@Hayla 

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Hayla

Counselor/Psychologist Visits (Rant)..

Last August I talked with my family doc and asked for a psychologist/counselor appointment due to my 'daddy issues' - so to say - and some other (non-related to MS) health issues that have popped up. Ive had two appointments with said counselor so far and, as I was afraid, the only thing she seames to care about is my reactions towards being diagnosed with MS and living with it on a daily basis (how it affects me, if it makes me depressed, blah blah blah). I dealt with the diagnose fairly well methinks and have accepted it fully even through I am still learning how to manage certain things (fatigue and stress being two good examples) but hey it has only been almost a year since I was diagnosed so... Yes, I do 'over work' myself at times and I do get a bit frustrated at my body/mind when I feel them failing on me but even a healthy person feels that way from time to time so its quite expected that to happen to someone who is still adapting/learning how to deal with the fatigue/sequels of relapses&&medications side effects. -.-' All in all, and even through I sound rather aggressive bout it all, I feel angry not because I cant accept what I mentioned above but because no matter how I tried to tell her without being disrespectful I had already made my peace with the diagnose and that I find it quite normal the few frustrated reactions I have about my daily living but I was there for her to help me deal with other issues that have nothing to do with the MS per se. That even through I would rather only have it being the MS I have other issues that r making my insomnia worse, making me feel depressed/insecure and all out confused and that I had sought out her help because Ive been unable to deal with them all on my own....plus the other health issues I had going on at the time werent exactly helping my head cope with the emotional stress/drama either. One would think that having that spelled out nicely would be enough...but no, she kept steering the convo towards MS and how Im 'coping with it'...Im not sure how can someone be so thick, but that damn counselor sure seams to be. When last we met, towards the last bit of our appointment and after I spelled that out to her, I also told her a lil bit of my childhood (one of the more dramatic bits) to see if that would make her actually understand what I had been trying to convey....Im just hoping it had the desirable effect cause if in the next appointment she starts again trying to steer the convo onto the MS diagnosis Ill most likely wont be seeing her a 4th time cause I tell u Im normally really patient and it gets quite hard to get me angry but this counselor really managed it in less then 20minutes. -.-' Anyway, my question after this whole rant is: have u ever experienced something like this with a doc/counselor/psychologist?
@Stumbler

I'm afraid I have. I got referred to a psychologist when I made a passing reference to suicide. Big mistake on my part! All I had done was ask whether Betaferon could cause weight gain. I got told no, but it could cause suicidal tendencies. I just said it wasn't the medication that caused suicidal tendencies, but the underlying medical condition! Anyway, I had three appointments with a psychologist guy, who seems to be going through the chapters of "psychology made simple" or "Psychology made easy". Well, on consultation #3, he asked what I expected to get out of the meetings. Well, I just asked what he thought he could do for me! I think we both agreed that this was a waste of time so we never had another meeting! But, in your case, you really need to be assertive (and polite) and steer the conversation in the ways you want it to go. Pretend you're a politician - they're great at answering questions with what they want to say, even if it has nothing to do with the original question!

@Hayla

So far Ive managed to not loose my temper with her and always remained polite just not sure how long Ill be able to keep a leash on it if she keeps going the way she did last Tuesday...it felt like she wanted me to admit that Im in denial about the MS diagnosis, that Im always either frustrated or blaming myself for things I know are no ones fault or lashing out due to it. She even asked me if the diagnose/illness ever made me feel suicidal at any point (which sincerely it doesnt no matter how frustrated I get at times with my new shortcomings)... In our first session she told me she has a lot of MS patients that she treats, but it really felt like I was talking with a freaking recorder cause no matter how many times I told her it was not the MS I was there to discuss or the reasons why I decided to reach out she just kept going on and on and on with her questions about how the MS makes me feel, often repeating them to see if I gave a different answer. Im no politician and tend to keep it polite but blunt, its not that I don't appreciate/do the politicians 'finesse' but its already enough that I have to play those games with my fiancés family, Im not about to do it with someone I sought out about a problem Ive identified on my own. -.-' I know that earlier I didnt make much sense (I probably dont now either) and might have came off as someone way too angry to even think properly bout her actions but as u might guess Im having a rough couple months. Just not sure I'll want to keep seeing her if her attitude doesnt change cause instead of helping shes just putting me under that much more unnecessary stress and to be honest thats the last thing I need at the moment. Im just hoping that the 'eye opener' I tried to give her last session did work as intended...otherwise I'll just quit seeing her and look for someone else who actually wants to help. -.-'