rough time

yeah @CheerBear i spoke to her last session and said i wasnt sure about counselling and she said the best way she can see me moving forward was to try and do some of the trauma work and start to work through it all. thats what they all keep saying each time ive said something and i can see where they are coming from becasue i dont see the point in talking about the same old crap happening day in and day out in my life all the time.

sorry @CheerBear i dont mean to be abit snappy. just abit frustrated and so many things going on that i dont even know where to start really.

If all counselling was to me was talking about the same old crap happening all the time, I think I'd be considering getting out also @outlander.

I find different people have different perspectives on trauma and how to work with someone who has experienced big trauma. I am seeing one person who works with the idea that you don't need to speak about it to be able to heal. My clinical psych, who I've been seeing for more than 5 years, thinks that one day I might benefit from some kind of talking about it with someone who works like he does, though he thinks it might be a while away. He knows little more than the type of stuff that happened and no details beyond that. I still find huge benefit in working with him as I learn and refine coping skills, he helps me challenge some unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, prompts me to find my own answers to dilemmas I am facing, reminds me of things that have helped me in the past etc.

I guess what I'm getting at is that there is potentially a lot to gain from going to counselling or talk therapy without needing to go in to the details of things you don't want to. If taking about it is not what you want to do then maybe it is time to look for someone else. I know you've tried a few people in the past and I know that it gets hard to keep trying though.

In saying all of that, if you did want to talk about what happened to work through it and you think you're ready, then it sounds like you have that option too.

I didnt take what you said as snappy @outlander 🙂 I understand what it is like to feel overwhelmed, stuck and frustrated. It can be a cycle or like a snowball, where everything starts to pile up and get hard. It sucks. Big hugs x

thanks for understanding @CheerBear

when i go into counselling sessions now i dont even know what to say. ive had to 'restart' so many times already.
i find it really hard to even talk about family in those sessions, even those things like pops illnesses etc. i just cant open my mouth to say anything it almost feels wrong. i dont really know how to explain it....

The headspace psych im seeing atm, she is trying to understand i suppose but things are complicated too, even complicated for me and im living in it. We had talked about how we would go about trauma work and shes suggested slow exposure therapy. so i dont have to actually talk about it right now unless i want to but itll be steps like looking at pictures of dogs or going to the park where some are playing- those sorts of things all while talking about the emotions and memories and associated things.
its really hard having only 10 sessions and trying to work out what it is i need like some sessions i just mightnt be able to handle truama work but then itll be wasting the sessions too. i just dont feel like i cant change psychs again which is why im so torn, do i keep going and try trauma work or do i go and try and talk about everyday things or do i give it a rest for a while. i havent been to counselling since december now cause my care plan ran out and can only start going again at in feb which i have an appt for.

its like ive got so much to say but i also dont know if its worth talking about or how to talk about it- not sure if that makes sense

What you're saying makes lots of sense @outlander.

10 sessions can put so much pressure on to get it 'right' and to get the most out of it 😕

it is alot of pressure @CheerBear and makes it hard to try and work out what mightve been best for that session.
it is so frustrating to navigate the system and life too!

hi @Corny it is nice to see you when you can be here
Hugs for you too. how are you going?

@outlander it sounds like there is a lot on your plate mate.

I know I have probably said this millions of times, but doing a list might help you with prioritising what you can touch on during the sessions. I feel like I am badgering you when I say that heaps now.... I'm sorry 😕

Slow exposure therapy sounds like a good idea though. It has proven effective for me when I was much younger and I had a fear of dogs. I couldn't go near them at all. My pediatrician suggested that we buy a dog as a puppy and watch it grow with us. So it was a slow form of exposure therapy that paid off. It's also helped me with my social anxieties too. It definitely does work, it just varies from person to person as to how they want to go about doing it.

I have always wasted sessions on the MHCP too. Sometimes I wonder why I even went. I think after 5 or so years of this stuff though I have developed a knack for always steering the conversation back to where it was.

Are you a chatting type of person @outlander ? Because this can sometimes detract in sessions.

Or do you mean that you just find it hard to talk about the issues in a way that is constructive?