Q for those who have had therapy.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2010
Q for those who have had therapy.
20
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 10:38am

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2010
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 4:11pm
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2010
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 5:55pm

I

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2004
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 9:38pm

Hi renewal4me,

I have done counseling sessions, where I live our community offers support for residents in our City for free if you meet a certain set of criteria.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-28-2010
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 10:10pm
Hello All,

I have enjoyed reading this thread, and can see that there has been some great comments and opinions offered. I am going to answer you from a slightly different perspective. I have been a therapist working with women who have experienced abuse for over 10 years and have an extensive background working in the field of childhood & adolescent trauma. As such, I do not believe that any ONE form of therapy alone can resolve the complex issues most of us, if not all, have (or continue) to face.

Many of us (SW, MD, psychologists) use a combination of CBT approaches in combination with our other practice orientation - such as narrative therapy. I do not feel childhood issues, trauma nor abuse related issues can be resolved through CBT alone. In fact, I often worry that this individualized approach falls into a blame-the-victim approach, much like other forms of individualized behavioural interventions. This "think your way to wellness" approach often overlooks the cumulative impacts of trauma on a person's life and how early experiences literally shape the physiological make-up of children who experience abuse, neglect and chaos in their home and/or primary relationships. Additionally, there are also of mental health issues, substance use issues, financial instability etc ... that need to be taken into consideration when working with a client. It is damn hard to think self-affirming thoughts when you aren't sure what you're going home to at the end of your session. Yes, we need to always remind our clients that they are making choices, but also need to appreciate the broader contexts in which these "choices" are being made.

Bottom line, different strokes for different folks, and like wcf so brilliantly stated, therapy is a relationship between two. I have shopped around to find a therapist that works for me, who also offers EMDR:"Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) which is a form of psychotherapy that was developed to resolve symptoms resulting from disturbing and unresolved life experiences. It uses a structured approach to address past, present, and future aspects of disturbing memories." In my own opinion, EMDR is the most effective approach to dealing with trauma of any kind.

Just my 2 cents (-: and everyone who chimed in had amazing things to say!

TU.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2010
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 10:54pm
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2010
Tue, 10-19-2010 - 10:56pm
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2010
Wed, 10-20-2010 - 12:23am

Hi Renewal4Me

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2004
Wed, 10-20-2010 - 12:30am

Hi renewal4me,

Oops, I feel silly, I thought SW was for Single Women!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2010
Wed, 10-20-2010 - 12:33am

Hahhaha Jen! I did too!!! SW = Single Woman

:)

Blood Pix - way cool.

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. I started looking inside and went NC October 15, 2010
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2004
Wed, 10-20-2010 - 1:27am
Oh I am glad I am not alone in that one :)

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