[girluninterrupted89]

Hi. I need some advice. I am receiving therapy from psychologist who is also licensed to provide some other treatments. Currently with my insurance, the amount I pay for therapy is reasonably cheap!

For awhile now my therapist keeps suggesting these outrageously expensive treatments and saying that I should let my parents know I am in therapy so they can help pay.

1. I am independent
2. It is not my parents responsibility
3. I don't want them to know.

Last session, he suggested that I am not willing to help myself because I will not participate in this therapy that costs thousands of dollars!!!! What's wrong with talk therapy? If he doesn't think it is working then just tell me but I am feeling pressured all of the time. I don't know if he truely thinks these alternative treatments will work for me or maybe it is just about the money and he gets some huge insurance reimbursement for this. I do not want this treatment unless I can receive it at the same prices I pay now or free. I already told him I cannot afford it. I just don't like him saying things like I am not investing in my treatment or not taking advantage when the answer is in front of me.

Just to get him off my back I said I would consider it but how many times do I avoid this conversation. I already have anxiety disorder and my brain is just wondering why he keeps suggesting these treatments. Does he really care about my mental health? Am I boring him? These treatments btw don't require me to talk. Maybe he is just sick of therapy and feels like I am a waste of time.

On a sidenote, I think as a therapist he is good, generally i've taken awhile to open up to him but I have, and I do like him but the more he pressures me, the more I pull away.

I've considered quitting which may not be a good idea considering all the problems that I have. Is this normal? Do therapists do this? Has anyone else experienced anything similar? What should I do?

One more thing, If pressured enough, the chances of me doing something I don't want to do is high and he knows that. So I'm just upset about this. How can I say NO without him being mad at me?

[awkwardlyyours]

Quit. I don't see any other option.

You've already told him you don't want to do these treatments for valid reasons -- he's still pressuring you. He's no longer acting as your therapist then -- regardless of whatever other solace he may offer you, this seems rather fundamental.

So, I don't see how you can do anything else but quit going to him for therapy.

[atisketatasket]

It's unethical to try to strong-arm or manipulate a client into therapy they don't want or can't afford.

[Salmon77]

I would tell him exactly what you said in your post here about why you don't want to do it. If he doesn't back off, I think you should quit seeing him and find a different therapist. He has no right to pressure you to do anything.

What expensive treatment is he suggesting?

He is being very unethical pressuring you into something you dont want to do and cant afford to do it. I don't like the sound of this psychologist at all. I would report him to his accrediting body. He is not complying with more than one ethical codes and the one that really sticks out is beneficence. How is that helping you by demanding things you cannot afford nor wish to do.
I am also curious as to what this therapy is that he is suggesting and does he have some sort of business arrangement with whoever is running it.

I'm just trying to figure out what treatment a therapist would be recommending that wouldn't be covered under medical insurance.

[Nammu]

He should respect that you want financial independence from your parents and keep the therapy within what you can afford. Tell him that you aren't refusing to help yourself but are doing that which you can within your means. Maybe write it out and give it to him, sometimes seeing the refusal in black and white sinks in better, he really should not be pressuring you into financial dependence.

I don't think your t has any right at all to be pressuring you into anything - regardless of if you can afford it or not. Especially when you've already told him no. Sometimes I think therapists forget that WE hire THEM - the client is ultimately in charge of his/her own therapy. Not the t.

[divine1966]

What type of therapy doesn't require you to talk? And why is it better than what you have now?

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[girluninterrupted89]

The therapy is Trans cranial electrostimulation. Something to that nature. And also brain mapping. He asked why would I not want to know what's wrong with my brain so that I can fix it.

I am not trying to bad mouth him. I mean he is really nice and a little aggressive in his therapy methods which don't bother me all the way since I am a little passive. So I do take his advice or instructions on things that I should do but this I do not want to do. He said that you come everyday for maybe 2 weeks and just basically sit or lie down. You don't talk at all.

He is really into the brain therapy stuff and so he always wants to use it on me but I don't really want too

[girluninterrupted89]

Originally Posted by lolagrace

What expensive treatment is he suggesting?

Transcranial Electro Stimulation and Brain Mapping

[girluninterrupted89]

My insurance doesn't cover alternative treatments. Those treatments are alternative. It took me so long to open up about my sexual assault and eating disordered problems... Those aren't easy things for me to divulge. I know that sometimes I am a bit resistant and slower to make changes and I worry that he will just give up on my therapy because I won't do those other treatments. This is my 2nd go a trying to get help.

