Kea
- Date posted
- 5y
billbillbillbill
- Date posted
- 5y
It’s so common for therapists who aren’t familiar with OCD to look for the “root” of your obsessions and compulsions. This is NOT how you treat OCD. You’ll make huge breakthroughs when you detach from your themes and realize that they DON’T have meaning (or aren’t a reflection of you/ your personality/ who you really are etc). Ironically, searching for meaning in your themes is in itself a common OCD theme! Bottom line is, if you’re not comfortable, don’t work with them. And if you suspect you have OCD, work with a therapist who has experience and expertise in treating it (easier said than done!) but please know that so many therapists out there are totally unfamiliar with how OCD works. Good luck to you!
KeaKea
- Date posted
- 5y
Yeah he did in fact tell me that I control my thoughts and it isn’t a reflection of who I am but he was trying to analyze my past and present (for example, if my friends are gay/trans & that’s why I have a fear of being lesbian or feelings masculine) in order to see if that’s why I’m having this “distrust” in myself. He’s a very nice guy but I don’t think he understands what’s going on in my head
puzzled_nutpuzzled_nut
- Date posted
- 5y
Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a therapist that is a good fit. It’s kind of like dating. Try 1 or 2 more if you don’t feel comfortable with this one
puzzled_nutpuzzled_nut
- Date posted
- 5y
Also just another thought - when you’re calling to try to schedule an apt ask the therapist if they have ever worked with someone with ocd. If they say no they might not be competent in that treatment. I was misdiagnosed with just anxiety & depression for 10 yrs before getting a proper diagnosis of ocd. Being treated for ocd is the only thing that has helped my anxiety & depression! Trust me, don’t go down that path!
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@puzzled_nut This is great advice ?
KeaKea
- Date posted
- 5y
@puzzled_nut When I was reading his description on Psychology Today he had ocd in the list of issues that he treats but his specialties are said to be depression, anxiety and relationship issues. However the way he spoke today and the fact that he was asking about real life experiences in order to correlate them to my thoughts are what got me nervous. I get why he wants to see maybe these thoughts do stem from somewhere but it just made me nervous, I don’t know:(
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@Kea Here is an article about questions to ask when interviewing a therapist https://iocdf.org/ocd-finding-help/how-to-find-the-right-therapist/
puzzled_nutpuzzled_nut
- Date posted
- 5y
@Kea If you’d like to keep talking with him, it’s important to be open about these things as well. Let him know this made you uncomfortable and why. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself :)
puzzled_nutpuzzled_nut
- Date posted
- 5y
@puzzled_nut Plus, psychology today is not always the most accurate. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
KeaKea
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie Thank you!
KeaKea
- Date posted
- 5y
@puzzled_nut Yeah I don’t think that I’ll continue speaking with him because he’s also a little expensive but if he tries to reach out I’ll definitely let him know!
puzzled_nutpuzzled_nut
- Date posted
- 5y
@Kea Good luck!! You’ve got this ?
KeaKea
- Date posted
- 5y
@puzzled_nut Thank you!:)
WeCanDoThisWeCanDoThis
- Date posted
- 5y
Oh no. Is he an OCD specialist?
KeaKea
- Date posted
- 5y
No? I’m not diagnosed with ocd so when I first contacted him I told him I believe I have ocd & asked if he does a diagnosis and he told me no because he likes finding the root of the issue and working on bettering yourself
WeCanDoThisWeCanDoThis
- Date posted
- 5y
@Kea I would definitely look on the IOCDF website to look for approved OCD specialists in your area. From what I’ve seen, trying to find the “meaning” behind OCD thoughts is not the way to go for treatment. Good luck!
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