[Miracle1986]

Why is finding a DID therapist so hard?!

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Miracle1986

Why is finding a DID therapist so hard?!

I dont know where you are but here in NY all mental health providers work on all mental disorders including dissociative disorders. they dont break their services down in just working with one mental disorder or the other. doing that here in NY is called Discrimination on the grounds that treatment providers would be turning away someone just because they have a mental disorder..

example - a therapist who works only with those that have borderline, PTSD, and Depression would have to single out /weed out a schizophrenic, just like you would single out / weed out someone who is black, Mexican, Asian, or had a handicap.

here in NY treatment providers take the non discrimination laws that say you can not fire someone from a job, not allow a person in that school or not treat a person for mental and physical health because they have a mental disorder.

your location my take the your locations non discrimination laws as seriously as my state does.

one thing that might help.. instead of asking potential treatment providers if they work with DID, ask if they work with people with PTSD, Dissociation and anxiety. if so they most likely also have DID clients because DID includes these same symptoms.

[Miracle1986]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

I dont know where you are

I am in GA

I dont know why, but it sure is!!! I hear you!!! I had to search through NINE freaking DUDS b efore I found my T. And she is totally gifted with DID, thank goodness. But it took 2 years of searching before I found her. It IS tough to find a good T who knows how to work with DID!!

[Miracle1986]

Found a DID therapist online who has been working with DID for 24 years!!!
But my insurance (Medicare) doesn't cover her because she is a LPC!!!

[Elysium]

You can try contacting the ISST-D (International Society for Study of Trauma and Dissociation).

Here's a link to their website: http://www.isst-d.org/

Once at their home page, along the top of the screen there will be a section called "Students and the Public". If you hover over that it pulls up a drop-down menu and in that menu, I believe there is a link called "search for Therapist". If you click this link, you may be able to find some help.

Check out the site. I think you can either find providers on the website, or at least find a phone number that can connect you with someone who can help locate a T for you.

Finding a Specialist that is covered by Insurance can be difficult. Sometimes, if it's the right T for you, you may need to private pay. Otherwise, you can have the T request through your Ins Co that they cover your visits under their MH care plan. Since they are specialists, and your plan may not offer T's in that specialty, sometimes you can get it covered, but they might cover it at a lower rate.

Good luck to you.

[sabby]

I know it can be difficult to find a T who is well versed in DID. It's not a dx that the multitude of people have so finding one is hard.

Many T's wouldn't turn away someone with DID, but if it's not something they are comfortable in dealing with because they have not had enough experience with it in their practice, I personally would be thankful that they were upfront and honest about it. I would hate to think, going into a relationship with a T only to find out they have no clue about DID, how difficult things would be then. Of course there are many T's who deal well with PTSD, anxiety and some forms of dissociation.

I hope you can find someone soon who your insurance carrier will accept. I understand your frustration over this.

[RapidFlyer]

I live in WV and nobody here seems to even believe in DID let alone treat it. So I did what amanadalouise talked about. I found someone who treated PTSD and my other symptoms and went with that.

It has worked so far. Good luck. In the early years of treatment I had to go private and pay what I could when I could. I was fortunate my T's agreed to that.

Best wishes.