Health & Family seeing a Psychologist?

I disagree, you are very good with words

 

I do think that if one has a good support system, you don't need a psychologist. But plenty of people don't. I also believe that if you've had some kind of childhood trauma, an objective opinion can help you untangle the web. Children blame themselves for whatever happens in their lives because they are egocentric. Once anyone has experienced trauma, the brain wiring is changed. Some people can pull themselves out of it; some can't and need assistance. If a child has been a victim of sexual or physical abuse, it is proven that there are brain changes in the amygdala and elsewhere. If that child then has a supportive and primary care giver who shows love, that can go a long way to helping recovery. I think that's what Xenia is saying. For others, who are not so lucky, I've no doubt that a specialist can help.

 

+1. I'm a psychologist. Many of the viewpoints expressed in this thread are valid. Those that say you don't need a psychologist and those that say you do.

That is 200% true. If one has a good support system, one does not need a psychologist. But because of isolation, fragmentation and fear, many people don't have a good support system and may need a counsellor to help them clarify their thinking, work through the emotional baggage and vent their feelings, particularly sadness, depression and anxiety.

There are good psychologists and good psychiatrists but they're not always helpful for every situation and can do more harm than good for the patient/client. Not all are equally enlightened. There are also 'bad'' psychologists and 'bad' psychiatrists' Some are still very much in the dark. Just because they are licensed doesn't make them good. Just because they went to University and had some training doesn't make them good or always right.
In fact, psychology and psychiatry tertiary programs only go so far in preparing practitioners for clinical or counselling work.
Some people with no titles at all can be amazingly effective, supportive, loving and have more of an impact on someone's life than those with a title 'Doctor', 'psychologists', or 'psychiatrists'.

 

Excercise has been proven again and again to help lift moods.
34km is awesome work.

 

Definitely. There are some very bad Psychologists around and some very good ones. But even a good Psychologist won't be good for you if they are not a good fit.

I don't agree with this at all. I have seen a traditional Psychologist and he didn't focus on what was bothering me at all. I'm sure there are Psychologists around who do help their patients wallow in their own misery. I am also sure that approach is not at all helpful.

But this is exactly what a good Psychologist will do. When I was seeing a Psychologist, it was me who had to do all the work, not him. He was just a guide to get me to do the work. I'm sure there are Psychologists around who tell people what has gone wrong for them, setting up a victim mentality and getting them to play the blame game. Good Psychologists don't do this.

I think it is very unfair of you to lump all Psychologists together. There are good Psychologists and bad Psychologists, just like there are good Property Managers and bad Property Managers. I am sure you would not like to be lumped in with all the bad Property Managers out there. Your comments above do apply to some Psychologists that friends of mine have seen. The Psychologists they saw absolutely damaged them. One did not recover. However, it is wrong to extrapolate these experiences to all Psychologists and conclude that all Psychologists are bad.

I agree and this is what my Psychologist did with me. He didn't "tell" me anything. He guided me to do the work to create my own awareness. I had the answers but I needed a guide to unlock them. That is what a good Psychologist can do with a person who is prepared to do the work.

I think one reason why my experience was different to many was because my Psychologist told me from the start that he would not have "the answers" and that I would have to do the work myself. I think that is the difference between a good Psychologist and a bad Psychologist. A bad Psychologist thinks they can "fix" someone. A good Psychologist knows they can only guide someone to "fix" themselves.

I know people who have gone to Psychologists looking for answers and expecting the Psychologist to "fix" them. It doesn’t work like that. Actually, an acquaintance of mine saw the same Psychologist as me for years and it didn't help him one bit because he wasn't prepared to put the work in himself. So you can see a good Psychologist but if you are a "bad" patient it won't do any good

From the little you have written, your approach seems to be the right one to me. That is exactly the approach a good Psychologist will take with a patient who is prepare to do the work. I also agree with your negative comments about Psychologists in general. I can see why you would be negative about traditional Psychotherapy. There are so many people who have been damaged by Psychologists. I have close friends who have been damaged by seeing bad Psychologists and one has not recovered. My only issue that is not representative of all experiences with Psychologists. Some can be very empowering and helpful.

I don't agree. I had a great support system but I found that the people in my support system couldn't help me figure out what was going on in my head. It took a very good, very experienced Psychologist to do that. The interesting thing was that I still had to figure it all out for myself, I just needed a guide to figure out how to do that!

 

Ok. Now that I'm armed with the rules... do I report each post or just one from each member?

Add Value

• Posts should always be constructive and on topic - they should add value to the discussion or to the community.

Bike riding elsewhere please

... It may have been to a derailment tactic but let these things run their natural course. It was heading down "locked terrority" but managed to plod along without getting the claws out

Thanks for your time
-Mod jnr

 

bob
are you a mod in training,
oops back to topic, it's interesting

@Perthguy
we are all different, I never needed a psych when I suffered depression years ago, but I had great family support. One shoe does not fit all.

