First assignment - anything I should know about/prepare for?

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Buggins
Blue Jay
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12 Mar 2013, 6:05 pm

Hello there. Finally got myself to seek help, and now, I'm a bit nervous as I've never been to a therapist/psychologist before.
Is there anything I should be prepared for, besides the standard diagnostic questionnaires? (I'm just a bit uncomfortable about sharing my thoughts with someone who's basically a complete stranger...)



MollyTroubletail
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12 Mar 2013, 6:28 pm

Your best bet is to actually tell them that you feel this way. They're used to it and understand. You can be quite a lot more open about how you're feeling than in regular life. It's actually quite a relief once you are used to it.



JeepGuy
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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12 Mar 2013, 10:58 pm

Sharing personal thoughts with anyone is very troubling for me. When it comes to mental health professionals the only thing that has always allowed me to open up and be less anxious is to keep in mind that there is a very important binding thing called PATIENT CONFIDENTIALTY. As Molly said you will get used to it. Now if I could only figure out how to get my psychiatrist to more freely share his thoughts with me ... :wink:


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goldfish21
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12 Mar 2013, 11:13 pm

Don't think of them as a stranger. Think of them as a human resource with specialized knowledge that's capable of helping you if you utilize them. Whether you're paying the bill, insurance or public taxes are, get the most out of your time & money spent by just getting right into whatever it is you've got to deal with so that they're best able to do their job and provide value in return. It's a business meeting, you're employing them & what they know, so act like a boss and open up and start talking like you value your time and want to get the most out of your new employee.


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