Therapists who specialize in certain disorders.

Hi all. A quick question. Has anyone sought out a therapist who specializes in your particular disorder? More specifically has anyone been in therapy and changed because you discovered someone who has is a specialist?
Thats my dilemma. I see someone who is actually very nice and is competent in general. Plus we get along well. She even routinely goes well over our allotted time.
However through searches on line I have discovered a few others in my area that appear to specialize in my concerns. (anxiety, obsessive worry and rumination some intrusive thoughts when under extreme stress etc.). There are two in particular that have the professional credentials and are members of professional associations.
It would seem logical in therapy as in other medical matters that some people would choose to specialize.
On the other hand I would hate to stop seeing someone I like and trust. Anyone been in a this situation? And how did you handle it.
Thanks. And sorry about the long "quick question" lol.

I can definitely relate to this.
For a while I was seeing a therapist who was very general, though she was mostly there to help me work on trauma things. She only had minimal knowledge of BPD and DBT. I was seeing her before I ended up in hospital for the third time and in hospital the mental health team suggested that I see someone who specialized in BPD and DBT.
I spent about a month or a little bit more with this therapist that I was already seeing and I have just started to trust her, so it was kind of a shock that I had to choose between my old therapist and my new specialist one.

I was hoping that I could see both my specialist therapist and my old therapist at the same time, as I really needed the extra sessions, but my specialist therapist said no, that it would be too disruptive for me.

Okay, I'm rambling, but what I ended up doing was seeing my old therapist for a few more times while at the same time seeing the new therapist and I eventually ended up leaving my old one to see the new one.

So, I'm sorry if this is confusing. My point is, sometimes the specialist will allow you a few more visits with your old therapist so that you are not left feeling completely cut off from them. I have found the specialist therapist to be much more helpful than my old therapist because she was able to specifically help me with problems that were specific to my "disorder".

If I were you, I'd give the specialist a try, and if you find that you can't get the help you need through the new therapist, you can always contact your old therapist and continue speaking with them.

Good luck!

I was,and I still see him every other week, a therapist that was all that he should be....kind eyes, compassionate, did go over time when I was a mess but all he wanted to discuss was faulty thinking in the here and now(CBT all the way therapist). That never helped with any of my symptoms. So he thought he try exposure therapy.....this was dangerous because he never gave me any new coping skills, I could not call him between sessions and if time was up and I was in a full flashback I was expected to leave. I was soooo suicidal under his watch, my SI started back up and my bulimia got worse.

He mentioned I should try EMDR....which my abandonment issues flared up and I was so upset he was trying to get rid of me. I was deep in transference because I had no one else. Anyway I knew I need help so I found a EMDR therapist who cares so much about his work. He had to call T#1 to tell him to stop with trauma work with me because I was leaving triggered and not safe. I would call T#2 up to help me after sessions with T#1 . Not good. It has been 5 months with T2 and I am slowly stabilizing. I have not SI in a few weeks and I am down to once a week with Bulimia and I have not thought about killing myself in a couple of weeks. Moods are all over the place though.

This post really resonated with me.

I recently switched from my old therapist to my new one (who is a specialist in OCD). It was a very hard transition and I feel like I can really only talk to the new t about my OCD issues. Of course, I'm not just OCD, so that makes therapy a bit stressful, to feel like I can only talk about one part of my life. i've also noticed that since she specializes in OCD, that is like the only thing that she accepts as a real disorder. It's strange. Like she doesn't like talking about my other disorders. Anyway... I found the switch to be very difficult, because I talked to my old t about everything.

Let me also say that it was not my choice, this switch. I was in residential and there was a whole legal issue with my old t, and therefore, they recommended a specialist. It was super hard to leave someone that I loved and trusted. I think if you are going to make the switch, to be proactive, establish how many termination sessions you are going to have, meet the new person before you terminate, etc. I think the more planned out, the easier the transition will be. Mine was quite sudden and unexpected and that added to the stress.

Good luck!

My T does specialize in one of my disorders that is the most prominent and I don't know where I would be without her. Last year I was seeing a T that did not specialize in my disorder and I made no progress with her because she didn't really know how to treat me. In my opinion, seeing someone who specializes in your issues is the best way to go. Often we have to do things that we don't want to, but they are the best thing for us.

I have sought and found an Aspergers specialist (Mr T). So far it's going well.

I wish there were a BPD specialist in my area, but there isn't.

My t specializes in DID and trauma, and it has helped me soooo much to have a t that specializes. She knows sooooo much more than my first t, who was pretty much a general t. The first t tried to help with the DID and trauma, but caused more harm than good by not really knowing what she was doing, and i often ended up worse off.
It was very traumatic when she dumped me. But two years later i found this t, and it was so refreshing to find her, she knows so mamy more "tricks" and is so much more helpful.

It really depends upon a lot of factors. I didn't see where you mentioned how long you've been seeing your current T. It sounds like you have a good working relationship, but perhaps you have doubts about the direction your therapy is taking, and a sense that you're not improving?

I think these are justified areas of concern, but should really be talked through with your current T before possibly ending what could be a productive relationship.

Your concerns as presented sound well within the skills set of a general T, providing the T is qualified. Does your T practice within a particular modality, or is she eclectic? The modality may or may not be a good fit for you. It almost sounds like your T has less qualifications than the ones you've noted on-line? That could be an area of concern.

But I wouldn't be quick to assume a lack of competency in your current T, nor competency based upon the on-line self-advertisements of other Ts.

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. I guess I am fortunate that I live in a area close to a major city (Chicago) so there are all most too many choices when it comes to general therapists.
To me it makes sense that some people choose to specialize in the complex area of mental health even more so than regular physical health.
Im pretty sure my insurance won't cover me seeing more than one person at a time so I will have to skip a session or two with the current T to try out a new one.
Now I just have to work up the courage to actually do it.