Posted by John on May 31, 1999, at 8:29:02
In reply to Am I paying too much for therapy?, posted by mila on May 29, 1999, at 2:15:12
> I recently started therapy. As i have no insurance, I am forced to borrow money from my parents to pay for it. We are paying $175.00 per 45 min session. I have decided to go with this expensive psychdoctor/psychotherapist because he was recommended to me as being very good and necessary for myself given my history of 5 years of bad treatment. The person who made the recommendation is a highly regarded high profile psychiatrist so I trusted his judgement.
>
> So far I have had two sessions which were both rather uneventful and seemingly unhelpful. I feel terrible for paying someone that kind of money after simply talking about whatever comes to mind at the time, and getting little feedback. Are the first few sessions of therapy supposed to be like this? Am I just wasting my money? Or is this an investment that will pay off in the longterm?Mila, for that kind of money you are entitled to no less than superb treatment. A good doc can, and should, help you feel like a million dollars in one meeting. I have had good ones and mediocre ones, and I know. Kind of like a real good coach on a team giving a winning pep talk. If you haven't left the docs office on your first two visits without feeling like you have a new chance, a new hope, I personally would move on. A good doc will display so much wisdom and pack so much into an hour as to seem almost godly or magical. These mental conditions we deal with are too delibilitating and potentially deadly to be wasting time with someone who isn't going to come out swinging for a home run immediately. Sure, good counsel does take time, but good counsel also makes itself known and obvious on the first meeting. And when you know you have good counsel, the cost no longer seems important. The cost is only an issue when you feel you aren't getting relief. If you don't walk out of that office feeling 50 pounds lighter, twice as happy, twice as strong, and twice as wise, the doc isn't even worth $20. Maybe to someone else, but not you. John.
poster:John
thread:6789
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990601/msgs/6861.html