I guess what we believe is formed in part by our experiences, no right or wrong

 

Yes, you are right and I'm not suggesting that everyone who feels bad to run to a phych either. Years ago when I first started uni I got severe depression. I never sought help for it because I didn't need to. I recovered fine without professional help and never relapsed.

I got help for something different. My shrink never put a label on it so I can't tell you exactly what it was. All I knew was there was definitely something wrong and it wasn't something I could figure out on my own or with the help of my family or friends.

Even though I had a very good experience with a Psychologist, I still wouldn't recommend that people seek professional help as a first step. There are lots of steps between realising something is wrong and seeking professional help and many won't need professional help at all. People need to know that sometimes things can't be sorted out just by talking to a mate. They also need to know there are bad Psychologists out there who can seriously screw them up. Because of the very bad experiences of close friends, I would be quite reluctant to advise someone to seek professional help. But if they needed it, I would try to help find them good professional help.

 

I am happy it worked well for you, that is great.

 

I agree Perth
You are a trooper - well done x

 

Perthguy, yes you are probably right. There are people with really good support systems who still need psychological and/or psychiatric help--no matter how loving, caring and understanding the support system is.

 

You have to be careful who you see..

 

I didn't say it was the only thing that helps. The one saying her way works and the other ways don't is Xenia.

 

Has anyone heard of Acceptance and Committment theraphy .

 

I believe I said "I'm not entirely convinced it's helpful"
and I think I made it clear that there is something that works for ME (that is not psychology) and it was not about other people, I mentioned that several times.

However Tim - go with the story that makes you feel better, makes no difference to me - it's your head space.

 

I absolutely love it whenever someone tells me about how much they know about psychology having either picked up a book or majored in ONE or TWO subjects.

I usually tell them I am so very amazed by them because having been in this field for the past 10 years, I am continuing to learn each and every single day from both the people I work with, and also the people I meet. Maybe I am just not as intelligent as those who can figure it out in one or two majors; which is why I am still trying to figure it out and learn as I go along.

When you consider that we do have a minimum requirement of six formal years of education before one can be eligible for registration to earn the title of psychologist; your exposure of one or two majors is really barely scratching the surface of the discipline. In addition, clinical psychology is but one of the many disciplines of psychology.

As others have touched on, being a registered psychologist doesn't guarantee the efficacy of the treatment or experience. Psychologists are actually not allowed to advertise or mislead the public into thinking that our treatment methods will always be successful!

To some investors, getting loan approvals and managing their own IPs is not exactly rocket science and some prefer to do everything themselves. There are others who see the value and benefit of having dedicated specialists help them with some of these things to free them up to do the things that they prefer to concentrate on.

A public forum allows anyone the opportunity to air their views about anything under the sun. Being respectful of other professions and having the ability to see value in what someone else can do (even when you think you can do it yourself) requires introspection (and sometimes humility).

@Perthguy raised some very valid points and certainly helped reduce the amount of typing that I would have otherwise engaged in.

 

No, your view point actually isnt as valid As people with specific knowledge and expertise in the field, to claim otherwise is, imo a bit arrogant and ignorant.

My viewpoint on physics would not be as valid As Stephen hawking's would it?

 

Xenia I think your posts on this thread are so out of touch with reality.
What your saying is all well and good. But so is communism in theory.......

Point is, many people do not have the skills to process, comprehend, respond and deal with events in their lives.
For children under 12 especially this is a crucial time. Their brains are not fully developed yet and can not rationalise and process events. They internalise things and this leads to a precedent and programming of sorts.
This then sets up certain behaviours and actions for the future. A happens B is the reaction or how they deal with it.

90% of the decisions we make each day are done via our subsconscious. So to say you just think this or just do that is rubbish.
It takes time to 1. Recognise issues, 2. Understand them 3. Rationalise why we deal with them in a certain way 4. Come up with a conscious method for either coping with that or re-training our brain.

That is what a psychologist can help with. They help you with this process.
Isn't this a whole lot better than going to the psychiatrist and getting bloody anti depressants or anti anxiety meds?
People who want to take control of their emotions and understand their subconscious..

I am a believer in success principles, positive mindset, working on happiness daily, all that stuff. But mindfulness is like a muscle, it takes time and work and consistent application. Some people have never spent a minute doing this stuff and have a web of issues that need attention.
To say focusing on the past is negative is very insensitive if you ask me.
Your past doesn't define your future, okay. But someone going to address their past is a good start on the road to taking your personal power back..

Apologies for the long post everyone.
Hope you all have a wonderful Friday!!!