Group Counselling Sessions with a psychologist

@Sadness2015

I am sorry to hear that you have been badly let down by your psychologist. I can relate to the anger you are feeling because I had a problem with a health professional a while back that caused me a huge amount of anxiety, but I won't go into it here.

There are still some free counselling services out there - as I have discovered. I am on a waiting list for one right now - they are saying it will be 4 months before I get to see anyone. I looked into seeing a psychiatrist in private practice but the cost would be over $600 out of pocket for the first session. It sounds like too much money to me, I'm not sure it would be worth in it my case.

It's very hard to trust people when something like this happens - did you feel you were making progress before this in the 2 and a half years (am i right?) that you were seeing this person prior to her moving jobs? If you don't mind me asking?

I've heard of group therapy. I wanted to try it at one point, but my counsellor advised me against it. I don't know really, but she might have thought I was too fragile to listen to other people's tragic experiences. She might have been right about that.

Hi @Sadness2015

@DahliaDreams

Sorry for the let down. Our medical system seems to be under economic stress and clients are definitely negatively effected by these titanic changes.

I have had mixed results with geoup therapy.

*Trigger warning: child abuse

*

* Around the age of 30, I found that * most of my attempts to connect * to people failed miserably. I went into * a depressive and psychotic state.

*

* Fortunately, under the advisement of * a government psychologist, I was * placed into one of the only group * specialising in male survivors of child * abuse. That was a revelatory experience * for me. It was like reconnecting to a * family that spoke my mother's tongue * for the firat time. I had the privilege * to hear of our commonality and our * diversity. I was strengthened by this * experience. It wasn't a magic pill, but * it was instrumental in my process to * of self knowledge.

The second attempt wasn't great. It was a conflict resolution process based on the theory that a group of combatants would listen and understand each perspective. There was one facilitator and four silent assessors that listened and gave feedback back. It was a disaster and was incredibly poorly managed. The combatant that was most aggrieved was essentially shouting into the face of her dying mother. Although the daughter was severely mentally ill, the facilitator and the group of assessors were a insult to the psychology profession.

So all I can say from my experience, is that group counselling is like one-on-one counselling. It just depends on whether there is good will on the part of each participant.

Hope you get what you need.

Kind regards

J.

@Sadness2015 ''Sorry you are going through this, especially when so much else is going on. There are problems with too many revolving doors in the system and lack of commitment to clients.

I am not buying the poor me whinge from MH professionals. There are heaps of professionals that get less money. I did a year group therapy training in the 90s but never practised in that modality. That at least that was money well spent. i could apply therapeutic ideas to myself, without having to endure stigma and bias and immaturity of those more than adequately paid clinicians who do not deliver. i do what i can socially but am also pretty vulnerable.

@J_Ozglad you did get one good experience. Yes the connecting can be tricky in groups. It can depend on the individuals in the group and the facilitator. There are people who care. I actually thought there would have been a LOT more groups by now, but the professions seem more motivated by greed and ease, than doing the work. i am not sure online options are meeting the real needs.

@DahliaDreams