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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by flyoverthis@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Hello,

Lately I have been overwhelmed with my schedule, finances and social life. I am always trying to improve my mental health. With all of this stress I am considering therapy, mainly for someone to talk, to process all my thoughts, and maybe help me develop ideas or come up with strategies to cope better. I have ADHD, Autism, and some other things if that helps anyone relate.

I have three main questions:

Has therapy helped you enough to be worth the time?

Is it very difficult to find a therapist you mesh with?

How do I find a therapist? From a doctor's referral? Online service? Through insurance? (I live in the United States.)

Any experience or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I just wanted to thank everyone for your help and support! I hope everyone is doing well and has seen positive changes. And I hope all these replies help other people besides myself. I'm feeling more positive and hopeful toward finding the right therapist. Your kindness is appreciated!

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[-] negativeyoda@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

If you think you need it, likely yes but finding the right therapist who meshes with you is absolutely crucial. You have to do your research and also understand that with the world essentially on fire that lots of therapists are booked up. I've spoken to people who have just not worked with me personality wise and others who I've thought were just shitty.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us is a good start. You can sort by what you're looking for and who might take your insuance. A tip: create a spreadsheet with who you've contacted, their response and whether they offered a referral. Treat it like job hunting. You're going to need to reach out to a lot of people. Most will get back to you within a business day, but it's been my experience that nearly 3/4ths of therapists on that site who say they have openings do not in fact have openings. Be picky and trust your gut on your initial consult.

Best of luck

[-] flyoverthis@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the website and tips! It really helps take the stress off of the search itself.

[-] negativeyoda@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

The searching is the worst part. Be methodical so you don't get overwhelmed!

[-] flyoverthis@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I've been applying to software developer jobs lately. This all sounds very familiar. At least I have a system. Haha!

I'll try to take it one step at a time.

this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023

142 points (99.3% liked)

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