Decided I'm going to therapy

[Hey Nikki!]

I've given up. There is just something mentally wrong with me that makes me unlikeable. My parents won't help me. My family is unwilling. I need to find out what it is. My mind has been played with for 3 years now. It's time for change.

Can anyone tell me what's going to happen the first time I go to therapy?

[Through-Glass]

Hi,

Therapy can be really scary at first, but it is well worth it in the end. It's a great way to sort through your emotions, as well as get advice and support. I'm so glad that you have decided to take this step towards recovery!

Most often, the psychologist will ask you about your family life, social life, and why you have decided to come in to therapy. You will not actually start to work through your problems until he or she gets to know you a bit.

Good luck! Take care.

[Eighmeekins]

Normally the first session is a little longer then the rest will be. She or He will probably have a notepad and jot down every little thing you say. They might ask about your relationships with your friends and family. Also how you like school and how you view yourself(at least this is what mine did). Your first meeting will be scary and a little awkward but the more He/She gets to know you the more you will focus on individual problems.

[BigBL87]

First, above all, you didn't give up! Instead of giving up, you're taking action. It's really important to realize that, as you are making a positive change.

What the first session will be like depends on the counselor and the techniques they use. Usually, though, at least part of the first session will be spent obtaining your background information, or your "story." That will indicate the direction that you will likely take in therapy. The rest of the session from that point depends, again, on the school of psychology that the therapist espouses.

[Adam]

Hey Nikki

I'm very proud of you for taking the decision to go to therapy. It can be a scary experience before you go there thinking about what could happen. I was scared before I first started going to therapy... but it's not as bad as some people think it is!

On my first session they basically did an initial assessment of my mental health, asking me questions about how I felt, if I had ever thought of things, feel things etc. You just have to answer them with a yes or no answer, and tell them a little bit about why you want therapy, what made you make the decision to ask for it etc.

If they decide that you do need therapy to make you feel better, they will tell you what type and what it will involve. That's the perfect opportunity to ask any questions that you may have or clear up any worries!

Good luck!

[Hey Nikki!]

Wait a minute, you guys are saying that this is the opposite of giving up?

But it seems like I am, because even though I tried to get help from everyone (me, my parents, and grandparents), nothing worked, and I have to resort to therapy as a last option. I feel like I failed at helping myself, and I have to resort to talking to a professional for help. And my parents feel like they've failed me, too...ah well, it's actually their decisions that made my life so screwy in the first place...

On the upside, all 4 of you guys can't possibly be wrong. You're proud of me for reaching out, and I thank you all for the encouraging words. Maybe there IS something this therapy will do for me. I've decided that I've gone through depression long enough, and this is gonna be the LAST year.

I won't stand for this.
I'm fighting back.
This has gone on long enough.
It's time for a change and time to make people proud of me, instead of having them feel sorry for me all the time.

[Adam]

I definitely think it is the opposite of giving up. You are doing something about it, you are achieving something, and you will get better! You might have tried before... but this is just another shot with somewhere much more likely to work. It's like searching for some biscuits in the washing machine, then car, then garden, then cupboard. Sure, you might find them in all of those... but much more likely in the cupboard.

And just by the way you said "I'm fighting back" means you think that you are not giving up? I'm proud of you!

[OhaiThere]

Originally Posted by Hey Nikki!

Wait a minute, you guys are saying that this is the opposite of giving up?

Right, because when you make a conscious effort to go to someone who can help you better yourself as a person, you are giving up.

I've tried therapy before, I can't say it worked, but I really never cared about it too much, so I stopped going after awhile. Hopefully your experience will be better tha mine was. Then again, I had a very weird therapist.

[Hey Nikki!]

Originally Posted by OhaiThere

Right, because when you make a conscious effort to go to someone who can help you better yourself as a person, you are giving up.

I've tried therapy before, I can't say it worked, but I really never cared about it too much, so I stopped going after awhile. Hopefully your experience will be better tha mine was. Then again, I had a very weird therapist.

That's another possibility-a therapist that might not help me as much as I want them to. Hell, they might even make my problems worse. But my mom found me a nice one back in July. I was going to go way back then, but we called it off because I started feeling better.

Now I think I should've went. My mom avoided the problem instead of addressing it. She thought I was magically 'cured' of depression within a month, but that's impossible, no matter how good that month was. It might take years for me to get over this, so I think in my most desperate times, I should start soon. Maybe by the end of this week.

[whenitrains]

Good luck! I hope it goes well for you <3 I'm not sure what your therapist is like, but with mine, my first time was just a lot of background information that she needed to know.

[Hey Nikki!]

Now my mom won't let me go!!!
UGH! THERAPY IS THE ONLY THING LEFT THAT CAN HELP ME ON THIS EARTH!
And she won't let me go because she thinks she can make it up to me- which she can't, because her decisions are the reasons for why I'm so miserable- and she doesn't want to a pay a hundred dollars for me to tell a therapist bad things about her.

Um, maybe therapy isn't worth it...I really don't know...can a therapist actually make changes in your life? Or are they just there to hear your life story and comfort you? Because I need change, not sympathy.

[ghostoverground]

Therapy is definitely worth it in my opinion. A therapist will do as much or as little as you want.. hopefully. If you tell him/her that you are interested in making changes in your life, then he/she will help you do that. If all you need is someone to listen to you (which can be enough to help yourself make changes) then he/she is there for that too. Just discuss your goals at the beginning, or once you feel comfortable enough to.

Maybe tell your mom that she can make it up to you by letting you go?

[Hey Nikki!]

Thanks. I'm gonna talk to my mom about it tonight. I'm tired of feeling lonely and depressed and it's time I speak up about it, instead of avoiding the problem.

[M...]

Originally Posted by Hey Nikki!

Thanks. I'm gonna talk to my mom about it tonight. I'm tired of feeling lonely and depressed and it's time I speak up about it, instead of avoiding the problem.

Good. I have a therapist, she's really nice, it's not at all what I expected, she did alot for me even though I wasn't sure I wanted the help, I wish you a ton of luck, and I'm sure your mother will come around, voice your opinion and speak up, tell your mom no, I want to go, I need to go. Make her notice that this is something that having a bit of extra help with, can get you through this problem. I wish you tons and tons of good luck with your struggles and searches. (If you'd like to know anything else about my epxirience whit therapists or anything else you can go ahead an PM me I'm always here when I'm needed )

[Cammygirl]

therapy is worth it, absolutely. i'm now without a therapist and i feel miserable again. for me, life without therapy is scary and beyond my control, and even though i can definitely say that a supporting family helps, therapy and that are extremely different. first you need a counsellor, then a nice mom that can help you on your way of recovery.

[Hey Nikki!]

Originally Posted by M...

Good. I have a therapist, she's really nice, it's not at all what I expected, she did alot for me even though I wasn't sure I wanted the help, I wish you a ton of luck, and I'm sure your mother will come around, voice your opinion and speak up, tell your mom no, I want to go, I need to go. Make her notice that this is something that having a bit of extra help with, can get you through this problem. I wish you tons and tons of good luck with your struggles and searches. (If you'd like to know anything else about my epxirience whit therapists or anything else you can go ahead an PM me I'm always here when I'm needed )

Thanks. I need all the luck I can get!
Guess what? My mom finally said yes. She said it even before I did. She noticed how I wasn't hungry last night at dinner, and she thought it was because I was depressed (half-true; I don't have an appetite anymore) and she said 'It's time, isn't it?'

Now all we have to do is fine a therapist near me.