Treatments and therapies - Beyond Blue Forums

Please recommend a Course or Group that helped you! (improve your mental health)

replies: 8

Hi BBers! Our journey towards mental HEALTH does not have to be travelled alone. We are SO fortunate to have the BB forums! An analogy I use to describe my own mental wellness journey is like finding many pieces to a puzzle. This puzzle is uniquely o... View more

Hi BBers! Our journey towards mental HEALTH does not have to be travelled alone. We are SO fortunate to have the BB forums! An analogy I use to describe my own mental wellness journey is like finding many pieces to a puzzle. This puzzle is uniquely our OWN. Sure some things are really common and helpful for ALL like self-care. We all have the human need for "connectedness". A few pieces to my own puzzle included Courses and Groups. If you've completed a Course and would highly recommend it to others, please post to let others know about it. Let us know if the Course was online or is offered face to face in your state. Any and all details could help others access same or similar. eg Name of Course. Topic covered. Duration. Cost. You can put a - rating of you like. Same if you have attended a really helpful Group! Naming your State or Territory, if you're comfortable to do so, may help others to access the group or the information / support. Group: "Way Ahead" Tonight I found out about this Group running at a local Neighbourhood Centre for people with anxiety. - Offered throughout NSW. - FREE - 2 Facilitators - Group goes for 1 hour. - Held monthly here. I should be getting some feedback on this one soon, stay tuned! Course name: "Breaking Free" I attended this brilliant Course for women in (or leaving or who've left) domestic violence relationships. This Course was sensitively facilitated through Women's Health Centres in NSW, please holler if it's available in YOUR state too! Details: - FREE - 8-10 week Course. - Facilitated by 2 Counsellors / Social Workers. - Attendance at weekly group. NB: Can be completed in a 1:1 setting upon application or requirements. - 2 intake sessions; 1st via phone, 2nd face to face. - Certificate is presented upon successful completion. (Goes a LONG way in Family Law Court). I thought I knew what domestic violence was. This Course was so comprehensive, I simply had little idea about it before then (2016). Rating: Let's share what works and get well together. Love EM

Diagnose

replies: 13

I don’t know if I’ve asked or not but I apologise if I have but can a psychologist make a mental health diagnosis? As I’ve done research on google and most websites say yes they can. Or is it just a clinical psychologist that can? Or just possibly a ... View more

I don’t know if I’ve asked or not but I apologise if I have but can a psychologist make a mental health diagnosis? As I’ve done research on google and most websites say yes they can. Or is it just a clinical psychologist that can? Or just possibly a gp or definitely a psychiatrist? I just need a definite answer as I’m so confused about all it is.

Internal Family Systems/Parts Work

replies: 3

Hi, Have you any experience with this therapy (as a practioner or patient)? What are your thoughts on it? I'm intetested in receiving sessions which use the Internal Family Systems (IFS), also known as Parts Work. I am aware that this is a niche area... View more

Hi, Have you any experience with this therapy (as a practioner or patient)? What are your thoughts on it? I'm intetested in receiving sessions which use the Internal Family Systems (IFS), also known as Parts Work. I am aware that this is a niche area & I live semi-remote, thus finding a practioner is unlikely to happen. However COVID has caused many practitioners to use online delivery, thus I'm hopeful enough to ask. Can anyone help me here? If it's against Forum rules to suggest individual people (or medications) - instead, please advise...should I search for this specific treatment, or do all psychologists have training/skills with this work? What about self-guided exercises using IFS work...where would I find this? If I can't find anything, I thought about observing a recorded (online) IFS sessions & writing down how it unfolds (the therapists' directives)...then repeating on myself? Or finding guidelines in how to run such a session - but, where could I do this? Any advice is GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED. I hope this helps others, too.

Binge eating disorder?

replies: 5

I am off to seek advice from my gp tomorrow as I suspect I suffer from a binge eating disorder & have for a few years. What are some ways to work through this? I’m not 100% sure if that is what I’m going through but my online research about binge eat... View more

I am off to seek advice from my gp tomorrow as I suspect I suffer from a binge eating disorder & have for a few years. What are some ways to work through this? I’m not 100% sure if that is what I’m going through but my online research about binge eating seems to relate to my unhealthy relationship with food. I feel it may all just be in my head but I am on a journey to a healthier & happier me, starting with my health as I’m mainly focusing on losing weight a healthy way.

