ex-l wrote:Terry, so by all accounts you have given, you are an entirely unqualified individual talking theory. Is that correct?
I am a fully qualified individual. I was born that way, and despite what people may have tried to do to me, I still am.
Do you ask yourself the same questions you ask me before posting? Has this all not been already answered elsewhere? What is it in my last post that you question, other than the author? I don't think this topic is an appropriate place for a personal debate.
I felt this topic, being partly in honour of Esther's and others' suicides, was a good place to offer suggestions on how to approach finding professional help. "Professional help" comes in many forms. It can be daunting for someone considering it for the first time to know what they are dealing with. This topic is likely to be of interest to someone who has harboured similar thoughts.
The main thing is - the client/patient needs to feel empowered to proceed, and to determine whether a therapist is appropriate for them. (Despite degrees and letters after a name, not all therapists are equal, many can be hasty with prescribing drugs. (I have written elsewhere defending drug therapy when it's really needed, but they are overprescribed).
Therapists are no different to other professions, some are good, some bad. You might say that, as you are dealing with matters of character, personality, emotion, these are good determinants by which you can decide if a therapist is good for you. There needs to be a good interaction between therapist and client, otherwise it is a waste of time, even counterproductive.
if anything I am saying is not common sense, I am sure you will let me know.