Difficulty getting GP help for abuse and CPTSD

Hello,

I’m just wondering if anyone here is from South Australia and knows some good alternatives to getting help for CPTSD, especially when it is related to DV?

Both times that I have been to see a GP to get a mental health care plan in relation to DV (over 5 years apart) I have been medically gaslit about my experiences and pushed into a corner for whatever substandard assistance they think I need (or just as a token gesture to get me out of the clinic). I feel like unless you turn up with your head bashed in or unless you are married with children, you will not be taken seriously.

It has been incredibly disappointing as both GPs were women and I assumed they would be understanding- or at the very least ask me a patient history that reflected symptoms of C/PTSD - but on both occasions, I was made to seem like I was wasting their time and making things up and that they have requirements for Medicare that they need to fulfil before they can give me a MHCP. I totally understand why boxes need to be ticked - but they only went off of face value and didn’t even bother to ask me about my symptoms or experiences.

Most recently my abusive relationship ended with an incredibly traumatic event - but I didn’t have enough money to support myself so have had to keep pushing through at work to just survive but consequently having to try and handle / process the shock and trauma alone. Early on I did visit the Urgent Mental Health Care Unit and spoke to an amazing psychologist and peer support worker there. The psychologist was a male and I could not thank him enough for his validation and understanding. He set me up with help from Uniting SA who were also good at checking in with me and helping come up with a plan - but it is obviously only basic voluntary support for a limited time. My (ex)partner has also left me stuck in a position where I cannot access the EVP, but he has also not contributed to helping pay the rent or bills.

Due to certain circumstances I am completely isolated at the moment - bar being able to go to work and at least see my colleagues there. But I do not get to go out and see friends or do much self care. So I have gone through an emotional roller coaster processing shock, then processing trauma, then falling into a dark abyss of grief and now I feel sick with anxiety and my brain is completely fogged up. I needed to have seen a mental health professional months ago, so am now desperate.

i have contacted both Beyond Blue and Lifeline but found them to be pretty unhelpful in my situation. It seems all anyone can assist with is telling you how to pack a bag and make a plan - it is soooo hard to get psychological help for the effects(affects?) of DV.

1800respect on the other hand have been absolutely amazing- I went into a bit of a mental breakdown/freeze mode after my recent GP experience and so called 1800 and the senior counsellor was amazing at staying on the phone with me until I felt better. She was so validating and supportive.

i guess what I am trying to get at through my long winded post is my frustration that there are these small pockets of once-off help you can get when you are experiencing abuse - but to get validation or continued care from anywhere else seems impossible. And yet - victims are experiencing systematic trauma repeatedly over years. I’m at the point where I almost want to give myself a black eye just so that a GP might potentially take me seriously.

i went onto SANE today hoping to ask these questions in the counsellor chat - but not realising it is only open on Monday to Friday. So I am wondering if anyone else out there has had a similar experience and how they managed to find adequate help.
in particular- I would love to hear from people in Adelaide who have managed to find help here and if there are any recommendations for therapists with specialisation in DV and CPTSD. When I saw a psychologist years ago, she was lovely but I don’t think she was equipped to work with DV and I not only felt gaslit by the CBT exercises but also the amount of homework I had to do led to further abuse from my partner at the time.

so yes - apologies for the long post. But please throw any and all suggestions my way.

thank you Xx