Not quite sure what to do

replies: 2

Hi, I don’t exactly feel like I’m in some mental health crisis, but I want to see my school psychologist to address my general well-being which I have ignored for years. Here’s my situation: 1. I struggle to ask for help of any kind, since I was very... View more

Hi, I don’t exactly feel like I’m in some mental health crisis, but I want to see my school psychologist to address my general well-being which I have ignored for years. Here’s my situation: 1. I struggle to ask for help of any kind, since I was very little. I am a very shy person. The thought of raising my hand up in class makes me anxious and nervous. I think it comes from how I was raised up in my family, growing up despite meeting my physical cares, did not met my emotional needs. This in part probably stems from having a sibling who has high physical care needs than me, so in a sense I am lower maintenance. Also both parents grew up with parents that didn’t love them so I’m not surprised that they don’t understand how to provide adequate emotional support for me. 2. I find it hard to have close relationships with people. Often when I don’t have any classmates that I feel comfortable talking to, I just sit by myself. This is go back to when I was in year 5, where I struggled to get along with any one in my class as everywhere I would sit, people would get up and leave me with a whole table to myself. At some point in term 2, I got sick of seeing that multiple times a day, 5 times a week so I found a little spot with a bean bag and small table and sat there for the rest of year, which was how I coped. 3. I am always very negative and self-critical of myself. I’m not sure where that comes from. 4. I am always so tense whenever I play the violin in my violin lesson and it takes forever for me to settle. I’m not sure why I am like that. My teacher also notices this and I feel he’s genuinely concerned for me. He tells me that I am ‘safe’ when I play the violin and I play it well when I am not as tense. After only two years having lesson, he knows me better than anyone else that I have had in my life, in some respects even more than my parents. 5. I find it hard to set boundaries and tend to people please. Maybe this is why I sometimes feel ashamed for enjoying music, because I feel like it is somewhat of a burden to my mum. When I say that I am stressed or I’m not doing well at school, she will blame that I ‘focus on music too much’. She won’t talk to me for the rest of the day if I express that I am not mentally ok. During lockdown, sometimes one of my friends would text me to ask if I wanted to work with her during class, but even if I just wanted to be left alone, I would still give in to her. Should I actually see a psychologist or talk to someone?

When to seek a new psychologist?

replies: 18

This is the first psychologist I’ve seen in a number of years and this time round I’m seeing one for unresolved trauma from childhood sexual abuse and a fair few issues I have from that time and also to deal with a current legal case against my abuse... View more

This is the first psychologist I’ve seen in a number of years and this time round I’m seeing one for unresolved trauma from childhood sexual abuse and a fair few issues I have from that time and also to deal with a current legal case against my abuser. ive had 5 sessions now and I just feel like I’m not getting anywhere. I feel like I’m there just talking to a friend and that I’m not getting any real direction on how to improve or solve my issues. I can’t put there blame on her because maybe it’s just me? Maybe I’m not giving enough or I’m expecting too much after only 5 sessions? What is everyone’s experience with this? Any advice?

Medical people who disrespect patient rights aren't acccountable

replies: 5

Hi everyone, I'm in a bind. I had a psychiatrist appointment to evaluate if it's safe for me to mentally continue IVF treatment. The report is a simple accessing of if treatment should continue or not. As the patient before disclosing anything privat... View more

Hi everyone, I'm in a bind. I had a psychiatrist appointment to evaluate if it's safe for me to mentally continue IVF treatment. The report is a simple accessing of if treatment should continue or not. As the patient before disclosing anything private I said I don't want my private business on the report and would only disclose on the understanding of that simple reasonable respectable right to have that. So he's sent me a copy of report and I have no idea if my specialist has already been sent it too. He has put in the report everything I opened up and disclosed to him when I wouldn't of if that was likely hence disgust on such disregard to trying to respect myself by protecting my vunerablities. My life was spoken about in second session the first was about the IVF which was the topic of seeing him. In it it he also implies 'sticky thinking'. .He actually did what my specialist did when I was hesitant to continue IVF treatment.Defying wishes on to be treated.

