# Finding a good pyschologist



## shyra22f (May 9, 2000)

Well, I'm going onto month 5 of suffering the worst anxiety ever since a panic attack in mid October and one the beginning of this month. I started counselling the beginning of November. I also saw a psychiatrist about 5 times who prescribed me Ativan, and also a social worker. Don't get me wrong; both these women are great but I just don't feel that they have the experience to deal with panic/anxiety disorders. I just go there, talk about my week, get some input, hand over a cheque and do it again the following week. Apart from the expense I don't feel that I've gained that much out of almost four months of therapy. I've ended up cancelling my latest appointments with both of them for that reason. I know recovering from anxiety/panic is not an overnight cure but my case isn't so bad. I still go to work, go out with friends, etc. Some days are better than others but I just want it to be gone. I went through the yellow pages yesterday and came across a couple of psychologists who specialize in this area. I guess I need to know what I'm looking for. With the social worker we had a one hour consultation a couple of weeks before my real sessions started. At the time it seemed like she could help me, but I was beginning to find that there was no difference between paying her money to listen to me and give me advice than talking to one of my friends for free. So if anyone can give me any tips on finding someone that can REALLY help me and teach me coping skills (instead of just listening to me for an hour) I'd REALLY appreciate it. I haven't been to counselling for over a month. And I DO have the patience to recover but like I said, I just need to find someone that can teach me how. I'm in Calgary, so if anyone can recomend someone who's good in this area please email me:shyra22f###yahoo.com


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I'll email this as well, but I wanted to do a public reply.You may want to find someone who specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is often quite effective for anxiety. It can also be adapted to treat IBS, so you may be able to kill two birds with one stone. I don't really have much anxiety but the CBT I did for IBS made a huge difference in my symptoms.K.


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

you can get a free brochure on choosing a therapist at http://helping.apa.org/forms/brochure.cfm and there is a free brochure on panic attacks at http://helping.apa.org/therapy/panic.html there is an 800 number listed at http://helping.apa.org/find.html for finding a psychologist anywhere but i would guess it's limited to the USAyou can also use psychcrawler to find out about psychological issues and sites http://psychcrawler.apa.org/


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## shyra22f (May 9, 2000)

Thank you kmottus for the information and email.trbell- those are excellent links and I can use that 1-800 number. I'm going to print off that brochure and have my family/boyfriend read it. It explains things very well (better than I can when I talk about it) So thank you







Well, I phoned up a psychologist that I spotted in the yellow pages. I spoke to her directly and I have an assesment appointment on Wednesday. She seemed really nice over the phone.. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that she's the one!! Too bad about the through the roof rates, but I have an insurance plan that covers a % of the cost. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

shyra22f, good luck and lets us know how it goes. If you need anymore help just let us know.------------------ http://www.ibshealth.com/ www.ibsaudioprogram.com


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

shyra,complain to your insurance plan and employer. we campaigned long and hard for mental health parity and it should be ineffect.tom


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