Not sure what type of question this is

Hi Guys, I know this may be a touchy and distressing subject for most on this forum and I'm not sure if this is the right section to submit my post even, but I am an aspiring writer, in the middle of writing about numerous characters with mental illnesses. As a sufferer myself of mental disorders, I know this can be sensitive when someone wants to write about an illness you may have. Basically a character of mine has been racially abused, gang raped and tortured by violence. Now my character is suffering from self-esteem issues, he doesn’t like to go on his own, he has depression and aggressive behaviour revelling in other people’s misery and using his bodybuilder stature to intimidate others. (His muscular build is a recent thing since his attack, to make him seem more intimidating that he really is ) I want an insight into how a therapist and his patient would interact in a meeting together with these issues. I have not yet had the courage to face my demons, not preferring to speak about my emotions (like my character) I sincerely hope that nobody has been offended by my post.
Thanks =)

Hi,

I don't see how anyone could be offended by this but, anyway, I think that the bodybuilder would at first be wuite arrogant and dismissive of the suggestions that the therapist makes. However, if he went there in the first place with the view to reform, then obviously he'd be receptive to any suggestions made. For the record though, let's assume that he's not very receptive. So, anyway, over time, I believe that the therapist would recognise what's going on and would eventually get him to talk about his past. In order to do this, the bodybuilde would have had to have pulled down a mental 'barrier' that he had been carrying around to hide his past. People do that all of the time: They use arrogance and anger to conceal their own frightful past. Talking about it - and opening up - really does help though.

kevin

I just wasnt sure of other people's experiences on this forum so thought I would be sensitive about my question.lol. Do you have any idea what sort of questions the therapist would ask. I have tried looking for transcripts but obviously for privacy reasons couldnt find any. Also with the character issues I listed, is there a recognisable mental state. I wasnt 100% on whether the character had PTSD.

Welsh =)

Hi,

It would differ depending on the actual therapist. The first session would typically involve a simple 'getting to know you' session, and the therapist may give the patient a questionaire to fill-out during the session. He/she would also try to get the patient to set some goals - ie what they would want to be tackled first and what state they'd like their life to be in after the therapy sessions finish. Other than that, the questions they ask are pretty normal and are as you see/hear on TV.