Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: therapist refusing to see me

  1. #1
    Veteran Member lady_lazarus's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2011
    Location
    somewhere over the rainbow
    Posts
    234
    Thanks
    175
    Thanked 357 Times in 100 Posts

    Default therapist refusing to see me

    so frustrated right now because I finally found a mental health center that takes my insurance but they refuse to see me since I'm not on medication. I did not know they had this policy. apparently bipolar and in general, anyone with suicidal ideation or history of attempts has to be on meds to be seen. During intake I told them I was trying to see if therapy would be useful in helping me treat my bipolar without meds (btw, I have pretty "tame" bipolar with no psychotic symptoms and no hospitalizations) as the meds came with horrible side effects. After a couple weeks of not hearing back I call to ask what was going on and thats when they told me that. So i guess I should have lied. They said its a pretty common policy and I might find luck with a private practice (not with my insurance though). I'm at kind of a loss here. I don't want to take meds just to get therapy. I've searched high and low and I live in a very small city with no car to travel to a bigger one weekly. There are support groups but I don't think it's going to be enough to manage. I felt so shitty after hearing this I ended up skipping my classes and stayed in bed. Which is a bad move, now I'm trying to pull myself out of it before it turns into a spiral. Why should it be this hard? How is it ok to turn away people who are asking for help? I suppose I could just tell them that I started taking meds again? Could lying backfire on me? I just want a damn therapist.

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to lady_lazarus For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Veteran Member
    Joined
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    717
    Thanks
    1,880
    Thanked 1,415 Times in 521 Posts

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    I don't see how. They can just turn you away it's a ridiculous policy.
    You need a therapist. They need patients.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to amberlly For This Useful Post:


  5. #3
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    I wouldn't lie about it, they can check..can you ask them to refer you? Sorry you're going thru this.


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  6. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  7. #4
    Member Flodawg's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2016
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    43
    Thanks
    52
    Thanked 84 Times in 27 Posts

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    +1 for the blessing in disguise. I've spent more than enough of my life on the med merry-go-round, and now as far as I'm concerned any doctor/therapist/psych who won't consider non-med treatment options is not worth a damn cent. Get your mouth off of pharma's dick and think about your damn patient, arsehole. There are a bunch of scientifically proven, evidence-based therapies out there that really help, and for me having a variety of them in my "brain toolbox" has been an important part of my healing and learning to live with my own mental health peculiarities without medications.

    Good job recognising and stopping the potential start of a spiral! You must be feeling so frustrated and discouraged, and I don't blame you. Please don't lose hope! Is therapy over the phone/Skype an option for you? One of my therapists years ago was able to do consults over the phone when I couldn't come into her office.

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Flodawg For This Useful Post:


  9. #5
    God/dess Gia2608's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale
    Posts
    3,337
    Thanks
    4,235
    Thanked 3,664 Times in 1,451 Posts
    My Mood
    Cheerful

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    Thats sounds soo odd to me. Just try to find another place
    XoXo Gia
    Danielle Fishell (the Dish): "If the Super-Star thing doesn't work out, Gia makes a great stripper name"

  10. #6
    Featured Member R-209's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Pacific NW, USA
    Posts
    1,228
    Thanks
    975
    Thanked 1,795 Times in 830 Posts
    My Mood
    Crappy

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    I could go on for hours about the mental health clinic I used to go to. One of the worst incidents was when they flat out lied to get me to switch from my private therapist to theirs. I knew from the instant I saw her that it would not work. After a few utterly useless sessions, she insulted me for wearing a tie and ordered me not to wear them anymore. I have no clue why. But I did wear my best shirt and tie to the next session and told her it was the last.

    The last straw was when they brought in a new psychiatrist, referring to her as a "doctor." But when I got my first prescription from her, it said that she was a PA! I asked about this and was told that she didn't have a medical degree, but it was okay for her to go by "doctor." When I asked my GP, he was like "HELL no!" He also offered to take over my prescriptions if I wanted to look for someplace new. I took him up on his offer and told the clinic that they were fucking fired. That felt good.

