$400 per month for therapy... is it worth it?

Maybe try one session to see how you feel about it and then go from there. :flowerforyou:

I would try the free online counseling at Focus on the Family, or troubledwith.com first. Once you start therapy you can usually kiss that money good by for years and years.

so, my insurance does not cover counselling, but obviously i need it. it's $100 an hour and they recommend at least an hour a week.

even thought it would strap me financially, do you think the benefits would outweigh the cost??

Hi there

Counselling can work wonders.

(1) Go for an initial consultation to discuss your issues & ensure you feel comfortable with counsellor

(2) Agree a time frame/amount of sessions and go through what you want to achieve in that time/session frame and ask to spend 15 minutes half way through evaluating where you are - negotiate a discount for booking in advance or for block booking

(3) If futher issues have been raised and it is suggested at the end of your agreed timeframe/sessions that more sessions are advisable, ask what other issues have been raised to warrant the additional sessions and timeframe and further negotiate fee

(4) Continue if you wholeheartedly feel it is the best option for you and want to continue

Good luck with it

Mags


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Speaking from personal experience, therapy has changed my life and I wouldn't be as happy and productive as I am today without it. If I had to do it over again and go into debt from it, I'd still do it. I have a friend who's been paying $400/month for therapy for years and only makes about $35k/year. Not everyone feels that positively about therapy though. But you'll never know if it's worth it to you until you try it. Make sure to shop around for a therapist you feel like you can connect with though - that can make all the difference.

I definitely would not recommend online counseling - that's like 1/16th of what you get out of being in the same room as a human being who can actually see you and you can see them. If it's anything like a chat or IM, consider how much information is lost in these contexts as compared to a live conversation - definitely too much room for misunderstanding and improperly directed advice.

It really sucks that your insurance doesn't cover therapy! Lame! That should be illegal! :explode:

But, I honestly think your life will change dramaticly if you go to therapy and start working through your problems. Your life is certainly worth $400 a month. No question. Elle, you use food to torture yourself. Slicing your arms with a razor is about as healthy as what you are doing to yourself. This is not something you can overcome on your own. You need therapy.

Therapy has been really amazing for me. I was really nervous at first and hated the stigma and all that, but I found out that even just saying some of my thoughts out loud has been theraputic. For instance, I realize now that some of the thoughts I would repeat in my head about myself were really warped and twisted, and I didn't even realize it until I started saying some of them out loud. Somhow talking about them made it possible for me to stop thinking them. Sort of hard to explain... Anyway, I am so glad I started therapy, and I think you will be too. Be really selective with who you choose to go with and your $400 will be well spent.

I really hope you do this.

I may be biased because I am working on my doctorate in clinical psychology --so of course I believe in the power of therapy. But I have also had perosnal experience with it -- I have struggled with the issue of food all my life -- it began in fourth grade for me. I had emtaphobia -- fear of vomioting -- which made me afraid to eat. I missed almost 7 months of school and when I finally went to therapy, I was better after only a few months --- I continued to see the therapist for that year and when I left he told me and my mother this was an issue with food and that it would probably be something I struggled with my entire life. Sure enough, out of nowhere, in 8th grade I became obsessed with food and weight. I counted calories religiously (strange for a 12 year old) and worked out 2-3 times a day. When my mom found out, it was back to therapy, and in a couple months I was back to my old self- and I actually gained some weight. In high school it happened again -- this time it was coupled with depression --so I went to therapy again and began taking antidepressants. THe medicine worked within a week -- I was back to my old self after probably 3 years of depression -- i was no longer irrritable and I was just really happy for the first time in a long time -- even though I wasn't super skinny or anything. Then I moved to california to get my MA in clinical psychology. I finished last august and am now starting my second year of my doctorate program. And next week I am starting therapy again -- as my obsession with food and weight has returned and the journaling and constant worrying has taken over my life just about -- I definitely have never had an eating disorder - but food and weight have always been an issue of severe anxiety for me -- and I have found that the therapy has always worked for me -- and that i may have to be in therapy for it my whole life -- but if I had cancer and needed treatment for the rest of my life I would do it -- mental/emotional illnesses are no different than medical illnesses -- they are very real and just as serious and often lead to medical problems anyways. Therapy may not work for everyone but it is only fair to yourself to give it a try

Hey girl!! I think therapy would be a great step for you. Make sure you are comfortable with the counselor and like others have said if you present your case, they may give you a slightly reduced rate. You need more than just 1 session however, to see if there will be any benefit. I would re-evaluate after the first month if I were you and make sure you are seeing some progress and that you are still comfortable with the counselor. That said, there will be times of discomfort and that's o.k. - it's necessary to be uncomfortable to confront our issues because they make us uncomfortable - otherwise we wouldn't eat to try to avoid them!!

You are doing awesome and I'm proud to know you. I wish you the best of luck in finding someone. :flowerforyou:

Have you ever heard of EMDR? It is a therapy that helps a lot of post traumatic stress disorder and also addictions and phobias. It isn't talk therapy which for me makes things easier. I'll see if I can find a link for you....

http://www.emdr.com/q&a.htm

Anyway, I've used it and thought it was wonderful. I also know many others who have benefited from this type of therapy.