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bacunator
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20 Dec 2010, 9:52 pm

The title says it all.



Mindslave
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20 Dec 2010, 10:03 pm

Talk about yourself. And ask questions too, because otherwise you don't get help.



RaquiGirl
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20 Dec 2010, 11:47 pm

I have the same problem... I never know what to say and it always feels pointless.. The trouble is that most people are helped by talking about their problems with a therapist, but I have learned that I have to talk to a therapist who can give me clear-cut directions on what to do, or exercises to help solve my problems. Just talking about it seems pointless to me and doesn't help me "feel better" at all, so sometimes it takes a while to find a therapist who will give me practical guidelines for solving my issues, rather than one who just wants to talk about my problems without doing anything about them. Bleh.


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mv
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21 Dec 2010, 9:31 am

RaquiGirl wrote:
I have the same problem... I never know what to say and it always feels pointless.. The trouble is that most people are helped by talking about their problems with a therapist, but I have learned that I have to talk to a therapist who can give me clear-cut directions on what to do, or exercises to help solve my problems. Just talking about it seems pointless to me and doesn't help me "feel better" at all, so sometimes it takes a while to find a therapist who will give me practical guidelines for solving my issues, rather than one who just wants to talk about my problems without doing anything about them. Bleh.


This. x1000. I think this is why therapy has *never* helped me. And even when I ask for specific direction, they give me what they consider "coping techniques" instead and that's useless to me. Not one has ever said, "I'm sorry, but that's not how the therapeutic process works, at least not in my practice. I can't help you." So I keep going and it gets ridiculous and I quit.



leejosepho
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21 Dec 2010, 9:50 am

mv wrote:
RaquiGirl wrote:
I have the same problem... I never know what to say and it always feels pointless.. The trouble is that most people are helped by talking about their problems with a therapist, but I have learned that I have to talk to a therapist who can give me clear-cut directions on what to do, or exercises to help solve my problems. Just talking about it seems pointless to me and doesn't help me "feel better" at all, so sometimes it takes a while to find a therapist who will give me practical guidelines for solving my issues, rather than one who just wants to talk about my problems without doing anything about them. Bleh.


This. x1000.

Yes.

Chuck Swindoll, a Christian pastor -- http://thinkexist.com/quotes/charles_r._swindoll/ -- once said something to this effect:

"Anyone who attempts to help someone else without having first overcome the same difficulty ought to be shot!"

Finding a therapist with true life experience that can actually help people like us is virtually impossible. So, the best I have ever done with them is to just try to pick up a few good thoughts along the way.


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MidlifeAspie
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23 Dec 2010, 2:46 pm

leejosepho wrote:
"Anyone who attempts to help someone else without having first overcome the same difficulty ought to be shot!"


That is quite a "christian" sentiment. Wishing death on those who wish to help others?



Malisha
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24 Dec 2010, 6:58 pm

You get as much out of therapy as you put in.

WHY are you in therapy? That is the biggest part of the answer to what you should do in sessions.

I vent my frustration over clumsiness due to more-severe-than-most dyspraxia, talk about my anger and frustration at my job, my worries about my relationships, and sometimes talk about past events that have some significance attached to them, happy or sad.
Solutions offered by my therapist include referral to an occupation therapist for the dyspraxia, a sympathetic ear for the frustrations, and advice like sending business emails instead of making phone calls.

Also, your therapist may suck. shop around.



bjcirceleb
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27 Dec 2010, 3:42 am

Why are you there and what do you want from them is the first question to ask yourself. Having said that I do need a person who can assist me with the process of opening up, and not just expect me to come in with problems to talk about, especially given the difficulty I have with verbal communication. She has made referrals to other places, including an occupational therapist, helped me to deal with other agencies when I can't cope with the phone and allowed me to email her as often as I need. The fact is my favourite form of communication is the written word and the only way I communicate feelings and emotions is in writing. Part of what I want to gain at present is to be able to talk about emotions and feelings, to recognise them in myself and to learn some self soothing strategies. Finding the current one has been hard I cannot expect just anyone to know what to do with me, and I do interview them first to get a gut feeling so to speak, ask them how they suggest we work on this, etc. At present we talk about what I have sent her in emails in the previous week. It is the best way we have found between us for me to learn to communicate my emotions in verbal form and feels "right" at the moment, but she is also open to change at any moment. She talks and does not expect me to know what to say, etc.



djeidot
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02 Jan 2011, 6:28 pm

If you have been in therapy and still can't figure out what to say, I say get a new therapist.

A good therapist will ask you the right questions, never let the conversation run out and give you something new to learn in each session. It feels good and relaxing to let him/her take control of the conversation so you don't have to worry about it.

In my sessions we don't do exercises or games, we just talk. Usually I start by talking about my week, but we quickly diverge into other matters (like how it's awkward to be in total silence with someone else). Sometimes he talks more than I do. I like that because I don't feel compelled to talk, and I always learn something new.


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