topic Psychotherapy in Treatments, health professionals and therapies

Psychotherapy

nlboujos — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 02:07:19 GMT

Has anyone tried psychotherapy? How does it differ from a psychologist? My counsellor recommended I see a psychotherapist for more long term solutions (EAP only provide 6 sessions, so are focused on short term solutions). I have an appointment booked for Wednesday afternooon

Psychotherapy

SubduedBlues — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 09:55:30 GMT

Hi nlboujos

You can get another 6 sessions from Medicare, talk to your doctor; and many EAP counselors accept the Medicare payments thus taking you to 12; or you can use the 6 with a psychologist.

Insofar as the difference betwixt counseling and psychotherapy, PACFA defines it as: Although Counselling and Psychotherapy overlap considerably, there are also recognised differences. While the work of Counsellors and Psychotherapists with clients may be of considerable depth, the focus of Counselling is more likely to be on specific problems, changes in life adjustments and fostering clients’ wellbeing. Psychotherapy is more concerned with the restructuring of the personality or self and the development of insight. At advanced levels of training, Counselling has a greater overlap with Psychotherapy than at foundation levels.

IMHO a psychologist is better trained than a counsellor, and therefore the results are better.

Psychotherapy

White_Rose — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 21:39:25 GMT

Hello nlboujos

Welcome to the forum. Psychotherapy is, as Subdued Blues commented, a more in-depth form of counselling. Both psychologist and psychiatrists offer this form of help because they have specific training in this area. Counsellors are great people and offer a wonderful service to those with less deeply-rooted problems.

Psychotherapy takes longer and can be quite difficult at times, but the outcomes are positive (usually). This is where you learn about why you do things and act in a particular manner. Foe example a child may grow up with very little physical contact , no hugs etc, or may been constantly told how hopeless they are. Perhaps have been teased far too much. These more deeply-rooted problems can take time to heal. Unfortunately it's not enough to give medication and come back later, although psychiatrists can prescribe meds.

Once you know where your thoughts and actions come from you can start to heal and understand yourself more clearly. I used to see a psychiatrist many years ago and we would talk about my past. My constant query was, " it's all very well knowing about these things, but they are in the past. What does it matter?" The psych used to say it helped to understand myself. Well yes that's true. What I wanted was not to act as I did. And largely that's where I stayed. I think I had a bit of a lemon with this psych.

I don't want to deter you, all psychs are not useless. Did your GP make the referral to see this psych next week? Some EAP's only employ psychologists, which was the case where I worked. They probably can take private clients but will need the referral from your GP if you are to claim from Medicare. Depending on your financial position you may be better off with a psychiatrist as their fees are always claimable from Medicare. You can only access 10 visits to a psychologist to claim the Medicare rebate. This will not cover the cost, or not usually, so you need to know what this cost will be.

Unless you have private medical insurance, to continue with this psychologist may be very expensive. OK if you can afford it. A psychiatrist's fee is always claimable fro Medicare although again there will be a gap fee. However, there is the Medicare safety net which kicks in after you reach a certain level of out of pocket expenses. You will need to talk to Medicare to find out how the safety net works as I may not be accurate and anyway there is the word limit.

Write in again.

Mary

Psychotherapy

romantic_thi3f — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:38:37 GMT

Hi nlboujos,

Thanks for your post.

I currently see a psychologist who is trained in psychotherapy. She's fully covered under the Medicare rebate (except when I go over the allocated sessions). As you can see, everyone is different.

I've been to psychologists before who aren't familiar with psychotherapy so I'm quite familiar with both methods. The best way that I would explain the difference is that psychotherapy goes 'deeper'. Psychology is often used to help with current life stressors (i.e. divorce, social anxiety, grief, life changes) where as psychotherapy is often more about looking at our childhood and how that's shaped us into who we are today; such as our behaviours and relationships.

One thing that's important to know too is that Psychotherapists do not have to be licensed like Psychologists do; which means legally you cannot call yourself a Psychologist without being accredited and having done training, but you actually can do that with Psychotherapy. So if you see someone make sure that they are accredited with PACFA (which means that they've done training and meet the legal stuff) or that they're a psychologist.

