How has counseling/psychotherapy helped YOU?

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I was diagnosed with Aspergers about 2 months ago now, and I have yet to really take any action in improving my situation. I would like to start counseling/psychotherapy to work through my anxiety, and to learn better social skills, but I am kind of petrified.

I'm kind of a horrible concoction. I've gone through childhood trauma, had anxiety and depression my whole life, have been un-knowingly compensating for Aspergers my whole life, and I went through several years of eating disorders.

I also have terrible social skills. I find social interactions extremely stressful, so I avoid them as much as possible. I also have people tell me that I'm rude, even though I don't feel that I am. I have no concept of anyone else's feelings or perspectives, I HATE chit chat, and just thinking about socializing makes me tremble. I also have huge issues with trust, which is another reason this whole thing freaks me out.

So whatever therapist I see is going to have their hands full, and I'm kind of worried...

I was just wondering:

What benefits has therapy brought you?
Did you improve your social skills?
How long did it take?
Would you recommend it?

Psychotherapy didn't improve my social skills as such, it mostly helped with anxiety and confidence regarding other aspects of my life. I probably wouldn't get diagnosed with an anxiety disorder any more, before I'd have attacks several times a week.

Psychotherapy is only good if one is motivated to change. Otherwise, it's useless, and a waste of money.

It depends on whether the therapy orc ounselling was one to one or group related. I had some back in 1998-99 but it was group work and that was a hindrance to my therapy because the others in the same boat were allistic and that then was useless for me because they did not know/care I had Asperger syndrome but the traits of it the others found irritating which really put me off of allistic people

I have tried it many times. It has never really helped anything for me. But, some people report differently. So I guess you don't know until you try it?

Therapy has helped but it only seems to last for a short time. My last counselling session for the year is tonight ($$$) and I am curious to see how I will fare without anyone to talk to. It just seems like they really do not truly understand the root problem even when I try to spell it out for them.

I should add in that the best "therapist" I have is the pharmacist I go to. The guy is nothing short of incredible and even called me while away at a conference to check up on me! All his advice has been dead on and has advocated that pharmaceuticals are probably NOT my best option.

Yes, it's helped me tremendously. I've been in therapy a few times in my life.

I look at it like this. If you're ready and willing to get in the car and take the roadtrip to a new place - a therapist can give you the map you need.

If you don't want to take that roadtrip, them the map may be interesting but isn't of much practical use.

I really do want to change. I feel like my social skills become worse by the day, and people I love grow more and more frustrated with me for not seeking help.

A good therapist is worth 10X their weight in gold - it can be a bit of work to find one that is right for you however. Don't be afraid to interview them, telling them your issues and what you're looking for, and ask what their experience is with helping autistic people and what their therapeutic approach is. You are, after all, their client.

Mine was able to help me greatly to be far less stressed and anxious, helped me to relax and be myself more, was able to help me to put some big issues behind me, and help me to develop practical stratgies for dealing with certain issues in my life. Finally, she was able to make me understand that it's OK to be me and that I shouldn't be ashamed of myself.

Good luck & take care.

I´ve tried it many times before, but apparently with the wrong focus. I ended up with layers of diffuse, wrong dx´es.
After the real dx it can be helpful to find out, why ones life came out the way it did.
It is important to understand, how AS affected you, what the family didn´t understand, what pissed off the employers and-so-on-and-so-forth.
It is important to learn, that you´re not a "wrong", weak person, that you´re ok as you are.

I myself am socially quite good, though a little awkward and quirky at times. Therapy has been gold for me, but still I have only half way recognized my difference yet. I´m working on it.

How long it takes depends on who´s in therapy whith whom. I´m the slow type
You have some traumas to deal with too, so expect a longer period,. Therapy is a growth process. It can´t be done in two months, - but make sure, that the therapist has a solid experience with ASD.

I always took comfort in the fact that it?s the therapists job to help you. If they don?t they don?t get paid and are thus harmed. Unless they are a masochist their intention is to make it a positive experience so you will return.

1:
Benefits. I understand social interactions better as I?ve asked and learned. I especially enjoyed learning about the way other people think because I never realized how vastly different it was.

It helped with anxiety because apparently there is a very large gap between average human actions and killing someone so it should not be an ?active? concern in my current environment. And I eventually came to agree with my therapist that generally speaking humans want to be considered good people by their specific cultures or cults because it ensures social integration which is their primary concern. Truly odd that survival isn?t; it took me a long time to understand that one.

It?s also helped me to understand myself better in regards to emotions and their influence on my mind.

2:
I havn?t improved my social skills per say but my social understanding has increased. And social skills were not my primary goal to achieve anyway.

3:
Year and a half and counting.

4:
Absolutely, it is a step undeniably aiming forward and if you go the health care route it?s free here in Canada so nothing to loose.

I have had a great deal of experience in psychotherapy, as a patient. But in the past when I've tried to talk about it, people don't believe me, and I get bullied -- people say that I am lying about my therapy experiences. So I am a little afraid to talk. Let me just say that therapy has *not* been good for me.

They're supposed to help you?
I've never had a psychologist offer me anything I hadn't already thought of.
I go and vent... they offer a perspective that doesn't come automatically to me.

I go back because I get to talk to someone without having to self censor or mask.

-What benefits has therapy brought you?
I have had a number of therapists since 2018. Some were meh, some where alright, and some were great. The most helpful therapist I had was in 2022, I believe. She had so many resources and a wide range of knowledge.

-Did you improve your social skills?
The only improvement in my social skills came from working customer service. The therapist I consider the best one I had didn't catch onto my autism, though she helped confirm my ADHD. But I was also 3 years into my customer service job at the time.

-How long did it take?
Years of trial and error w different therapists.

-Would you recommend it?
It can be very helpful if you find the right person.

I have had bits of therapy here and there over the years and in all honestly, I have not found it particularly useful. Perhaps I have just had bad luck with the therapists I have seen in terms of their quality?