Looking to hear peoples experiences with Schema Therapy and therapy in general?

replies: 2

Hello everyone, I'm interested to know people's experiences with Schema Therapy and therapy in general. I've had ongoing anxiety and self-esteem issues for 5-6 years now. I had my first therapy session this week and my therapist recommended Schema Th... View more

Hello everyone, I'm interested to know people's experiences with Schema Therapy and therapy in general. I've had ongoing anxiety and self-esteem issues for 5-6 years now. I had my first therapy session this week and my therapist recommended Schema Therapy. I trust my therapist and will do what she feels is best for me, I'm just concerned how long Schema Therapy will take and what it will involve. From what I've read, Schema Therapy is more intensive and long term therapy; taking up to two years. I'm committed to doing it but apprehensive about it taking a long time and it being a rocky road before I start to feel better. Has anyone tried Schema Therapy and can share their experiences with it? Did it take a long time before you started to feel like it was helping you? Was the therapy difficult and confronting and affected your day to day? I'm a little bit anxious about it and what it means for me and would love to hear other peoples experiences. I appreciate everyone is different and experiences vary, and I will share all my concerns with my therapist, but it would help me a lot to hear from others who went through it. Thank you.

Alcohol abuse

replies: 1

Who do people turn to to talk through this when they can’t get into their doctor or psychologist? Fell into old patterns last night and the come down is messing with my head today and am a bit depressed. I’ve looked at online chats and things but the... View more

Who do people turn to to talk through this when they can’t get into their doctor or psychologist? Fell into old patterns last night and the come down is messing with my head today and am a bit depressed. I’ve looked at online chats and things but they don’t start this early in the day and I’m not sure what to do. I’m obviously new to the process of getting better.

Should I go to therapy?

replies: 3

This evening, I had some family drama (mum got cross at me for incorrectly making her jelly and ended up shouting at me - although I was not blameless because I kept asking her why she was cross about the jelly and should have just left her alone). S... View more

This evening, I had some family drama (mum got cross at me for incorrectly making her jelly and ended up shouting at me - although I was not blameless because I kept asking her why she was cross about the jelly and should have just left her alone). So I ended up crying quite a bit (which I try to avoid in front of other people) and discussing what had happened with my sister. I am a nineteen year old girl, and she is older than me. I told her a bit about how I'd been feeling lately, always tired, demotivated, generally feeling a lot of dread and finding it hard to be content, and she mentioned that it might be good for me to see a therapist. She has social anxiety, which she sees a therapist about. I am not so sure about whether I should do to therapy. It is expensive, firstly, but my parents may be willing to pay. I am a bit worried that my mum will somehow use it as leverage against me. I'm not exactly how she would do that, but to me, it seems like a possibility. I expressed to her that I wasn't sure about the idea. I've secretly been considering it for a long time, but I don't really want to go to therapy because I feel that the problems in my life are too trivial, and often times self-induced. Like, my demotivation is really just laziness and my lack of energy is just caused by my poor sleep schedule (brought upon myself by my bad habits of staying up late). Basically, I feel like I dramatize all my problems and how I'm feeling - and my situation is probably way less dire than I make it out to be. Even worse, I'm worried that maybe I'm just creating all these problems to get attention (even though I've never confided in her about these problems until now - maybe I'm in it for the long con). She told me these were a lot of the same things she told her therapist when she started. Which I understand, but for me it might be different because really I'm worried that I'm just making it all up. That would be terrible. Or maybe I'm just convinced that I'm making it up because I don't want to face any real problems. Anyways - my big fear about going to therapy is that I will go, and the therapist will tell me that I am being overly dramatic, and basically I'll feel like a huge idiot. I'm not good at conveying my emotions really - how will I explain the things I have felt and experienced? It's really not that serious? I've felt this way for a while, but I'm worried that I'm making it up for either attention or to somehow get revenge on my mum for being unkind?

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