[joshwendt]

Ive seen 2 therapists before and they didnt help me. the 1st one was an occupational therapist and the 2nd one was a social worker. they didnt actually give me any actual "psychotherepy", every time I went to them they just told me to tell them my problems and then they basicaly told me "just change your thinking" and "just talk to people". then they kicked me out because they thought that they couldn't help me. I need to see someone that can figure out my problems, but actually give me therapy and not just say things like "change your thinking". would it be better for me to see an actual psychologist?

[Argonautomobile]

Sure, you could try an actual psychologist--if you think you'd have more luck with one, then by all means do it. I tend to think, though, that the problem with your previous T's had more to do with them being either objectively bad or just not a good match to you more so than it being a problem with their degrees.

[ChipperMonkey]

I think therapist requirements are very different in Australia. As in anyone can legally present themselves as a therapist with no governing body. In this sense, seek out someone with a resume and credentials.

[Bluesday]

I had a psychologist years ago that only listened and barely spoke. Currently, I have a counselor who talks more but makes it clear she wants me to do the majority of the talking....even though I never do.

The Australian Counselling Association has a "find a therapist" section here Australian Counselling Association with a database of registered (and therefore qualified and accountable) therapists.
That might be a good place to start.

[JJORANGE]

Social Workers and Occupational therapists aren't generally specialized in psycotherapy. Social workers especially, I'm in school right now to become a social worker. We are definatly not trained to do long term therapy with clients. And while we do look at the underlying cause of issues, nothing near as deep as what an actual psycologist would be doing. It doesn't mean the people you saw before weren't good at their job, although they could have and should have refered you to someone if they thought they couldn't help you, but they probably just aren't trained in the right area. I would suggest seeing an actual psycologist

I did a lot of prior research on the therapists that I saw for initial consultations. Looked up lots of stuff that was available on them and their work online. Then "interviewed" a few before I chose one based on a mixture of their education, experience, approach, and my own first impressions. Maybe try something similar? It would limit you to therapists that do publish online info, but at least you have information to start with. Then I would ask them in the first session about how they work, how they like to run the sessions, what sort of feedback they like to give. I am seeing someone who was originally trained as a social worker but he has extensive training and experience with psychoanalysis and clearly has his own unique style to it that was already apparent from the online info. For a while, I felt that he was not giving me enough feedback, but then I discussed these feelings with him and asked if we could do more. I think it's hard to criticize the therapist, but if we never express our preferences and concerns it's unlikely the work will satisfy our needs unless it just happens to be a very fortunate click, which is rare in any relationship especially in the long run. Also, my opinion is that rather than initial training, it probably matters more how and how much the therapists continue to educate themselves and work on themselves. School is a start, an important one, but what means much more, I think, is their independent work and openness.

[Permacultural]

Originally Posted by joshwendt

Ive seen 2 therapists before and they didnt help me. the 1st one was an occupational therapist and the 2nd one was a social worker. they didnt actually give me any actual "psychotherepy", every time I went to them they just told me to tell them my problems and then they basicaly told me "just change your thinking" and "just talk to people". then they kicked me out because they thought that they couldn't help me. I need to see someone that can figure out my problems, but actually give me therapy and not just say things like "change your thinking". would it be better for me to see an actual psychologist?

With what you've been through, if it were me, I'd go see an actual psychologist (and I am currently, incidentally).