    After a while, I found a private practice psychiatrist who took my insurance. First session went pretty well and she has a toy poodle in her office. I'd been really nervous about what the insurance would pay, but I just got the statement today and it covers almost half! She's actually cheaper than the fake doctor.

    So don't give up searching until you find the right care!

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to R-209 For This Useful Post:


  12. #7
    Veteran Member lady_lazarus's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2011
    Location
    somewhere over the rainbow
    Posts
    234
    Thanks
    175
    Thanked 357 Times in 100 Posts

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    Quote Originally Posted by R-209 View Post

    The last straw was when they brought in a new psychiatrist, referring to her as a "doctor." But when I got my first prescription from her, it said that she was a PA! I asked about this and was told that she didn't have a medical degree, but it was okay for her to go by "doctor." When I asked my GP, he was like "HELL no!" He also offered to take over my prescriptions if I wanted to look for someplace new. I took him up on his offer and told the clinic that they were fucking fired. That felt good.
    oddly enough my PA who wrote me scripts for lithium is actually the only one who seems to care. She spends an hour or more on each of our sessions and frequently checks in on me via email. she's helping me look for alternatives now. She told me to come in and check in with her and promised she wouldn't push meds on me, just wants to make sure I'm ok. Most of her patients are bipolar so it is her area of expertise and that could be the difference. She is a genuinely caring person, just not a stand in for a therapist.

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to lady_lazarus For This Useful Post:


  14. #8
    Newbie alison_lyndsey's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2013
    Location
    West Coast, USA
    Posts
    13
    Thanks
    177
    Thanked 14 Times in 8 Posts
    My Mood
    Inspired

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    I'm sorry to hear you're going through that, it's far too difficult to get help for mental health as it is, and to throw a requirement that you be on meds is just plain stupid. You mentioned that you skipped classes - does your school offer counseling covered by student fees? Mine does, and it took me forever to even think about it because I have health insurance through work and was therefore only looking elsewhere in the community. The student health center at my university saw me within the week and it was free, whereas other centers and therapists in my area wouldn't see me for at least a month and would have stuck me with a bill after my insurance went through. I was able to use this service for about 2/3 of the academic year, and they were probably better to use than other resources in the community because they aren't completely disconnected from the fact that being a student is yet another source of stress for you.

    I really hope you're able to find the help you need without having to be refused further for not being on meds. Medication isn't right for everyone and shouldn't be forced on people.

  15. #9
    Featured Member Ifyouseekamy's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    1,681
    Thanks
    5,624
    Thanked 4,489 Times in 1,440 Posts
    Blog Entries
    9
    My Mood
    Fine

    Default Re: therapist refusing to see me

    Quote Originally Posted by Flodawg View Post
    +1 for the blessing in disguise. I've spent more than enough of my life on the med merry-go-round, and now as far as I'm concerned any doctor/therapist/psych who won't consider non-med treatment options is not worth a damn cent. Get your mouth off of pharma's dick and think about your damn patient, arsehole. There are a bunch of scientifically proven, evidence-based therapies out there that really help, and for me having a variety of them in my "brain toolbox" has been an important part of my healing and learning to live with my own mental health peculiarities without medications.

    Good job recognising and stopping the potential start of a spiral! You must be feeling so frustrated and discouraged, and I don't blame you. Please don't lose hope! Is therapy over the phone/Skype an option for you? One of my therapists years ago was able to do consults over the phone when I couldn't come into her office.
    Keep on keeping on. You know your body better than anyone else! I agree. If they won't consider a non med option it might not be helpful for you. In my experience, sometimes doctors feel like they know better than you ;you have to trust yourself enough to know that their credentials don't out rank your own opinions.

    Hugs.

Similar Threads

  1. Requesting Info/refusing
    By BambiCutie in forum Camming Connection
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 03-31-2016, 10:26 AM
  2. Therapist
    By sashafeminista in forum Stripping (was Stripping General)
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: 08-29-2014, 10:35 PM
  3. Refusing to go out with customers...
    By sailorscout in forum Newbie Board
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 11-22-2012, 10:19 PM
  4. I need advice! Maybe a therapist?!
    By radazgirl82 in forum Other Work
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 05-18-2011, 11:34 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •