completing weekly sessions within a couple of months with followup visits tapering off from there.

What research has shown is that general depression and similar disorders respond best to short term (6 weeks to 6 months, depending) methods of teaching a patient how to respond better to stressors or to learn better habits, They don’t just get the patient through a crisis with emotional support, but actually teach them ways of approaching life to avoid getting stuck in those cycles again.

If your therapist wants to spend time digging into your past looking for reasons why before working to get you back to where you want to be, run away. Research shows that sort of investigation is usually not necessary, and actually slows recovery from mild depression. More serious chemical imbalances might require long term medical monitoring to keep dosages right, but not weekly therapy. Only a small number of serious thought disorders require long-term therapy to keep the patient accountable.
 
kate(name removed by moderator):
Thank you for that link! I followed the link you provided above & found a therapist in my city! Im so happy about that! Thank you for the great advice everyone! I appreciate your honesty & support
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Good for you. Take care of yourself. We can’t be the wives and moms God wants us to be otherwise. —KCT
 
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