[lenjan]

Who does what for you, and what do you find are the pros and cons?

In a nutshell: I live in a town with a world-renowned medical facility. It also has its own medical college and hospitals. The experienced doctors are saved for the out-of-towners, and the folks who live here year-round get residents.

So far I am 1 for 2 on residents, which is to say, I really just have not been able to warm up to the psychiatry resident, but I really, really like my internist. I saw him today and he was a little concerned about my mood (rightfully so) and kept asking if it was something he could help with, if I wanted to talk, should we discuss a med change, etc. I said I knew most of what was behind it and figured it would pass eventually, but as the visit wore on he kept taking the opportunity to say "are you SURE you don't want to talk about it?"

Finally he got it out of me that I'm not wild about the pdoc, so he told me to page him once a week for the next month just to check in and let him know if things have gone up or downhill, and we'd go from there.

I almost cried on the way out of the office just from having someone LISTEN to me (never underestimate the power of not being blown off when you try to tell someone how crappy you feel emotionally). I figure, if he's willing to do that, I'm more than willing to give up the psych resident and go with it, even though I have a long and complicated psych history and he's not a specialist. I like him better, I trust him more, and he'll be around longer (just starting his training, whereas psych res is finishing this year).

Anyway. All that just to see what folks think. :-) (If you're comfortable sharing, of course.)

[jexa]

I'd say, see who you're more comfortable with! It sounds like the internist is a person who really cares. That can make all the difference in the world -- extensive training can never teach a person to be warm-hearted, and many studies have shown that the relationship you have with your therapist is probably the most important factor in getting better. Besides, the internist will have regular contact with a supervisor who can help him sort out anything he doesn't know how to handle.

Go with your gut!

[pachyderm]

If you cannot have an internist as a therapist you might well ask him for referrals to more trained therapists that he feels are competent.

[ECHOES]

Most pdocs specialize in writing prescriptions for medication rather than therapy.
A therapist who is trained in psychotherapy would be who you would want to find to begin therapy.
An internist might be caring, but would not be trained in providing therapy. I'm sure that the interest and caring that the internist is showing feels good and it is so nice to have someone care.
But for therapy, I hope you will consider finding a qualified psychotherapist to provide you with helpful healing therapy.

[lenjan]

I have had my share of therapists over the years, most of them lousy. With the one who was any good, I solved all my larger issues to my satisfaction, so I'd rather not waste my money/insurance visits on yet another one. I just need someone I can call and say "hey, things are going to Hades, do you have any suggestions or a few minutes to help me sort it out?"