going to therapy

[weekapaugjz]

<p>listening to the replay tonight is really hitting home with me right now.&nbsp; i called for an appointment with my schools counseling center on tuesday to set up an appointment. its my first time ever going to a counselor/therapist.&nbsp; it took me a long time to build up the courage to make the call to go in.&nbsp; i have been going through a pretty rough patch right now and need to straighten out my life.</p><p>i can't imagine how nervous i am going to be walking into the clinic on monday morning.&nbsp; if something like what happened to fez ever happened to me, i think i would lose my mind.&nbsp; therapists are supposed to be there to help and support people, not shoot them down. &nbsp;</p><p>ive already made my first step to clearing my head by quiting smoking pot.&nbsp; on sunday i flushed my last nug and chucked my bowl out the window on the highway.&nbsp; i did it just to prove to myself that i could.</p><p>if anyone has gone through some similar stuff, i would love some advice.&nbsp; like i said before, i am at one of my lowest points in my life and listening to fez right now is really hitting a nerve.&nbsp; i had to get some of this off my chest.&nbsp; thanks buddays!&nbsp;</p>

[Wallower]

I've found that in life everyone has to go through loads of shit. You see people on the street (or on a message board for that matter) and you can't really comprehend their tragedy or the depth of their experience. I'm not trying to depress you, I'm just saying when you reach out to people you might be suprised how many of us can relate. I'm happy that you can ask for help when you need it. Most people can't. Good luck and PM me if you need anything man.

[weekapaugjz]

thanks for the support budday, i really appreciate it.

[hedges]

Weekapaugjz, I admire your ability to tell your story and I think it is great you're seeking help. I remember when my dad was having problems, when I was young.
I thought that he was just having a case of the blues and that he should snap-out of it. What was his problem? Well I didn't understand the nature of his problems until those problems happened to me a few years later. Therapy can help and the right therapist makes all the difference. Best of luck Weekapaugjz!

[ppanda]

Budday- you're not on an island with this one- I only wish I had the courage to seek help like you.&nbsp; I often get to the point where my friends are afraid for my health.&nbsp; I am probably being a hypocrite for saying this but... you'll get through this...stay positive and PM me we can talk- you may actually be able to help me.

[weekapaugjz]

<strong>ppanda</strong> wrote:<br />Budday- you're not on an island with this one- I only wish I had the courage to seek help like you. I often get to the point where my friends are afraid for my health. I am probably being a hypocrite for saying this but... you'll get through this...stay positive and PM me we can talk- you may actually be able to help me.<p>&nbsp;ill try the best i can.&nbsp; hope you can get through what you are going through yourself.&nbsp; sometimes buddays need some support.</p>

[RoseBlood]

[quote]<p>Weeka, I'm so sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch. I understand how difficult things can be/seem and worse, feeling hopeless for whatever reasons, personal they may be. The good news is you are NOW seeking outside help/advice/assistance/whatever. I get the feeling you are being as they say 'pro-active' sooner rather than later. It's never to late to reach out and if it is sooner all the more power to you. I apologize if I'm coming off as some flaky quack but reading your post really got to me. I hate to see anyone in pain especially someone who seems as cool and nice as yourself because imagine how much greater the world would be if all the cool people were able to&nbsp;get past&nbsp;all the negative shit in their lives that bring them down and really maximize their potential for this world.. wow major run on sentence there. Anyway, let me stop with that thought while I'm ahead for fear of sounding to idealistic.. whoops to late!</p><p>I can tell you not to be nervous come Monday morning but that's just something people say to try to give you a false sense of security. Your feelings are your feelings and that's it. I can't say everything will go smoothly and you'll be happier that you went because everyone's experiences are different. But you are at least trying. Speaking from experience I've had a couple dissappointing and frustrating experiences with clinics/therapists/psychiatrists as well as one very positive one. I may have had a slight advantage going in over yourself because I knew the root of my problems.. or least I thought I did at the time so I had things to lay out on the table. If you don't know why you are in this funk (and i'm sure it's more than just your typical life ruts as it usually is far past that point to drive a person to seek help) therapy should help you get to the source and then you work from there. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of therapy will you be in? It sounds like you might benefit from psychotherapy.. it sounds very Freudian I know and I hate him but don't let it scare you. I know many people don't feel that type of therapy is as helpful as say cognitive therapy or behavioral therapy but in your case I think it is.. if you really want to help yourself you will, but let me tell you, if you're expecting the counselors/therapists to give you the answers then you will be sorely dissappointed. They will not. To me a good therapist will guide you with the appropriate questions.. at least from my exp. The patient does most of the work as far as pouring out emotions as difficult as it can be even talking to a trained professional who will try to assure you they've heard it all. In my opinion therapy isn't for the impatient. If you want a quick fix then look elsewhere. It may seem frustrating the first few sessions because you will feel like you're dishing all this money out to someone to just sit there, judge you and then tell you their time is up just as you've become comfortable. Unless the person is a complete ass and says or does something inappropriate I'd say 3 sessions is a good amount of time for you to decide whether or not you want to invest anymore of your&nbsp;time/money with him/her. But there's also no accounting for instincts... go with that! Just make sure you're not putting your reservations onto the therapist. Therapy will do you no good if you do not trust him/her and if you can't be honest.</p><p>I hope i'm not confusing you as I tend to go off on tangents when my interests/emotions are sparked. You mentioned that you are going to your schools counselling services/clinic? I've never been to my school counseling center so I can't offer you any insight there. At this juncture try not to think about what happens if anything goes wrong or if you don't like your doctor. You'll make yourself crazy and feel overwhelmed. It's completely normal and understandable though, dreading the idea of having to go through a

