I have decided I should probably go get therapy of some sort.

[lightningandsnow]

Seriously, I've found out that some of the sanest, most level-headed people I know have been going to shrinks for years.

So I figured with everything that's happening, it might be a good idea.

I'll let you know how it goes!

[BarenakedLady]

1. I've been through therapy

It is nothing to be ashamed about.

Good luck.

[TZ]

2. good.

See if you can get your parents to go to some sort of group therapy/family counseling. I think that would be a very good thing.

[Guava Jelly]

3. Best of luck to you

There is never any shame in seeking help.
:D

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. i was in therapy for years. loved it. if i had time and money i would do it again/

[lightningandsnow]

6. Oh my god, I love your signature.

That was totally off topic but I thought I should say it. :)

[qb]

8. I went to a walk-in center and donated what I could afford.

Sometimes the interns who volunteer at the center have the best, freshest insight :)

[fizzgig]

5. as bnl said above me, there is no shame in therapy

i spent many years in therapy and would go back if i could afford to do so

good on you for wanting to take care of yourself and good luck :hug:

[qb]

7. Go for it! Good for you!

I talk to a therapist when things don't feel quite right. It's what healthy people do!

[DarkTirade]

9. Do what you need to do to stay healthy.

:)

[Inchworm]

10. Therapy is what you make it

Going because you choose to is the best way.

Good luck!

:hug::applause::hi:

[Perry Logan]

11. If you play your cards right, they'll give you drugs.

[ceile]

12. Good for you!

Realizing that you need a little extra help is the first step. Very proud of you! :hug:

[otherlander]

13. I go to therapy

Took forever, but after one who did absolutley nothing, one who was a control freak, and one who pathologized everything right down to my hairdye, I finally found a good therapist. w00t. Good luck getting help. :hi:

[Critters2]

15. I had one who pathologized everything.

Way crazier than I was!! "Why do you wear a coat with a hood?" "Because it's cold...?" "Not everyone wears a hood, even when it's colder than it is now." "Umm...no. But some people do. Are you implying that all hood-wearing people are crazy?" "Did I use the word 'crazy'?" "So hood-wearing people aren't crazy?" "Why do you care who's crazy or who's not?"

After that, I saw a cognitive behavioral guy. Very good. And only felt I needed a few weeks of therapy.

I only refer to CBT people now. I'm not going to subject my parishioners to hour-long discussions of winter head coverings at $150.00 a pop!

[lightningandsnow]

17. Hoods? Hairdye? WTF?

Aren't therapists supposed to be the sane ones?

[FuzzySlippers]

18. Absolutely!

I haven't done CBT, but if I were to seek therapy again, it's the only thing I would consider. All this open-ended psycho-dynamic crap can be crazy-making, especially if you get somebody incompetent, which I always managed to do.

[Critters2]

24. Yeah, The CBT guy said we mostly needed to work on my recovery

from that neo-freudian asshole.

[tekisui]

14. I have gone to therapy, as well.

My wife still does. It is very helpful.

Best of luck to you!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. My dear Aspiegrrl...

I'm in therapy now...and have been for a while...

It has helped a lot!

I'm just going monthly now...just to talk, and stay in touch...

And this isn't the first time, either...

A couple of times before, years ago...

The first time, it saved my life...not literally, though!

I was depressed, and I got away from it...

Good luck to you, sweetie...

[FunkyLeprechaun]

19. I went to therapy

Since I've been having trouble with something that happened during elementary school (it was a very traumatising time, some people believed I didn't belong in school since I was deaf).

Really helped me so much.

Better to talk to a stranger at a pub than anything though... much cheaper! :-)

[SammyWinstonJack]

20. I tried it once and it didn't help me at all. I can't talk to strangers, so that was a problem.

Also anti depressant drugs don't work for me, so basically I am screwed. :shrug: Hope it works for you. Good luck! :thumbsup:

[lost-in-nj]

21. I have been there....

an awesome outlet....
and the thought process is intense but worth it

and knowing you need to go is a great step forward....

:hug:

good luck sweetie

and DO NOT HOLD BACK.... remember they can't help if you don't tell them everything....

lost

[siligut]

22. Yes, let us know.

I have thought about this, as you are so young. Therapy can be useful if you can find the right therapist. Ask questions, talk to other aspies in your area, ask who they see. I saw someone had suggested the Geneva Centre, I think they can help suggest possible therapists.

Why I have thought about it, well, doing without meds may be the best thing, but if they can improve your quality of life, then you have to weigh the downside. The downside being, a reliance on something outside yourself, and of course, side effects.

I agree with the poster who said to not worry about what is considered normal, be you and work within that. As others have said, you are bright and fun and you deserve to do well.

[Critters2]

23. Go to a cognitive behavioral therapist.

It's the only therapy that's been clinically proven to be helpful. Doesn't muck around with all that "Do you love your mother?" crap. Just deals with what's going wrong now, and how to change or cope with it.

I tend to think of psycho-dynamic, Freudians, neo-freudians, Jungians, etc as glorified phone psychics. Their job is to keep you coming back and paying for as long as possible. Repeat--their job is NOT to help you get well. CBT is your friend.

Critters
a little bitter

[otherlander]

28. Hey, I don't want to hijack this thread, but...

I was just kind of wondering about the conflict between cognitive therapy and humanistic therapy. Especially the "person-centered" branch of humanistic therapy, which seems pretty practical. It doesn't bring up any crap, doesn't really bring up much of anything, because the patient decides what to talk about and what he/she wants changed. Do you feel that this kind of therapy is a time-consuming trap? Because the way I see it, it offers a way to avoid the all-too-common problems of doctors dictating to patients what should be changed about them, pushing unwanted "help", etc. In short, I feel that it is more respectful of autonomy than many other psychological schools of thought, but I know that there's a lot of conflict between cognitive and humanistic ways of thinking, so I was just wondering what you thought about that.

[laylah]

25. Therap is a good thing

AspieGrrl. I went for many years and would again if I could afford it. :hug: I have always felt it is the strong ones that know they can't do alone and have no fear of reaching out. Good luck.

[RainDog]

26. glad you decided about this issue

and, of course, I've seen a therapist too... considering my weird life (nevermind.)

As someone else mentioned, Cognitive Therapy can be really helpful. But with the situation you're facing right now, and without having seen a therapist, whoever you see will want to do an "interview" to get to know you and what you want to work on, emotionally.

there's also a good book called Feeling Good by Dan Burns that has good information about the ways we talk to ourselves that is really counterproductive.

[mokawanis]

27. such a good idea

I wish everyone had access to therapy because it's so beneficial. I went for marriage counseling for 3 or 4 months and my wife and I found it very helpful.