Hope this answers your question! Feel free to post again and hope the appointment goes well.

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Wed, 24 May 2017 05:45:00 GMT

Hi all,

Found this thread and thought I'd add to it as I've just started psychotherapy with my psychiatrist (session 3 is tonight). I figured I'd give my experiences too. Maybe it will help someone else give it a go?

First off psychiatrist said normally its 2 or more times a week (I can't afford that so we're doing once a week for now). Session goes for an hour. Account comes out once a month. Said it costs about $260 a session and Medicare should cover all but about $60 but I haven't got a bill yet so will let you know.

I go in and sit on the couch facing the wall (psychiatrist is at the back of the room behind me). I start talking. About whatever is in my head. Absolutely anything. He asks the occassional question. It's weird how easy it is to talk without eye contact. I was surprised I haven't cried at all. Have been very angry. Swear a lot. The last 5 mins psychiatrist summaries the session and the key points he heard. Generally I leave with an unexpected topic to consider.

So far it is helping. I've been able to pour out a lot of toxic experiences. Psychiatrist has asked questions that have made me look at things a different way. I find at about day 4 I go downhill again and then am thankful for my upcoming appointment.

Anyone else doing psychotherapy and want to share their experience? Does it help long term?

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Wed, 31 May 2017 09:49:27 GMT

Waiting for appointment 4. Thought I'd update.

My psychiatrist disclosed to me before we started he has a mentor (his own psychiatrist) that he does psychotherapy with twice a week.

He said he discusses cases with this mentor so that he can get a second opinion. I like this. He said patient confidentiality is preserved but the purpose is to make sure he is getting to the heart of what is going on with me. And a double check on himself. This reassured me.

I'm nervous about tonight. Feel very emotional. Unstable. I was confused by my last session. Not really sure why I talked about what I did. This week have been going over why. Why that topic? Why did it send me off for the whole week? Why am I so down? Have a suspicion of the why now. So nervous to talk.

Does anyone else do psychotherapy? Willing to talk about it? I'm not really sure how long it goes for etc and have questions too. I should get my first bill tonight so will give you an idea once I find out what the gap is.

Psychotherapy

romantic_thi3f — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 00:33:23 GMT

Hi Quercus,

Thanks for your post.

I'm glad that you are keeping us updated and letting us know how the appointments have been going for you, and sorry that nobody has replied yet to your posts.

These are great questions but sadly the answer I have for you is vague - everyone is different. There are no two psychiatrists that are the same, and psychotherapy is incredibly broad so the approach will always be different. I've had psychotherapy and I sit next to and facing them which feels completely different to facing away. There's no normal here.

As to your question does it help long-term, I would say the answer is yes. A lot of psychotherapy can be digging; where as psychology to me feels very surface level (thoughts, feelings). My own experience with psychotherapy was going into my childhood and upbringing and a lot of stuff came up which I'd never talked about before. I'm not sure what you're talking about in your sessions but it's completely normal to have such mixed feelings afterwards. Sometimes you may leave sessions comforted, other times angry, other times upset. That's all okay.

If ever you feel confused about it it's also important to know that you can talk about this in your next appointment. Sometimes the confusion passes, but if it doesn't it can help to figure out the why so you can fully experience the next appointment.

I hope this is helpful. If it interests you you could also keep a journal - sometimes it can help to try and process things afterward like how you felt during the session and how it made you feel. I often found that my dreams would be incredibly vivid afterward so I knew that it was stirring things up. If a journal doesn't seem your style even talking about it or processing it in a different way; such as being creative. Out is always better than in.

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 06:26:14 GMT

Hi RT,

Sorry for the delay I kind of lost the plot for a while there. Thank you for writing your experience I appreciated that! Especially hearing that it has helped you.

Well last week psychiatrist said something interesting. That the point of the therapy (of dragging up all the pain and feeling raw) is that eventually you'll be able to think of the memories or thoughts and feel grief or hurt or sadness as a usual sort of emotion rather than as at an overwhelming level that translates into depression or anxiety in your body. I like that idea.

