Just for discussion.....

I think the psychotherapy forum should be divided into 2-3 forums.

On this forum, there are people who suffered severe childhood abuse versus people with more normal childhoods, there are people who are 60+ years old and people who are 20 years old, there are people who have been in therapy for 15+ years and people who are just starting, there are people with graduate degrees and people who barely graduated highschool, etc.

These things all contribute to the mindstate and developmental level that probably occurs in posting on threads, or the "triggering."

I suggest breaking the forum into something like the following:
New to therapy
Advanced in therapy
Young people in therapy
Seniors in therapy
Trauma therapy

You could even have CBT versus psychodynamic, since that seems to be an issue as well...

This lets people decide better where they fit and avoid other areas..

Now someone will say, just don't read what is here. Well, when I see a title of a post, I don't know who or what circumstances it is posted under. This way I would at least head to the areas of "interest." Others might gravitate to all topics and thats fine too.

[1776]

No. That's what the social groups are for.

[archipelago]

No. I gave my response in the other thread. It's important that we have the diversity of experiences and learn to respect those differences.

[Nerak67]

No. I agree it is important to not get points of view just from people who in our exact situation etc. also, I would get all the sections anyway.

I don't think so, either. Right now there's been a bit of disagreements and upset feelings on the boards, but I don't really think that's that common, and more often I think there's a real benefit to having a mixture of different opinions and viewpoints around. I think that what upsets people, sometimes, is not so much different points of view but different communication styles, and that's not something that can be gotten away from by creating different sub-forums.

[stopdog]

i think learning that disagreement is okay is a good thing.

[Daeva]

No. I do not think so.

I don't think so. I've learned so much from other people here when I first started therapy. Also, I rarely think about the ages of people or what their issues are. I'm in my mid 40s and I know some of the people who I find very insightful happen to be younger than me... If I read mostly from threads of people like myself think of all the wisdom I would miss out on.

I think the diversity is what makes this forum effective and helpful.

I get what people are saying, but it doesn't mean people have to stay in a category. I have heard from several people that they do not even come to the psychotherapy forum because it is "clicky" and they don't feel comfortable for reasons x, y ,z....

There could be an overall with sub-forums, like the romantic transference sub-forum. While I agree about the differences issue, the differences also may cause problems and people might find safety in similar situations (trauma survivors for example).

Another example is the age distribution. In some of the other forums that focus on mental health issues, there is a much larger age distribution than what seems to be present here. There is probably a reason for that. It might be younger geneation are not in therapy (although if you look at the other forums they seem to be) or it might be they can't relate to the life situations presented here.
Just some examples.

It seems that the response will be no. Could be "clustering" or could be the general sentiment... no way to ever know.

[archipelago]

There is already a place to talk about trauma, two in fact. Many if not most people have trauma to varying degrees. But we also have other issues too. And the purpose of the forum is not the issue that we are dealing with, but the therapeutic situation. How we relate to our therapists, what problems are arising, etc. It's not issue driven but rather more about meta-discussion about our therapy.

I don't get the age point really. I mean I just don't understand why that is a factor. Experience levels in therapy is a factor but a helpful one to have a range.

[critterlady]

I think if you divide the forum into subcategories, you'll only get opinions that are like your own. Personally, while I think it's useful to get feedback from those with similar experiences, it's also very useful to get different perspectives. Validation is important for me, but I don't find that I learn that much from it. If someone says something in a way that I find offensive or triggering, I can deal with it. I can either ignore it or try to work through why I find it a problem. My reaction is my choice.

[Solepa]

I also think that diversity is what is normal in real life as well and always better to be able to deal with that then run away from it.
Conflicts, misunderstandings etc. are useful tool for self growth if one is ready to have inside.

Other thing is that I like that this forum is "alive" a lot of people come here and the topics are changing all the time and everyday there are new things to read. Questions get answared and if somebody posts thread it gets reactions pretty fast which can be very helpful and needed. If you devide that into sections people will spread ...... go figure.

Good luck everyone

[Syra]

I'm not opposed to the idea. I think it has plusses and minuses.
I'm not worried about the diversity of opinion issue. People who want diversity can come here anytime. Besides, diversity is pretty hard to squash. People who want a different milieu can choose that. And then go to whichever forum makes sense at the moment. I guess I'm really supportive of the idea. I

[skysblue]

If a separate forum for "new to therapy' and 'advanced in therapy' were separated how much more difficult would it be for those who have a bit of experience be able to share those experiences with those who are just beginning? Likewise, would those who are 'advanced' miss out on some fresh viewpoints?

And dividing young and old? That kind of segregation feels wrong to me. We're not going to resonate or respond to every thread that is created. Some of them 'speak' to us and others do not - based on life experience, therapy experience, etc. etc. Young/old being divided arbitrarily feels artificial to me.

And with specific issues such as trauma, like others have pointed out, there are forums for that already.

This forum is about psychotherapy and our experiences with a therapist. I don't believe issues that come up in our relationship with our therapist or therapy experience that we seek feedback on this forum can necessarily be divided easily between new/old; young/mature; trauma/?.

