Is visiting a psychologist a good thing?

[Above us only sky]

Several days ago I saw a very interesting video, in that video the speaker, a psychologist says something interesting: "our business model is if you come to a therapy with one problem, we want to make sure you leave knowing you have ten, so you can keep coming back over and over again and we'll go back into your childhood if necessary."

Recently I start visiting a psychologist to help reduce my anxiety, but to be honest I found visiting a psychologist an uncomfortable experience: I enter a building and then saw a psychologist, I found it is hard to open your mouth because after all a psychologist is a stranger, when I want to tell the psychologist my problems I always feel the urge to hide my problems because I thought "maybe he or she (the psychologist) might laugh at me after hearing my problems". Even though the psychologist has promised to keep my issue confidental I still feel I can not tell the psychologist my whole problems.(especially some very personal issues, like some sexual issues)

Is visiting a psychologist helpful? can a psychologist be trusted?

[Renee]

I trust psychologists/ psychiatrists.

For several good reasons.

1. they hear all kinds of stories every day. My sexual problems can't be all that interesting. It is more work for them to deal with my sexual problems than it is worth laughing about.
2. If, on the other hand, my sexual problems are unique, or interesting enough for a psychi/o to laugh about, then I am special, and feel that they won't betray me because their supervising body, the college of physicians and surgeons (in Canada) and the corresponding body for psychologists, will discipline them.
3. It is common practice for professionals of psychology / psychiatry to keep secrecy, so by peer pressure it is easy and not hard, and gives them the impression that they are doing the right thing by not publicly ridiculing their patients -- this is actually reassuring to both patient and therapists.
4. A psychi/o would lose their patients via 1. disciplining or 2. reputation or 3. both, if it was uncovered that they betrayed patient trust.
5. A psychi/o is the only person who can help me with my sexual problems, so if I refuse help by them, then I'm fish out of water, and if I don't refuse them, then at least I have a shot at getting better.
6. These professionals have the best magazines in the waiting rooms, mostly those with compellingly written, provocative, interesting articles. (Most notably, "The Atlantic".)

[Burning ghost]

Make an informed decision. Like every field some are good and some are bad.

[Above us only sky]

thanks, renee and burning ghost.

i always have this worry that a shink can make you have more sessions when in fact only three sessions can help.you solve the problem. since they.charge by the time you visit

-- Updated December 1st, 2016, 1:43 am to add the following --

thanks, renee and burning ghost.

i always have this worry that a shink can make you have more sessions when in fact only three sessions can help.you solve the problem. since they.charge by the time you visit

[Burning ghost]

Learn a little about what they learn to get where they are.

Psychologists will not tell you which meds to take. They are not so interested in biochemistry nor in your physical neural make-up (well, not directly!).

Psychiartirists are more about impartial views and applying medication.

If you feel your problem is extreme and cannot find a solution yourself or from the ear of a stranger/friend, it may be worth looking for "professional" opinion.

To hedge your bets best to make clear to whoever you see that you are poor so they take that onboard and also be wary of those that look for some quick fix resolution by putting you on pills. Of course all this depends upon what your issue/s are.

If you go and see someone then see a psychologist first. That wouls be my advice. I am not a professional though just someone who is against seeking meds to resolve problems (that said though I do not rule out circumstances in which meds can help).

Good luck.

[Above us only sky]

Thanks, Burning ghost.

I have the impression of a psychologist because of my own experience:

I have visited two different psychologists so far, during my visit of the first psychologist, that psychologist did give me some good advice, but he also tried hard to persuade me to register for 10 sessions in a row, and he told me that I have to keep coming back. The second psychologist also did the same thing.

My thought is this: for a psychologist it may in his or her best interests to sell drugs to the patients as much as possible or make his or her patients to do as much sessions as possible. If this is true, then I feel a psychologist is not as trustful as he should be.

[Burning ghost]

As far as I know psychologists do not handle meds, psychiartrists handle meds?