I agree with you RT delving into your past brings up endless surprises. Sometimes I find myself talking about things I'd forgotten completely only to realise they were important. Or the psychiatrist points out a completely different view of my experience that I hadn't considered at all.

Pleasantly surprised to find the gap between what I pay per session and Medicare reemburses is $60. Not sure if it will remain at this but it makes it affordable for now. I wonder how long the therapy goes for?!

Psychotherapy

romantic_thi3f — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:16:35 GMT

Hi Quercus,

Thanks for your post and good to hear from you again!

No worries about the delay either; we'll always be here.

Ohh that's a great quote - I've never heard about it like that but it makes total sense and I have to agree. I think that I'm feeling that slowly. It can be a bit of a process but sometimes I have days where I just feel grief or hurt for what happened in my past instead of it feeling all consuming. Other days are different though.

It's great to hear that things are coming out. Therapy is always full of surprises! It can be hard to know what to expect sometimes. How long have you been doing it now?

As for the timeline - completely varies person to person. Sometimes when psychotherapy is about trauma (like abuse) a lot of the memories are kind of suppressed or hidden away because they're too difficult to deal with; so it can take some time to bring it up to the surface. I often had psychotherapy referred to as the iceberg, so when therapy felt like it was overwhelming she referred to it as stirring the pot/iceberg and seeing what comes to the surface.

Here's a picture of it incase I'm not making sense -

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8a/46/ca/8a46caa8628b6dcc8787bc2826fa4408.jpg

It's worth noting to that some people use psychotherapy for months and others for years. The process of it could potentially never end. But really the aim isn't to always uncover everything; but more about feeling like you can cope with the present having a better understanding of how you got to where you are today.

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 02:18:13 GMT

Hey RT,

I like the mental image of stirring the pot. Personally I picture it as opening the can of worms 😊.

I'm on session 6 I think. I go once a week. So not very long so far. How about you?

Yeah I liked his words too. It kind of helped me understanding the difference between the bad days and feeling depression and the good days and feeling 'normal' levels of pain and grief and sadness. I suppose it's progress being able to tell the difference. Do you think so too?

Just wondering whether you feel up to sharing what is the most useful thing you have learnt from psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy

romantic_thi3f — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 00:59:38 GMT

Hi Quercus,

Thanks for your post.

Ha, I like that one! It sure is a big can of worms!

To be honest I'm not sure how long I've been doing psychotherapy! My psychologist is trained in it so over time her approach has kind of switched around a little using psychotherapy techniques. There were definitely a few sessions that touched on it where as others were quite full on.

I absolutely think that it's progress to be able to see that. I think that as you can make more sense of things and see that more and more you'll know that it's helping.

I know that sometimes people can look at psychotherapy as 'parts of self' so for me I would say that at times I feel grief or sadness for that part of me (like a younger me), instead of feeling all consuming. By separating it it's actually helped because I can identify it.

Oh that's a great question! I think that it would be about really understanding how my childhood shaped the way that I am now and my life growing up. Before psychotherapy I never really linked the two together. I knew it on a surface level but never really understood it. Often when I'd have bad moments of depression I would think that about never being 'good enough'. It wasn't until psychotherapy where I realised where some of those messages came from. Being able to make that connection helped me to become stronger because I could really see it for what it was - just a repeated message.

I hope this helps! What about you? What are you finding most beneficial?

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 16:24:24 GMT

Hi RT,

Well therapy tonight was interesting. I think a lot of it came from you so thank you.

I was thinking about how you mentioned childhood experiences shaping us.

The psychiatrist often asks me about my childhood. My parents made mistakes but they are human. There's no point being angry they did the best they knew how to do. That's my usual response.

Then he pulled out an "observation" of me that stunned me. I suppose this would be the most useful thing I have learnt. I knew theoretically about transferrance. About as the doctor patient relationship builds you act more like you would to friends and family and speak to them similarly. I didn't realise I was doing that.

