[wickedwings]

i should get myself a t, but the problem is most t's don't understand me. my pdoc understands me, and i'm grateful for that. it's practically impossible for me to find a t because i've been deaf all of my life. i was raised in the hearing world without being taught any sign language. i learned how to speak, and do so well. on my own, i learned how to lip-read. i can't lip-read everyone. some just talk too fast, have accents, or have factors that prevents their lips from forming right with words. many don't even understand a deaf person with depression. and my perspective is pretty different, seemingly normal and not, due to my deafness. going to therapy sessions is so exhausting and draining. i've been in therapy for years and got nowhere because of their lack of understanding. i'm a deaf person stuck in the hearing world. stuck between worlds, actually. group therapies never work because i can't keep up at all. and the overlapping conversations. that's why i come here. i know it's not a replacement for a therapist. i wonder if doc john or someone else does one-on-one sessions on the internet. the net is a boon to me because it's all "closed captioned." lol

[Gracey]

I can see where this would pose an incredibly difficult problem. Taking an interpretator wouldn't be an option b/c of the confientiality factor, AND of course, having to basically open yourself to someone else. I can't imagine.

There are some good places on the net where you can find decent online counselors. Check it out however. . .check licenses! Also, remember you get what you pay for. If they don't charge. . .well, you can figure it out. Most charge an hourly fee, but some offer a monthly fee and that includes real time chat AND emails.

Good luck. . .and of course, we're always here.

[wickedwings]

thanks, gracy. do you know of a good place. they would need to understand a deaf person's psychology, i think. i can't use interpreters because i don't know much sign language. it's nuts. being deaf and having a mental disorder. i'd hope i can get insurance coverage for internet therapy sessions, but i'm not experiences in getting that for me. i have insurance, i mean, but they won't understand my needs, despite the fact that there's americans with disabilities act. it took me an incredibly long time to find a pdoc who can understand and help me. not only that, my hubby has to drive me 2 hours to see him every month. it's taking a toll on our truck already (he has to take it to the shop this morning). it's worth it because it's incredibly important for me to have a good pdoc. my previous and many pdocs didn't understand and put me on drugs i should have never been on. my current pdoc is the first one in my 15 years of experience that i've ever been able to trust.

I don't know much about online psychotherapy but maybe you could start your search here. (I got this website via the home page of PsychCentral.)

CLICK HERE

I have family members that are deaf, and one aunt who is an interpreter for deaf people. I couldn't imaging trying to do therapy by using lip reading, and not being able to use ASL as a way to communicate, that must be so difficult!
Can your pdoc recommend anything?
Maybe hook up with a social worker who's job it is to hook you up with resources?

[sunrise]

Wickedwings, what a difficult situation. Could your pdoc also do therapy? I know some people in this forum have pdocs who act as their therapists also.

maybe you could mix online therapy with in person therapy..
Being in person with a T, who would type to you. so you don't have to lip read
I can see them now with a lap top, and you with a laptop to read
its kinda crazy. but its an idea. You arent alone, we care!

[wickedwings]

i spent years trying to improve on the communication barrier and the lack of understanding. thanks for your ideas. i'm really grateful for that.

esthervirtue -- the idea of using laptops in person is ridiculously crazy, but would work. don't know why i didn't think of this. it's weird because i used to be so good at coming up with ideas that hasn't been tried before. guess, my brain had gotten so fried. lol. thanks for the idea.

your ideas are most appreciated.

[gostryter]

hi wickedwings! quite a predicament!!

just out of curiousity i searched online deaf pyschology....came across bunches of sites of course....below are two that seemed to pop up a couple times - maybe someone there can steer you in the right direction???

http://www.ascdeaf.com/home.html

http://mhc.gallaudet.edu/index.htm

gotta love the internet!

good luck with your searching!!!!!

[Hopefull]

My first image when I read your post was of someone typing to each other while face to face. I wonder if a T would be willing to try that to see if it would work. As for the psychology of being deaf in a hearing world, I would think you could talk with one of the angencies that work with the deaf to see if tlhey can find someone to refer you to. If I were your T, I'd want to consult with someone who knows what it is like to be deaf. I suspect you might could find a T who has worked with deaf people or is willing to consult with someone to learn more about what your experience is like.
Good luck. I'd also consider telephone counseling using one of those telephone devices that puts the conversations into words.

[wickedwings]

for years, i've had to take crazy chances in hopes of finding a good, understanding therapist. a lot of times, i'd leave incredibly disappointed. many just plain could not accomodate. i'm so fortunate to have a pdoc, who has little experience, but is very, very eager to learn. he's also protective of my needs, so that if i have to be hospitalized, he would check on me to make sure that my needs are met. never had a psychiatrist like him. his boss was also that way as well ( his boss is a professor, my pdoc is the assistant professor). guess, i'm so lucky in that area.

gostryter -- a million thanks for the asc deaf website. i haven't come across that one, for some reason. i swallowed up the world wide web last year searching for some kind of help this way. i'm going to look into that one. will take me 10 look-overs to remember things on the site, understand it, and use it as i have bad memory retention. lol. not to worry, it will be a very good use.

i'm so grateful for your help. i've really pulled my brain apart in the last year and a half looking for help. is it possible to literally "strain" your brain like a muscle? i wonder because if i overuse it, it feels fried. lol. wish you the best in your journeys.

[ErinBear]

Hi WickedWings,

I'm not deaf, but I do have a facial nerve disorder that makes speaking very painful (trigeminal neuralgia). I try to use alternate means of communicating as much as I can. I have TTY at home, and sometimes write or type instead of speak. The last main counselor I worked with was willing to work with me in alternate ways as necessary. Sometimes I brought my laptop computer, and typed what I wished to say. I also wrote on paper, and gave him things I wrote....both things I'd journaled between sessions, as well as communicating that way during sessions. If you find a flexible and caring counselor, and explain your situation, my guess is that you can find somebody in real life with whom you can work.

I have also done counseling online briefly, and that was helpful as a stopgap measure. There are indeed competent counselors available online, and that removes the barriers of speaking and listening. It's not the same as meeting face-to-face, though, and I think one misses some of the support and interaction that direct contact offers. But it can be one alternative.

Others have offered good suggestions here, too, but I wanted to say that it really is possible to do counseling via alternate means. I've seen sites which try to provide referrals for people with special needs, too. Even if you don't use ASL, a counselor who has worked with people with hearing disabilities in the past may be more attuned to the special requirements you'd have.

Anyway - wishing you all the best - sending you good thoughts....

Take care,
ErinBear