Wanted: New Therapist to Help Resolve Old Problems | Addiction ...

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With October in its second week, and nearly three months having passed since I last met with my therapist, the time has come to rectify my therapeutic truancy.? As someone who has suffered immensely from mental health issues since early adolescence, it is imperative that I get back in the saddle where my mental health treatment is concerned. ?I fear that if?I don?t, ?the beast of mental illness will increase its girth and inclination to torment me.

The reasons for my absenteeism are three-fold.? First, there were scheduling conflicts that impeded my therapist and me from continuing our work together, conflicts that were not quickly resolved.? Both our schedules changed during the month of July and there were a couple weeks where we simply could not meet up.? Figuring out a way to accommodate each other?s limited availability nearly required a 50-minute phone session, and having to put such time and effort into something I normally expect to be a simple undertaking proved mildly overwhelming and?discouraging.

Second, the lack of a timely resolution to our scheduling conflicts fed one of the primary enablers of many of my neuroses: procrastination.? Putting things off has been a staple of my list of shortcomings longer than any mental disorder and anything that requires more than minimal effort or doing something I have little enthusiasm for will quickly be set aside in my ?I?ll get to it when I get to it? mental file cabinet.

The third reason was financial.? Because I began working with my current therapist while being treated at a treatment center where she is employed, and remained under contract with that treatment center for six months after being discharged, I had to pay her through the treatment center.? This meant an extra $100 or more was being tacked on to each session I had with her.? Putting off scheduling a session until after the six months had expired made sense financially, at least in the short run.

Having suffered from substantial anxiety problems over the last two to three months, resuming therapy is no longer an option but a necessity.? Because I have issues that require medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and traditional talk therapy, I will need to work with multiple people to receive effective and successful treatment.? My current therapist doesn?t specialize in CBT or DBT, and the pharmacological component is under the jurisdiction of my psychiatrist.

Thus, I find myself a free agent in need of a qualified therapist who specializes in treating anxiety, mood, and behavioral problems.? In reality, no one can truly ?specialize? in treating all those issues, and I will need to work with multiple people over the course of the several years to fully address everything that needs to be addressed.? So, the plan I have is to first seek out a cognitive-behavioral therapist who can help me reign in my anxiety problems, which are numerous and my primary concern at the moment.? I will then transfer to a clinic that specializes in DBT and is located in the same building my current therapist occupies.? I will likely spend a year or more at this clinic doing both individual and group therapy, and some CBT may be worked into my therapy as needed.

Once this phase of my treatment is completed, I may have to further address my anxiety disorders should they continue to fester (my experience is that they never fully go away and can reemerge both suddenly and mercilessly).? I have alternatives in mind to the therapist I hope to work with before the end of the year and may seek them out should I need to do more work in this area, one being a clinic that offers group therapy for anxiety disorders.? If I am fully satisfied with whom I hope will be my next therapist, I may resume my work with her if she is available.? Or maybe one extra round of CBT and DBT will be enough to pull me through?? I don?t know and won?t know for another couple years what the answer to this question will be.

Though I hold the hope that my ?treatment? will one day reach its conclusion, ?therapy? will continue being part of my life for the rest of my life, so long as I can afford it.? By therapy, I mean once- or bi- weekly sanity maintenance sessions, comparable to the annual physicals and check-ups I schedule with my physician.? Just because I might reach the point where I have no ?disorders? in need of remedies does not mean my need for personal inventory ends.? Self-improvement is a lifelong commitment and I cannot imagine attempting to meet its needs sans professional guidance.

Searching for a new therapist can be scary and?overwhelming. ?Try to avoid the common pitfalls of procrastination and letting?financial?issues get in the way, and remember that you are doing this for, ?YOU?, and You are worth it. ?Be sure to run your new?therapist?options, by your old one and get their assistance. ?I found that talking about this process with friends has been very helpful, in keeping me motivated to move forward in this process. Lastly, give your self a break! It is very normal for this process to be daunting and slow, so be sure to avoid beating?yourself?up when it seems like it is going slowly.

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Source: http://www.treatment4addiction.com/blog/recovery/wanted-new-therapist-to-help-resolve-old-problems/

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