He said I am subservient. That I make light of my feelings. That I apologise for wasting his time. Basically that I act like my feelings and opinions don't matter I just need to appease others. That shocked me.

He said to him it looks as if me feeling inferior, worthless, a burden and unimportant is my default way of functioning. And I thought of what you wrote. He is right. I have always been like this. I may be loved but my childhood is full of examples of being told I don't matter in some shape or form. Not intentionally hurtful but damaging anyway.

It was a good session. But painful. Embarrassing in parts too. I think part of me did that on purpose to change the topic.

Sorry for the saga. Yes. I can honestly say psychotherapy is helping me. It's helping me work out why I am the way I am. And showing me what I need to work on.

Do you find your therapy painful afterwards RT? I'm glad I only go once a week. It takes me the whole week to sort through all the feelings that come up.

Psychotherapy

romantic_thi3f — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:54:30 GMT

Hi Quercus,

Thanks for your post.

I appreciate you sharing what the therapy session was like for you.

In many ways I can resonate with it as I do exactly the same thing and have for years. Do you agree with what your psychiatrist said about you acting like your feelings don't matter and the need to appease others?

I'm really glad that you were able to make those connections and also really happy that I was able to help. I think that it's such a strength and a really good move because the way I see it connections mean progress.

I absolutely found therapy painful afterwards - and sometimes before and during! It's a painful process and probably one of the hardest things I've done emotionally. I think it was Jung who said 'there's no coming to consciousness without pain' and that quote got me through it; feeling like all this pain and hashing up old memories would actually help me long-term.

Oh - and there's nothing to be sorry for! I'm really glad that it's helping you.

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 03:39:19 GMT

Hi RT and anyone else reading,

Well maybe it is premature to say this but I think there is progress. I feel good. Why? The therapy and making changes I think.

I am starting to recognising unhelpful patterns that I repeat
I am learning to voice my complaints rather than bury them
I am starting to be able to feel emotions in a way that isn't overwhelming and doesn't manifest physically.

Progress 😊😊😊

Psychotherapy

White_Rose — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 06:52:59 GMT

Hello Quercus and RT

Just found this thread and oh how it rings bells for me. That I make light of my feelings. That I apologise for wasting his time. Basically that I act like my feelings and opinions don't matter I just need to appease others. I was with my psychiatrist today and this is what we talked about. Not exactly of course but close to it because this was something I have been thinking about for a while. I too am learning about unhelpful patterns.

I hope you don't mind if I join in the conversation at times.

Mary

Psychotherapy

Quercus — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:19:19 GMT

Hi Mary,

The more the merrier 😊. I'd like to hear your thoughts on psychotherapy too.

Feeling worthless, an inferior human being is such a bloody toxic sneaky feeling. You think you're doing ok and improving your self esteem then one criticism throws you and you're back at the start again. Blah! Any ideas how to genuinely change this Mary and RT?

Making a joke out of your feelings. Ah yeah I do this a lot. But am starting to realise it's not always a bad thing. When I had my awkward moment in therapy this week I realised there was an opportunity. To tell my husband what was bothering me in a lighthearted way. Not making light of the feelings just communicating them to him in a gentler less argumentative way. It worked really well. I told him how embarrassing my session was and what I blurted out. He laughed along with me... And then kissed me soundly and said quietly thanks for telling me.

Psychotherapy

romantic_thi3f — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:55:06 GMT

Hi Quercus and Mary,

Great to 'see' you both again and I'm so happy that you feel like you're making progress! Personally I don't think it's premature at all - being able to notice these things is awesome. Baby steps!

This is a great question too and something that I struggle with a lot. I think it's important to know that even though it feels like you are right back at square one, you aren't. It sounds like you've made a lot of progress in your therapy; and if you can try and flip back to square one - would you have those same insights? Would you be able to feel those emotions and identify those patterns? You will always have that knowledge with you now even if some days it's harder to put it into practice.

When I was going through this my therapist said it was like 'stirring the pot'. Things rose to the surface and it was uncomfortable and painful, but it was still okay. I was still okay.

Hope this helps