Accessing online counselling

[kathek]

I’m in high distress from being traumatised by a clinician yesterday on top of having a flare of c-ptsd, amongst other things. I tried to access online chat and after completing mandatory fields I was blocked before I could even start with an online chat counsellor. Why would that happen? And what’s the point of offering online chat counselling when distressed if blocked before starting? This has added to me distress and feelings of invalidation and being a waste of anything other than a thin for people to use and abuse, betray trust and invalidate anything it everything if I even bother to try and get help.

[sbella02]

Kathek,

Thank you for posting here, and we warmly welcome you to the forums. I'm sorry to hear about your traumatic experience with a clinician as well as being blocked on an online counselling forum, I can understand that this would be very distressing. 

There are many ways to receive online counselling, and if you need, our very own Beyond Blue website has one of these support services here at: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/talk-to-a-counsellor

If there's a help, support or contact button on the counselling forum you have accessed, would you be able to reach out to somebody about being blocked? They may be able to solve the problem for you.

Would you feel comfortable talking more about your experience with the clinician? I'm sorry to hear that you've had a bad experience, first of all. Sometimes, if we have a bad experience with one professional, it can be useful to try seeing somebody else, as all clinicians have different approaches and specialisations.

With regards to negative self-beliefs, I hear you. I've long struggled with self-esteem, and it can be easy to attribute bad situations to our perceived self-worth. What has happened to you does not define you, nor is it a reason for your mistreatment in the future. Life is full of these kinds of mishaps and bad experiences. It is not our fault, nor is there anything we can really do to prevent them. I do not believe you are a waste of anything. You deserve happiness and respect like anybody else.

I hope you find something in this advice helpful. Please feel free to reach out some more if you need.

Take care, SB

[kathek]

My clinicians are away on leave and my psychologist is about to leave the service. I tried being honest with the hospital and ACT clinicians, then this morning when ACT called and woke me up it was obviously someone not understanding of trauma so I’m left to my own devices until at least Wednesday. I thought I could reach out for help with online chat but was blocked there, how does any of this help with someone in high distress with a lifetime history of trauma exacerbated by trauma within last 36hrs? I don’t know what to do 😭

[Sophie_M]

Hi Kathek,

Thank you for sharing a bit of your story here. We are really glad you have joined our community. 

We're reaching out to you privately to connect you with some support and help you with the technical issues. We just wanted to reach out and let you know for future reference that the best way to get technical support is to email us, here: Beyond Blue - Contact Us

Please reach out to the Beyond Blue Support Service if you'd prefer to be connected with our lovely counsellors on the phone, we're on 1300 22 4636

Kind regards,

Sophie M

[kathek]

Thank you. I eventually got through. Then Shabbat finished and my GP checked her emails and saw the one from me, not going into it but was basically saying to my clinicians I’m a waste of time so whilst I won’t ignore call don’t bother with me especially after traumas compounded the last couple of days, and she reached out to me and we talked and I burst into tears. She’s made me promise to at least text her I’m awake tomorrow and said she’d check in with me and try to get acute care team to do same but from someone trauma informed and aware. I’m not going to pretend I’m ok. I cried my eyes out and my GP knows it’s rare I cry, especially where anyone can tell and I’ve seen her for years (thanks to a very close friend from school, one who got bullies to leave me alone if she was near me, and I was birth support for her daughter) and technically she doesn’t work weekends. The whole technology stuff didn’t help. I’m wiped from crying, on top of everything else, so despite the hyperarousal from the ptsd I hopefully will get some sleep. Thank you all. I’m not having the easiest time and your kindness means a lot. Night

[sbella02]

Kathek,

I'm glad to know that you are receiving support. It's okay not to be okay, and it's more than okay to reach out for help if you need to. I admire your courage in doing so, both on our forums and with your GP. It can also be therapeutic to cry, it can help us tune into what we are feeling and express our emotions in a way that's healthy and normal.

Another technique I'd like to mention here is journalling, which I think may be quite useful for you if you haven't tried it before. Just writing out everything that you're feeling, it can give you an opportunity to better understand what you're going through and help you to recognise what may be causing you the most distress. It also helps you keep a record of what support techniques and tips may be working for you and what may not be working.

Take care, and we're always here to offer support.

SB

[quirkywords]

Kathek

welvome to the forum, I am glad you have reached out andgetting help.

You deserve quality help.

youvare not alone and we are listening. 

[emilybartlett]

i use to come on here all the time and this never has happened to me and then i came on here a couple minutes ago and did the same thing!!