For context, I (23M) live in the United States. In Ohio. A bit concerned about privacy because of the whole Nazi problem and the fact that I live in an abusive household.

I’ve been working on myself a lot recently and realized that I can’t do this alone anymore (or rely on Internet strangers to talk about my issues). I feel like I finally have the strength to ask for help in the real world. I’ve just never done this before. What’s it like? Is it warm and fuzzy, or cold and analytical? (Does it feel like someone is providing care and comfort, or is it more like an emotionally detached scientist meticulously studying you and scribbling down notes while mumbling “Hmm, I see, I see” while you yap at them?) Do you start to see results right away, or are things slow at first? How much stuff is recorded in a database that other systems can look up?

  • dingus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    16 hours ago

    How quickly it “starts to work” is entirely dependent on a) How honest you are, b) how open you are to outside perspectives, and c) how much baggage you’ve got to unpack.

    More caveats to this…other things I’ve found…

    1. If you don’t know what specific issue you need to work on, it may not even “work” at all. You’ll need to introspect and research and /or even seek others’ input if you don’t know already.
    2. A lot of therapist I’ve come across, especially in online organizations, seem keen on using unstructured talk therapy. It can be great for basic validation, but not if you have more significant and complex issues. If you know your specific issue, it might help to research what kind of therapy modality works best for it. Then, look for therapists who use said modality and who have treated said condition.

    I learned these things the hard way.

    • Vengefu1 Tuna@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      9 hours ago

      I think your first point isn’t an issue with a really good therapist, but I’ve had therapists who needed that level of detail from me. With my current one, I told him the symptoms I have that I want to go away and he’s been tackling it from all sides so we can find the issues together (and it’s working well). I do agree with your second point, but many therapists advertise the things they specialize in like anxiety, identity issues, sexual issues, etc. I went based off this and found who I needed without much issue.