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#1
Jun 09, 2015, 06:46 PM
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Hi everyone,
I'm debating starting therapy for depression/anxiety that's been around for over a decade. I started antidepressants from my primary care doctor 4 months ago, but debating if therapy is worth it and nerves are keeping me from committing to making an appointment. Can you tell me what a typical session for you is like? |
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#2
Jun 09, 2015, 07:51 PM
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I thiink it's different based on the person and the T... also what you go in to work on.
With this T, I was working on trauma stuff, so we built a safe relationship and tackled some of the trauma stuff. With other t's, we've worked on the depression and anxiety. Typical sessions are directed by what I want to address. She lets me pick the topic and what we do with it. Mostly it's me talking and t listening. At first she asked questions and we went over the basics of my history. Then we just talked about stuff for a while to build a relationship... sorry. I know that's not a great description... It's scary the first few sessions, even after 18 therapists in as many years... it's vulnerable, but you can use it however you see fit... |
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#3
Jun 09, 2015, 07:52 PM
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I think that therapy is different for everyone. It is the single best thing that I have ever done for myself, hands down. I will say that it is also the hardest thing that I have ever done. I started therapy for the same reason you mentioned - depression/anxiety. My therapy (Jungian Depth Therapy) included a lot of dream work, I also did sand play when I still saw her in person (My t moved out of state a year into my therapy and we started doing phone sessions at that point). I was in therapy with this t for 3.5 years and we worked through a ton of stuff. I am pretty proud of the hard work that I did in therapy! I encourage you to find a therapist that you feel comfortable with, and don't stop trying until you find the "right" fit - you'll know when it's right. I tried 2 others before finding the right one for me. It is SO worth the work and the effort. I am light years away from the closed-up little person that started therapy over 3.5 years ago. I wish you all the best and welcome to PC!!
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#4
Jun 09, 2015, 07:55 PM
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Your first session is different from the rest. In the first your T asks you basic questions like age, contact info, history, medications, etc. Then rules and limits are discussed. Come prepared with questions. It's very cut and dry. Most people do CBT, and I'm only familiar with this. At one point you will be asked what you wish to accomplish in therapy. Even when you make your goals you still can talk about what ever you want in session.
Therapy's nice though. |
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#5
Jun 09, 2015, 08:05 PM
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Therapy can vary a lot. I know someone who just needed 12 cbt sessions for his depression.
Others need longer due to trauma or stronger depression or other comorbid stuff. To me, therapy is a non judgmental space to work out my stuff with a supportive other. The first few sessions for me was building rapport and T getting to know me. She also taught me distress tolerance skills and relaxation techniques. Usually, for me, therapy is like having a deep conversation on my thoughts, feelings and behaviours. |
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#6
Jun 09, 2015, 08:10 PM
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Most people I know do not do CBT but do some sort of eclectic psychodynamic. I would not do cbt if you paid me. I found all the appointments to be about the same - the first was not really different than any other - the therapist asked some questions and I answered.
__________________
Please NO @ Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. Oscar Wilde Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. |
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#7
Jun 09, 2015, 08:35 PM
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Therapy is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over,
pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come. |
 LindaLu, PinkFlamingo99, unaluna
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#8
Jun 09, 2015, 09:36 PM
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my typical therapy session these days is playing rummy with T on the ottoman while we talk about my problems and issues. sometimes we do trauma work and take breaks. he gives me homework in the form of doing art, thinking about something, or reading material he's given me. i find that playing cards with T while talking helps me open up more. something about the attention being all on me makes me feel nervous. my sessions are an hour long and we meet 2x a week. plus 1.5 hour of group therapy. i have a feeling our sessions arent typical of the normal therapy most people do. it took me years to feel safe with my T and trust him. i hope u make an appointment and check it out.
__________________
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#9
Jun 09, 2015, 09:54 PM
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Quote:
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| FranzJosef
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#10
Jun 09, 2015, 10:01 PM
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I've done both psychodynamic and CBT therapy…
In a nutshell, psychodynamic therapy looks at the root causes of your issues and it can dig pretty deep, your family, childhood etc come up. Also, the relationship with your T may or may not be a focus. It is believed that you bring your relationship patterns with you and unconsciously play them out with the therapist CBT is very "here and now" focused. Very specific tasks are given, large problems are broken down into manageable acts. I have found it useful for anxiety/phobia related things, regulating my health etc. I would never call CBT "deep" but I find that it gets results pretty quickly. |
| FranzJosef
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#11
Jun 09, 2015, 10:22 PM
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Therapy is hard. Especially if one doesn't know what they are doing.
My advice would be to be very careful and selective re the modality you choose and how T 'works', combined with your needs. Of course, also important is to see if you click with T as a person etc. |
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#12
Jun 10, 2015, 07:24 PM
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Thanks for all the input. It's definitely something im still nervousnabout. I have a terribly hard time trusting people so I'm not sure how this therapy thing will work for me. I don't know that I can learn to trust a stranger like I would need to do.
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 FranzJosef
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This is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.|
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