The Importance of a Good Therapist~

      Good afternoon, readers how are you all on this chilly fall afternoon. I hope this entry finds you doing well, and living in the moment and just doing the best you can. That is all any of us can do is our best and our best is Good enough.

  Today’s topic is “The importance of finding a good Therapist and why that is important “Besides discussing the vital role a therapist plays into your treatment, I will also share my personal stories of the good, the bad and the ugly of being in counseling over the years! So before, we dive into this topic ill share a bit of my experiences.

   My first experience with a councilor started as a teenager, when I was first diagnosed with major depression at 13-14 years old. This was a councilor my parents found and she was a older woman, but very kind and involved with my treatment plan. Thankfully, my first experience was a positive one, so I did not get a bad taste in my mouth of therapists. I was very fortunate, others I have known there first counseling appointment makes them doubt they can find compassionate therapists out there, and that is sad, because there are wonderful people in this field.

  That therapist started me  on a road, she knew her stuff, and very important  she was a good listener. Sadly, not all that can be said about. Later on after I was married, I had a  psychiatrist who thought he was God’s gift to psychiatrist, and that all his patients loved him. He was only suppose to be handling my medication aspect, but thought he could be my therapist too.

   He came across very ignorant. in truth this person never should have been working with the public, he also thought he knew it all, knew what was best all the time, he barely ever listened a;; he thought he should do is talk my ear off. every time I went into his office I had a panic attack and my blood pressure rose, not too long after I started seeing him, I stopped, he even had me admitted into a hospital, when I shouldn’t of been .As you can see  that was a bad experience.

   A couple years later I had a wonderful therapist, she started seeing me in her office and then she started doing home visits and she not only was my councilor, but she had become a good friend! We really bonded and she helped me immensely. When she left the practice because of health reasons I was heartbroken, but I understood. She helped me through many rough times in my life. The therapist I had after her I only had for a few years, but she was a sweetheart. Then I had to say goodbye to her because her practice was moving to Boston.

   The therapist I just started seeing a couple weeks ago, she is a a Christian, which is nice and her and I bonded, that’s so important, that both the therapist and client feel comfortable and it’s a growing relationship, if the bond isent there, then its heard to get anything positive from the therapy.

  So as you can see ive had more positive experiences than negative. So why is it important to seek out a good therapist and how do you go about that process.Well  when you seek out help  and treatment for your depression or anxiety or your dealing with issues and need to talk to someone professionally.the treatment plan is not just about medication, sometimes meds are involved, other times they aren’t, depends on the diagnosis.

  Talking about our feelings, and experiences and troubles we deal with on a daily basis whether with a spouse, friends or pastor are important  to keep healthy relationships going strong.  there are times when Professional counseling needs to be sought after. Someone who cares about People, that have got to be first, someone who is educated in this field, who can help you with cognitive skills and coping skills. Who helps you see the bigger picture? Who helps us make sense of the confusion and many thoughts floating around up there in our brains? Its important to feel connected to the person who you will be pouring your heart out to, if you’re not comfortable, then you need to speak up and let that be known and ask to see someone else.

   When you’re looking for a therapist, sometimes the best way to find a good one is through word of mouth, when a friend or someone we know sees one who  tells us about  so and so and they come highly recommended. another way we can is do research online, some therapists have a place on their practices website that people can rate them, look to see what other reviews of them are. You have a say in who you want.

      You have to make that call and does that bit or research, it won’t be done for you. And remember this… There is is not shame in seeing a therapist, it’s just someone to talk to who understands and can help you make your way through this maze of emotions your feeling!

Mental Illiness in the Church~

   I am sorry readers that I have been not blogging as much as before. Lot has been going on in my life right now, but I really want to get back into blogging on a weekly basis! Tonight topic is “Mental Health in the Church “This is such a crucial issue that needs to be addressed and not pushed aside. This is coming from someone who has suffered with depression and someone who husband is pastor in our church.  Over the years, I have seen this happen many times at the different churches that I have gone to through the years.

   Church is a place for the broken, were all broken in some form from experiences we have gone through, or pain that we have endured. Mental health does not discriminate against those who go to church. Mental illness can touch anybody, Male or female, old or young.

  Therefore, what can the church in general do to Educate and raise awareness as well as approach this issue with understanding, and compassion. First off, those who suffer with this disease if they share their stories will allow others to open up their hearts and share their pain, so the church family can come alongside them and help them bear this load.

 Secondly, those in leadership need to be trained in this area; I do not think this kind of training should be isolated to those who work in the mental health field. More and more this issue is coming up with pastors and churches. After the tragic deaths of two prominent Pastors, sons ended their lives, mental health and Suicide prevention came up more to the forefront. Both the pastors openly spoke about their pain, of their families.  How their son’s suicides affected them, their church families, and the communities as a whole.

   When I heard about both these suicides, my heart broke.  Both pastors spoke out about the importance of prevention., About mental illness, what it is and how can the Church play the vital role they need to be in .I strongly believe pastors need to preach from the pulpit about mental health, it’s a topic a lot of pastors don’t want to even address.

   When my husband and I worked with teens at our old church, the youth pastor at the time did a lesson on depression and he asked me to speak about my experiences because he knew there was a lot about depression he did not understand. We need to speak in love and not be judgmental. a lot of  so called Christians judge others within the church, who suffer in silence with depression, this is heartbreaking to me .

      Because I’ve gone through this depression. I do all I can to speak out about depression and show those who need that genuine Christian love with no judgments, just compassion and understanding. There is still much that need to be done in raising mental health awareness, especially in the church. Start by not being afraid to share with one another, make sure it’s a safe place for those that need to share can and educate and train those who will be counseling others! The leadership need to lead by example.