If you set the terms and they disagree then look for someone else. I can sympathise with both positions of patient and doctor. Maybe next time you see a psychologist you should simply be upfront about your suspicions and they may even be willing to offer you other options if you imply money/trust as an issue for you. Other than that you can simply say you'll come back as and when it pleases you.

All of this is just speculation on my part. It seems worth voicing your concerns about the profession and what you wish to get out of the sessions. Keep shopping around for someone who feels right to you and I am sure you'll find what you need eventually.

[Above us only sky]

As far as I know psychologists do not handle meds, psychiartrists handle meds?

I did not know the exact difference between those words exactly, I thought those two words are exchangable. I should use psychologists:oops:

If you set the terms and they disagree then look for someone else. I can sympathise with both positions of patient and doctor. Maybe next time you see a psychologist you should simply be upfront about your suspicions and they may even be willing to offer you other options if you imply money/trust as an issue for you. Other than that you can simply say you'll come back as and when it pleases you.

All of this is just speculation on my part. It seems worth voicing your concerns about the profession and what you wish to get out of the sessions. Keep shopping around for someone who feels right to you and I am sure you'll find what you need eventually.[/quote]

Great advice for me, thanks!

-- Updated December 2nd, 2016, 10:42 pm to add the following --

As far as I know psychologists do not handle meds, psychiartrists handle meds?

I did not know the exact difference between those words exactly, I thought those two words are exchangable. I should use psychologists:oops:

If you set the terms and they disagree then look for someone else. I can sympathise with both positions of patient and doctor. Maybe next time you see a psychologist you should simply be upfront about your suspicions and they may even be willing to offer you other options if you imply money/trust as an issue for you. Other than that you can simply say you'll come back as and when it pleases you.

All of this is just speculation on my part. It seems worth voicing your concerns about the profession and what you wish to get out of the sessions. Keep shopping around for someone who feels right to you and I am sure you'll find what you need eventually.[/quote]

Great advice for me, thanks!

[LuckyR]

Psychiatry is a Medical specialty, that is they are MDs ie can write prescriptions. If you graduate with an undergraduate degree in psychology you can call yourself a psychologist, though most in clinical practice are PhDs.

[Gertie]

Hi Above Us,

I'd imagine there are professional associations where you are which accredit psychologists and have rules on things like confidentiality, if that's a concern it might be worth looking into.

Yes Psychologists do talk therapy, and Psychiatrists are medically trained and can prescribe meds. I too would try talk therapy first, in the hope that you can deal with the causes of the anxiety rather than deal with the symptoms, tho talk therapy isn't guaranteed to provide results. And meds can have down sides, but can be very effective.

There are different types of talk therapy, such as analysis and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. You might want to look into which you think might work better for you and find a Psychologist who specialises in that.

I wouldn't be concerned at being offered a course of treatment, but I wouldn't commit to paying beforehand in case it wasn't working for me and I decided to stop. I'd want to know why say 10 weeks was being offered and what the plan was in terms of the problem I wanted sorting, what results should be expected if the plan works - an explanation of the treatment and timing in other words.

And these people really have heard it all, and are very very unlikely to be judgemental or negative. Their job is to help you deal with your own negative feelings in a safe setting, something you can perhaps test bit by bit and gain confidence in. It might be that holding back prevents the difficult issues from being addressed, and getting a professional, matter of fact, response can put them into context, not quite as terrible, shocking as they feel. We're all **** up one way or another you know

All the best.

[WorldThief]

Anything that helps somebody connect with their unconscious or with their emotions is a good thing. For some, it could be going to a psychologist. In many cultures, it is the shaman. It could be a meditative practice, playing music, walking in nature, looking in the mirror.

I do however think that the psychologist in our culture is far to logical and superficial compared to shamans in other cultures. Our psychology -- what other cultures might call a soul -- is a murky, confusing, illogical place, and sometimes witchcraft and wizardry are better manipulators of the mind than logic and psychoanalysis.