Has anyone else had therapy with someone who just isn’t working for you?

My first psychologist thought I was depressed and told my parents to “hide all the knives”. I’m not suicidal and my parents didn’t hide the knives. I have self-harm OCD, but being told by a professional to hide knives (which is what I did already) and that I was depressed was realllllly distressing

If I hear one more time that a therapist says "don't worry about it" or "think positive" I will probably go nuts honestly. Oh I did not think of that before, thanks, problem solved I guess?

had a therapist who literally was crazy, she was like i dunno, 'cleaning my past memories' and i just sat there like wat

My therapist today spent one whole hour going through maybe ten multiple choice questions- just repeating the answers over and over again

I honestly started day dreaming during it...

Thank you for making me feel not so alone in this.

I guess rapport is the most important thing and it doesn’t happen with just anyone

Yeah, she lowkey thought that I was gay and spiked my anxiety even more because she didn't do anything for my thoughts. I was getting worst. Luckily I later got diagnosed by a specialist

Oh my god yes. I had a therapist that tried to blame me for there not being a treatment plan in place (when that is literally the therapists job), stayed away for 6 weeks without letting me know and unable to reach, encouraged compulsions, in fact I had no cleaning compulsions until this woman suggested I would clean in response to germophobic thoughts... so uh, yes, definitely.

I actually didnt have OCD but just a bit of germophobia and panic attacks until this therapist so I honestly hate this woman so much for being so incompetent. She was an unpleasant dominant person on top of being incompetent too. Sorry for the double post, just needed to rant.

I’m so sorry that happened to you- that is super sucky...

It was actually really hard to type yhat

i first had a really great therapist (which in turn changed my life soooo much!) and then a few months after a lot of stuff happened, and i got way more anxious than ever before. and after that, i saw a few therapists who i just didnt click with at all. it felt like they just handed out internet advice, like “have you tried deep breathing, saying NO to thoughts, worrytime?”. i think most therapists will be the wrong one, sometimes it takes time to find the right one, and sometimes you get a good one in the first round, like i did

I mean I know it is always meant well but it's like dude... is this what you got your phd for?

At the beginning i didn't know about ocd and I met a psychologist who also didn't know anything about ocd. She suggested me to use gloves for my contamination ocd. It's already 15 years that I'm using gloves. She was really stupid, ignorant and arrogant

Also Ale do you ever take them off?

Thanks chellie...

I actually am doing better. I feel like my recovery started the moment I left my enabling and often times because of the OCD toxic household. It is super tough. It really is. Not just OCD recovery, also adjusting to a new household. Mainly OCD recovery though. OCD knows I am winning with the things I do now. It does not want me to. But I am gonna win anyway. Because this is my life and I am not gonna lose it to that little monster in my head. Nor will you. I wanna encourage you to take off your gloves a little bit more each day. If you have loved ones who are good at helping you through anxiety, ask for help. Or a therapist of course. But pushing through is the only way to get a happy life back. You gotta feel worse to feel better again.

If nothing else I hope these little conversations and me trying to encourage you helps you. Not giving in feels really REALLY bad at first. But it feels freeing afterwards. And then bad again. And then more free. It is the hardest process you are gonna go through in life probably but you can do it! I know you can! It feels so real but you need to do it anyway. You will feel awful but it will be worth it.

yup

Yes I had to leave this therapist I was seeing because I just didn’t click with her at all honestly

Omg how frustrating. Mine was super enthusiastic and just kind of too pushy if that makes sense. I was too chill and not ready to challenge myself I guess

He didn’t even remember my name from the first session.

Super enthusiastic can be very confronting

Yea I mean it’s not her fault , she was trying to help me but I was just not into it at all

This is true

No problems Chellie! Exactly why I posted- I needed a rant too.

This guy today literally could not remember a single thing about our first session together.

That the guy didn't even remember your name though... I also had that happen with a therapist. Not that salty bout that as compared to a woman who encouraged me into an OCD life basically and me being naive enough to think she has the PhD so I should listen, but still super annoying ?

im sorry to hear that Dolphinkick :/

that drives me crazy

Omg you too? I thought I was alone with bad therapists who actually taught compulsions, makes me feel less alone

I don't use gloves just on the bed and to touch my clean clothes that i cleaned in the washing machine (the washing machine does the compulsion of cleaning instead of me). During the therapy i took off gloves to do exercises, but just for the exercises. I never got the improvement not to use gloves outside the exercises. I had also good therapist, but i couldn't ever go over it.

actually I'm not even mad at this therapist, because she was the typical knowledgeable, rich woman who took a degree just to stay away from home and to show off her beautiful piece of paper, but who never worked in all of her life ... the truth is that I've seen so many people like that, but at the time with all my problems, I didn't have the ability to discern the kind of person that stood before me.

But I'm afraid that I'll never find a therapist who can really help me to take off gloves...

I'm sure you can do it. Sometimes as horrible as it is just doing it is the only way. Small steps OK? You gotta push yourself and you'll recover. I was housebound for months because of contamination ocd of years, and I went outside yesterday anyway. It feels bad but it is good. That's the paradox I am sure you know by now yourself... You really need to try and push yourself a little bit forward if you can okay?

Thank you chellie ... I know what you mean. I'm honestly hopeless. I did therapy for more than 4 years and i took medicine for 8/9 years ... I've never really improved enough to take off my gloves. And the quality of my life was very bad, just thinking and doing exercises everyday. When i started to live without to mind about using gloves, at least i lived better, even if I can't live in this way forever... Anyway, maybe there is a good therapist who can stimulate me to start a new therapy. Who knows? What about you? How is your life and your ocd now?

Thank you Chellie for encouragement. It's very kind from you... Honestly I had an improvement in the quality of NY life when I started to bike again. At the that time I was sprinkled physically and this made me feel evening stronger psychologically, though I never stopped using gloves. I think the medicines work for someone, therapy for someone else ... But I think personal motivations and feel good with yourself, feel strong and satisfied of yourself, may be of great help, because, at least in my case, because, at least in my case, I knew I was stronger physically, which guaranteed me the tranquility of being able to wash myself even for many hours if something unexpectedbery happened. Anyway, thak you veryy much ☺️☺️☺️