2020: My Mental Health Journey: I finally found the right therapist

At my first visit to my nurse, I asked her for a referral to see a mental health therapist. I have been having problems sleeping and I have been having episodes of anxiety and depression. My nurse did a quick questionnaire that confirmed that I indeed have been slightly depressed. I had to wait a few weeks before my appointment. As usual I ended up calling my best friends a few days before blabbing into their ears about how nervous I was. I was so nervous because my last therapist was pushy, and she kept pushing me to get on a diet known as the no white food diet. That diet only made my situation worse, and when I tried to talk to her about it, she only yelled at me. She also said that if I got rid of my periods and got out of VR that I would be happier.

I was hoping that this new therapist would listen to me and that she would not prescribe me a diet that would make me sick.

With the pandemic going on I am having my sessions via Zoom. Soon it was time to check in, and I loved how the clinic made me answer some security questions before I was let into the “waiting room.” Soon my phone rang, and my therapist introduced herself and gave me a choice to continue the session via Zoom or through the phone. I really wanted to do the session via Zoom because I was quite curious as to what my therapist looked like. Right away, I loved her positive energy. From what I can tell my therapist looks young maybe in her late 20’s or early 30’s. I know that age should not matter, but I feel like having someone close to my age can make certain things easier to talk about.

After a quick technology and safety check she asked me about my previous therapy history. I told her about how I did not like my last three therapists. After I lost my mother at age 16, I was put into trauma therapy.  The first therapist I saw I really liked, she listened and did not push me to talk about anything I did not want too. But she retired after my first semester. After that I had a new therapist. I did not like her because instead of focusing on my mother’s death she wanted to talk about my stepdad’s alcoholism. In the end, I felt like she thought that I was also an alcoholic, which is not the case. After a few sessions I decided to stop going to therapy. In 2015, I went to another therapist, and even though I liked her at first, she kept pushing a diet that made me feel sick. She also told me that my depression and anxiety were caused by my current situation. Part of what she was saying I believed to be true.

After explaining all this, my therapist told me that she was so sorry that my last three therapy experiences were negative, and it was positive that I was still wanting to get better and decided to continue to seek therapy.

After that we focused on my family. I explained that I grew up in Texas and then moved to Florida as a teenager. I lived with my mother and stepdad until I was 16 when my mother died. I then explained how my father’s side of the family is extremely negative towards me. We then shifted to the present where I talked about what my goals are and who is in my support system. I feel this therapist will help me break through my anxiety, depression, anger, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.