Posted by KB on January 31, 2002, at 6:04:46
In reply to Re: Choosing a Therapist or Pdoc, posted by kiddo on January 30, 2002, at 15:01:38
I chose my first therapist because, in a desperate moment, I looked down at a copy of a gay/lesbian newsletter on my table and saw her ad.
Though this is probably not an ideal method - though she was great - it does suggest an idea: if you have attributes that are important to you, you can narrow the field with them (it was important to me at that time to have a lesbian therapist).My second therapist I got through a referral service - I met with their interviewer, who asked me LOTS of questions and she called me back a couple days later with a referral, who I'm still seeing. There are usually referral services with different themes - I used an art therapy one, but here in NYC there are gay/esbian ones, feminist ones, etc.
Finally, if you friend might want/need meds, she should find a therapist who's a)OK with meds and b) has a working relationship with a pdoc. I mention this b/c my first therapist was very into alternative medicine and had me taking herbs and stuff and never suggested meds to me, even though I was suicidal and cutting. When the second one
suggested seeing a pdoc, I was very scared, but it helped a lot that she knew him and could tell me about him - if I'd had to find a pdoc on my own, I wouldn't have been able to.Hope that helps.
poster:KB
thread:17539
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020125/msgs/17592.html