Looking for a Therapist

So, Gwen is moving up to where I live in a few months and I've been looking around for a therapist for her. It's obviously going to be her choice, but I figure I can help out by sorting through some people that may work versus some who there isn't a chance of working.

I'll admit, it's a bit disheartening. I was absently looking around the Psychology Today list and there are so many people, but so few with anything we are looking for. The problem is that nobody seems capable of handling the level of dissociation that comes with DID. Add to that that after some rather terrible past experiences in therapy, EMDR and Hypnosis are firmly in the no category, this is becoming quite a search.

The problems that have arisen in the past is that therapists go digging around too fast and someone scary comes out and they can't handle them. She's never physically done anything, but there have been alters that have made threats so that the therapist would drop them. As such, I want to find someone who has dealt with actual DID before, but that information seems like we'll have to talk to each candidate individually.

Basically, finding therapists is driving me mad. Anyone have any advice?

Also, anyone have any particular types of therapy they would recommend? I was looking at Internal Family Systems as an option, what types have worked for you guys? (Note: Hypnosis and EMDR both worked too fast and brought out abuser alters immediately, hence them not being an option.)

Caecandy wrote:seems like we'll have to talk to each candidate individually.

Yup. But you can do all the initial contacts by telephone. Sit down with with paper and pen and call each one. Explain you are looking for a therapist. Ask them about their experience treating dissociative disorders. You'll soon know which ones are into covering the wound with a psychic bandaid, which ones are into digging and purging, and which ones are more subtle.

I don't think the style of therapy matters nearly as much as the sensitivity of the therapist. Beware those who say they run all their dissociative clients through a 6- or 12-month course of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT seems to be helpful for many clients, particularly those with borderline personality disorder, who have dissociative symptoms. However, often DBT is not helpful for clients who have a major dissociative disorder.

Check also the member directory on the ISSTD website.

Good luck. Please let us know how you get on.

I think that is the toughest battle in having DID - finding a therapist that can actually handle it!

I like a IFS trained therapist, but also one with enough experience working with DID patients, that all you present is not some new experience to them. When that is the case - I feel they should pay me!

Find one that is skilled in testing as well. This helps a lot even if you have a DX because they are better educated in the differences between diagnosis.

Another important thing is if they do talk therapy --- as in you do the talking, or they do most of the talking after you quickly explain a situation or something in between. I found talk therapy to be too much like just talking to a friend and no real progress being made and the direction going all over the place. If you find a therapist that does most of the talking, they probably know what they are talking about.

Someone that treats PTSD does not necessarily know how to treat DID.

Also search... search ... search... for individual websites.

Anyway --- those are my T conclusions. I hope you find some help in those ideas.

It's gonna be a rough search, but rewarding in the end. I might suggest play therapy is a big plus. My T has a separate play therapy room where I can do sand trays, paint, etc. It's good for those people (like myself) or alters who weren't taught to express their emotions with words; express it with safe activities instead. Not to mention holding stuffed animals on the days I've forgotten to bring my own is a big help . If they are skilled in play therapy, it also usually means they are well learned in child psychology and how children react to trauma, good for DDs, PTSD, etc.

My T says she uses DBT on all her clients, but I doubt she follows a strict "course." At least, I haven't seen that in her treatment with me. In other words, the most I've seen of DBT in my therapy is a couple worksheets she asked me to do, and diary cards for the self harming. If the T says they use DBT, you might ask if they use it more as a guideline or a strict treatment option.

I think the problem with doing telephone interviews, though I understand their usefulness completely, is you don't really get a real feel for the therapist. Though, it saves racing round the country I guess if you could do the initial interview on the phone. I hear waht you're saying with the EMDR and that being a no go. It was for me too. If in your search you come across a therapist that integrates the body and the mind in their approaches I would urge testing them out too. Body psychotherapy. Or sensori-motor psychotherapy. Just because it has worked so well for me that it is worth me spreading the word around that it might work for other people.

As for something tylas said: it depends what approach you want. Personally it would really aggrivate me if the therapist was there just to lecture me and tell me how it is. I am the expert in my life and it is far from useless for the client to do most of the talking. Especially at the beginning therapists will tend to take a bit of a back seat approach as you are sussing them out and they are you.

I wish you luck in the search

Bourbon

dividedtruth89 wrote:My T says she uses DBT on all her clients, but I doubt she follows a strict "course." At least, I haven't seen that in her treatment with me.

If she did, you would know it. A DBT course typically is a group process, with the entire group starting together and proceeding together.

oh. lol...no, no group therapy here.

-- Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:56 am --

oh. lol...no, no group therapy here.