I have gained so much by the collective wisdom of people who visit the psychotherapy forum. I am so glad I found this site at the beginning of my therapy journey. For me, having experienced people to help me understand better the therapy relationship has been a godsend. If only newbies were commenting on my challenges in therapy, I may not have gotten the kind of support I needed back then (and now too)

[blur]

no. i think the diversity of thought is good as it helps to see a situation and offer solutions from many angles. since you're fairly new i think you'll get to know the personality of the psychotherapy forum in time. certain people's threads do generate a lot of controversy so some people avoid those posters' threads. i think a lot of the problem is when people don't follow (and may not have even read) the 'community guidelines' which are at the top of this forum. there is also a sticky on 'judgment & support' in the psych forum. when people know how the forum works it makes it a lot easier on everyone.

[healingme4me]

Originally Posted by Stringcheese

I get what people are saying, but it doesn't mean people have to stay in a category. I have heard from several people that they do not even come to the psychotherapy forum because it is "clicky" and they don't feel comfortable for reasons x, y ,z....

There could be an overall with sub-forums, like the romantic transference sub-forum. While I agree about the differences issue, the differences also may cause problems and people might find safety in similar situations (trauma survivors for example).

Another example is the age distribution. In some of the other forums that focus on mental health issues, there is a much larger age distribution than what seems to be present here. There is probably a reason for that. It might be younger geneation are not in therapy (although if you look at the other forums they seem to be) or it might be they can't relate to the life situations presented here.
Just some examples.

It seems that the response will be no. Could be "clustering" or could be the general sentiment... no way to ever know.

Feel like I'm missing something about cliques and clusters. I did notice discussion about cbt, but overall

Sent from my LG-MS910 using Tapatalk 2

[trdleblue]

No, I don't think that this is something that is necessary. Also, one person could belong to many of the categories that you apply. I think that I would fit into old, new to therapy, and trauma. There is also the fact that people move at much different paces and that age does not equal maturity. There could be someone in t for a year that has made much progress while someone in t for several years might be moving along more slowly.

[Victoria'smom]

Nope, reading things that don't necessary pertain to us doesn't mean our advice or the poster helps.

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by Stringcheese

Just for discussion.....

I think the psychotherapy forum should be divided into 2-3 forums.

On this forum, there are people who suffered severe childhood abuse versus people with more normal childhoods, there are people who are 60+ years old and people who are 20 years old, there are people who have been in therapy for 15+ years and people who are just starting, there are people with graduate degrees and people who barely graduated highschool, etc.

These things all contribute to the mindstate and developmental level that probably occurs in posting on threads, or the "triggering."

I suggest breaking the forum into something like the following:
New to therapy
Advanced in therapy
Young people in therapy
Seniors in therapy
Trauma therapy

You could even have CBT versus psychodynamic, since that seems to be an issue as well...

This lets people decide better where they fit and avoid other areas..

Now someone will say, just don't read what is here. Well, when I see a title of a post, I don't know who or what circumstances it is posted under. This way I would at least head to the areas of "interest." Others might gravitate to all topics and thats fine too.

Much of the benefit of group therapy is in meeting people whose issues are different from you own.

[ECHOES]

I have heard from several people that they do not even come to the psychotherapy forum because it is "clicky"

Does seem that way

[atomicc]

I don't think it's a good idea, like everyone said a difference of opinions is important. How would any improvements be made if everyone in the world agreed with everyone else. I also don't think I see any "cliques" at all

Originally Posted by Stringcheese

I get what people are saying, but it doesn't mean people have to stay in a category. I have heard from several people that they do not even come to the psychotherapy forum because it is "clicky" and they don't feel comfortable for reasons x, y ,z....

Then perhaps this issue should be addressed, rather than sending the kindergartners to their separate corners?

If this is an issue now, it will continue to be an issue pretty much no matter how people, their posts, or their issues are grouped.

Learning to deal with various individuals with differing experiences and backgrounds is pretty essential for functioning in life.

If a twenty year old [to use your demographic examples] is looking to grow, learn, explore their options and get feedback on their thoughts, experiences and questions- homogeneous feedback would not be particularly beneficial.

Another thing to take into account is that if there have been some hurt feelings or miscommunications more than usual lately- in many countries it is getting to be "holiday season" and in some parts of the world that is combined with winter.

When these two factors are combined many people become more stressed and have greater difficulty with communication and interpersonal relations in general. It's actually a fairly common phenomenon.

But regarding possible "clique" issues- is it really a good idea to not address it head on or with the staff, or, even to simply address it everywhere BUT in the location it is occurring?

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by archipelago

No. I gave my response in the other thread. It's important that we have the diversity of experiences and learn to respect those differences.

[-jimi-]

The therapy section is not a true section as it is. It is a social group. I stepped in by mistake a few times, not a good idea. I would like a place where to discuss other types of therapy because I wouldn't last a day there. But I wouldn't like a million subforums, maybe one.