A few years ago, my counselor was really bossy and we were always fighting lol. She asked me why I came to her if I wasn't going to do as she told me to do. After that, I quit therapy. This time I made sure I got a licensed clinical psychologist with experience but I'm running into problems again. If I quit now, there's no way I'll go back. I like the suggestion of writing down on paper all of the reasons why I don't want things attached to my head! I hope it works.

My ex t used t pressure me hard to do stuff i actually didnt need or want, she would threaten to leave me if i didnt do those things. I only did them because i was scared to lose her (in the end she dumped me anyway.) I would say just be firm with him and set a boundary with him- that you a NOT discussing this anymore and it is unfair for him to pressure you. If he cant handle that, then quit.

[girluninterrupted89]

Sorry guys, because I am new, apparently all my replies take forever to post because they have to be approved to make sure I am "human". I have hopefully responded to everyone's questions.

I would send him an email very firmly stating you do not want this additional therapy, and you want him to never bring it up again. He will know that the email can be used as evidence against him if he continues to pressure you and you decide to put a complaint in.

[Favorite Jeans]

Oh wow. I think this is worrisome on many counts.

He is 1) pushing 2) a non-standard, uncovered 3)experimental treatment on you that 4) stands to benefit him a lot financially 5) against your oft-stated wishes 6) and beyond your financial means and 7) trying to give you guilt about your non-interest and 8) trying to shame you into involving your family in paying for your treatment when you prefer not to.

Run, don't walk. That is not cool. And likely reportable.

[missbella]

No matter what he argues, he's pushing for an experimental treatment with unproven results. He might be excited about the latest shiny object, or is trying to recruit subjects or seeks a tidy profit.

It sounds like you're not willing to jump into murky treatments, and he hasn't even explained this one to you. I agree with FJ, this likely is reportable.

Is he talking about transmagnetic stimulation? It isn't all that experimental anymore, but the efficacy is still only about 50% at best. Some insurances cover it; some do not. Your therapist wouldn't be the person doing the treatment; it is done by psychiatrists, so I'm guessing he would be referring you to a psychiatrist who does that treatment. I would simply reiterate to him again that it is not covered by your insurance is is therefore not an option and that the subject needs to be dropped. Many times families will help patients pay for treatments that aren't covered by insurance, but in your case that simply isn't an option; just ask him not to bring it up again.

[missbella]

Electro Stimulation, so presumably either tDCS or CES
https://www.psychologytoday.com/arti...peful-currents

[girluninterrupted89]

He is actually licensed to be able to provide that service. He received training for it. They would put a probe on my head and one on my arm. He's very adamant about all these treatments being the answer with 0 side effects.

This week I will see how it goes. I hope he doesn't bring it up and if he does I'll tell him again if I'm interested I will let him know.

I really like him most times lol and have made progress but this for sure makes me want to quit. I worry about him getting upset with me or maybe not being as invested into my treatment.

Truthfully this weekend I emailed him telling him I was very overwhelmed and wanted to quit. I didn't explain why but he responded and of course he doesn't think it's a good idea.

Our last session he was trying to convince me to do this treatment. I think if he puts two and two together he will see the bigger picture. I'll keep everyone updated.

For this treatment it's well over a hundred dollars and its every single day for almost 2 weeks. I'm a college student and I think because I look high maintenance he thinks I have money. Lol what student who pays their own bills has 2000 to blow. If I did, I think I'd rather travel and shop.

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Must be something different then because transmagnetic stimulation has to be done through a physician. Just ask him to not bring it up again since it isn't an option.

Do you have treatment resistant depression? If you did, I could see him emphasizing this treatment. Have you tried other antidepressants with no positive effect?

This is usually a treatment offered when medications fail. Although I see nothing wrong with offering it as a first-line treatment instead of medication for people who can afford it, if you are not complaining about severe depression or if you have not tried multiple medications that didn't work for you, then his offering this treatment may be out of line to begin with, whether he pressures you or not.

And if he is not licensed to prescribe meds like many psychologists, could that explain his over-enthusiasm with his ability to perform procedures that normally only psychiatrists can do?

You don't even sound like you have major depression, just from the posts in this thread. I'm not saying that you don't have it, it's just that you don't come across to me as being depressed at all.

[girluninterrupted89]

You are right. It is tDCS

He also told me I should buy the CES machine that goes on my ears for anxiety relief

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That explains it.

If this happened to me, I'd search online for complaints about being people ripped off by such devices. Some alternative treatments are scams. (Not that conventional treatments are much better for many things)