Seeing a Therapist For The First Time

[Dillon]

I had decided to make a decision last week on Thursday that I’ve never done before and that is to see a therapist. I see my therapist on Monday of this week and I felt kind of embarrased to even go to one as I’ve never really had to see one for the exception of highschool but with many things going on lately such as unemployment, going through health issues, burnout and feeling isolated/sheltered I decided that it’s best to see someone.

Out of the blue though earlier Sunday I get a call from my therapist which was a chat that lasted almost 30 minutes. We did introductions in which my therapist is also neurodivergent and I thought that made things pretty relatable. The call went good and way more supportive and engaging than what my counselor would’ve done at my University.

I guess just some insight but given that this will be my first in person visit with a therapist what did any you expect when seeing a therapist? Did therapy help you in anyway long term?

 

[Aspychata]

This is great news. You hope to find a therapist you click with. They have the ability to guide you to where it is you need to go. l have only met two psychologists that l have truly related to. The others never worked out for me. But back to you,getting therapy to guide you is very commendable as you have some health obstacles to jump thru. I am hopeful that you will get thru this and come out stronger.

 

[Roisin]

It takes courage to reach out for help, well done on jumping the mental hurdles to get to this point!
Ive always known I needed the support of a talk therapist, so my perspective is probably best viewed through that lense.
What did I expect? Honestly I expected to be "better" in 6 sessions, after 4 I realised that I had a long road ahead of me.
Long term, yes, talk therapy with Neurodiverse practitioners helps me still, more as a mental health check-in these days.

The biggest learning curve when I first started was that the real work occurred in between the sessions, the more effort I put in during those times, the more progress we made during the therapy sessions.

 

[All-Rounder]

I don't know what I expected, I was scared and when I got there I just sat down and listened, talked and the hardest part was thinking long times to identify the causes of my thoughts and feelings. I once got questions about like this interesting deep thing that wasn't in my conscious world, but I was acting it out like an instinct due to that fact, and I eventually found out about it.

I had a hard time thinking and trying to explain my understanding of emotions even though I did it for many years on my own.

I have great benefits from going to the psych as a young person without much insight, I gained more confidence, I started to see myself as less to blame for other people's actions and I made changes in my life I thought would never change like going outside the house daily and catching up with society in my own way. Making my own decisions in relationships and outside of them regardless of fear and external threats. I was most happy that a lot of what I believed was confirmed. It seems like even though I read it, speaking to an actual person about it, who understands psychology, and seeing them agree was very powerful.

 

[Rodafina]

This sounds really promising @Dillon.

I have been in therapy multiple times and have had several good experiences with it.

Maybe try not to expect too much at all from the first visit. It is just an introduction to the person and the process. The benefits of therapy take time and the process really does depend on the "therapeutic relationship" between you and the therapist.

It might be helpful to remember that you don't have to "spill your guts" on day one. In my experience, it seems alot of people are prone to oversharing on their first day in therapy and then feel overly exposed and vulnerable too early in the process.

Anyway, hope you have a good experience today and that going forward, this is something that is helpful to you.

 

[Xinyta]

@Dillon

I'm glad you decided to seek therapy. This will help you alot and having a dependable tharapist that puts you, over money, is best.

For me. I feel that therapy has helped me in alot of ways. I use to barrier myself off entirely from the rest of the world physically, mentally, and emotionally. Having someone to talk to, besides my Uncle, gave me a reason to open up more. It started reducing the stress. And the results have been gradual. But I have built up my critical thinking and capability to focus.

I'm nowhere near 100%. But I am far better than I was. And I know more about what's going on with me, as a result.

I personally didn't have much in expectations, besides maybe wanting it to help me get over this sooner than later.

I felt kind of embarrased to even go to one as I’ve never really had to see one for the exception of highschool

This is rather common to feel. There is this odd stigma about it that floats out there. That you need to be crazy, a mass murderer, or mentally incapable of funtioning for yourself. This is not true.

You don't need to embarrased about it.

 

[jsilver256]

It is great the therapist is experienced with ND people.

For me personally - I don't know if this is an ASD thing or not - but stereotypical talk therapy has never been effective for me. I don't pour out emotions or go at length about my past. I can't.

Rather, the therapy has been much more helpful in identifying triggers, understanding why communication gaps occur, strategies on how to manage sensory overload, being comfortable with life after alcohol, etc. In some ways it reminds me more of occupational therapy than anything else.

 

[Peter Morrison]

Enjoy the therapy Dillon. It will be eye-opening.

How many ASD patients does it take to change a lightbulb?
Why does it have to change?

 

[Dillon]

This is great news. You hope to find a therapist you click with. They have the ability to guide you to where it is you need to go. l have only met two psychologists that l have truly related to. The others never worked out for me. But back to you,getting therapy to guide you is very commendable as you have some health obstacles to jump thru. I am hopeful that you will get thru this and come out stronger.

That’s been my main ordeal I’ve been feeling stuck throughout this year with no guidance and/or support in the direction I need to take. I’ve now realized throughout now and 2023 how much more difficult it’s been being out of college and struggling in the professional world because of my neurodivergence and my social norms. My job I had this year made me also realize how hard it is to hold down a full time job for long term cause hey let’s have a misunderstanding of a social issue and get written up for it and while we’re at it let you go because you had appendicitis. I don’t know I’ve been feeling burnt out at this point but I still try to stay positive the best I can.
I am pretty excited and motivated for my first therapy appointment later this afternoon.

 

[Dillon]

Enjoy the therapy Dillon. It will be eye-opening.

How many ASD patients does it take to change a lightbulb?
Why does it have to change?

I might be taking that question too literally lol
Do I need to change it if when have natural sunlight coming into my place of an establishment giving me light to begin with?
Or are we talking about changing our thinking process?

 

[Peter Morrison]

I might be taking that question too literally lol
Do I need to change it if when have natural sunlight coming into my place of an establishment giving me light to begin with?
Or are we talking about changing our thinking process?

I should be careful how I communicate my humor in text. Without the voice nuances, the point can be missed. I believe that therapy is useful to help you manage all the confusion that comes with ASD. Therapy should help you manage and rationalize all the difficulties you are facing. We all know those difficulties and we need someone to point them out. So, I'm saying that therapy is not to change you. Your feelings and behaviors are the perfect you. Coping with the world requires some management techniques, and a therapist can help you identify those things that cause you distress. You don't need to be changed because you are fine the way you are. You are Dillon, and Dillon has ASD. You are seeking guidance, not change.

 

[Dillon]

I saw my therapist for the very first time today and I can honestly say I was an engaging conversation in terms of mental health. I felt I had made a connection and felt really comfortable talking about my neurodivergence. I see my therapist again next Monday.

The other piece to this is I had a meeting with a career advisor in regards to figuring out and to navigate the whole hiring job process and OMG I feel like I had a major breakthrough. I was given really beneficial resume wiriting tips as well as how to actually interview. I spent over an hour talking with the advisor and this was so much more helpful than my University has ever given me during my undergrad and graduate periods.