[weekapaugjz]

<p>rose, thank you so much for your reply. it really means a lot to me that you took the effort to post everything that you have. im gonna have to go back and re-read it because there is so much in it. </p><p>my deciding to go see someone came from the recomendation from my mom. she is a retired guidance counselor and she told me she could sense there was something wrong with me over the past few months. she told me i could always come to her for advice but she couldn't be both my mom and my counselor at the same time, that i needed to find someone else to talk to. we had a long talk about many different aspects of my life that were going downhill. mainly my lack of motivation in a job search. i am graduating with my masters in education in may and really need to start moving towards a goal. i think a lot of my issues stem from the fact that i will be done with school in a few months and will have to enter the &quot;real world&quot;. i think some of it stems a lot from a fear of rejection. if i don't apply for the job, i won't be rejected type of thing.</p><p>one of the things my mom and i talked about that i never really thought about was that i was becoming more withdrawn into myself and becoming less social. ive been having some tough time making good friends since i have moved to buffalo for school. when i moved up here two years ago, the only person i knew that lived here were my brother and his girlfriend. i grew up an hour and a half away so i have some friends at home but its a pain to be driving that much everytime i wanted to go to a party etc. two guys i became good friends with in school both moved away after a year. i find it tough to make new friends in grad school because everybody is already set in their lifestyle. so if i didn't hang out with my bro and his girlfriend, i would end up sitting at my place and drink myself into oblivion.</p><p>again, i really appreciate your post. i think its great that people who don't even know each other can open themselves up and discuss things that are so personal. thanks so much for your support and i will keep you updated. </p>

<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by weekapaugjz on 3-15-07 @ 4:59 AM</span>

[RoseBlood]

<p>Don't thank me at all and please don't feel obligated to read my very long post or respond to it, however, if you do that's fine and I will read whatever you have to say as I think we could all learn from each other.</p><p>My post was a bit to self-serving now that I read it. Did I also mention it's therapeutic to spill your guts on a message board? Haha!</p><p>I promise I won't make this post quite as long but I will say I am glad to hear you have support in your mother and I have to agree with everything your mother has told you so far. She's much to close to you to be able to objectively help, as I'm sure you're already aware of this. I also think you may be onto something in your little self evaluation but I'll leave that up to the professionals.. haha</p><p>Again..</p><p>much luck and success</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

[narc]

<p>I think almost everybody can use a little therapy. Most of my friends have at some time or another been to therapists or whatever. </p><p>I haven't personally ever gone so I can't offer you the depth of knowledge that Rose can, but that's mostly because I think I'm pretty good at being my own therapist to a certain extent. Plus I'm cheap. </p><p>School therapists are generally a good place to start because they have a knowledge based around issues common to people your age - and the issues you have definitely aren't uncommon. If you don't feel comfortable with them or you want to go to someone else, they shouldn't have a problem giving out a referral. There are plenty of good psychs in the Buffalo area, and if you really want, maybe I can find one out for you.&nbsp; </p><p>And good for you for kicking the weed to the curb. &nbsp;</p>