well... personally i have a bias *against* pnurses altogether so i cant give a fair opinion on her really... BUT.. i would suggest both as well. My inclination is toward a seperation of med and therapy... and that is what i have for myself. i really like it that way. i find the therapeutic relationship can be really tough to handle at times... overwhelming and we cover a lot of really sensitive stuff... i would have a harder time with the med side of things if my T were doing that.

maybe T did nnot mean he would be your regular PT.... and honestly, it doesnt mean a dual relationshipp anyway. Many T's here have pain management as part of their practice for example... they have gymns attached to their office complexes and will do some physical exercises with clients. i firmly believe in whole person wellness approaches... afterall, exercise helps with depression, no? Using exercise as an adjacent sort of treatment (doesnt HAVE to be depression) is a great idea i think. It would be dual if he were suiting up to go work out with you at the Y.

razz... have you noticed the tendency towards putting yourself into rock and hard place type decision making? Nothing bad intended.. just noticed it... so i would suggest you just not make that a thing you have to waffle over.. set it aside. You don't *have* to make this decision right away and you have so much else to think about. $50 isn't worth working yourself into a knot at this moment... decide to decide later.

oh.. one last thing... touches on the bias i have, but i'll be brief and *try* not to be judgemental toward her (not you... you're fine ). Remember that she is a psych *nurse*... which is cool and she has training, etc.. not trying to diss.. BUT.. she is NOT a psychologist with all the training associated there with, nor a psychiatrist. She consults with a psychiatrist when she is uncertain and does reporting regularly... i'm preeeeetty sure the same is not true with the psychologist aspect.

now.. before anyone gets mad... no, a T does not have to be a PhD, mine is an MSc. The definition of "therapist" is pretty open. The definition of "psychologist" is not. But if you are dealing with multiple issues, meds, etc... and Razz, in your case, a very complicated behavioural problem set.. personally i would choose the trained psychologist, rather than the pnurse. In just my own opinion... if you are considering intensive treatment, etc... would you not want the major portion of your treatment to be handled by the person with the specific direct training indicated?

(please.. no one get upset... therapy can work with other sorts of T's, i'm just speaking specifically about Razz's issues and the possibility of needing deeper training than someone other than a psychologist might have)

not saying razz that you are messed up more or anything.. just that your problem right now is delicate and complicated.