Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow".*

[bending_sickle]

okay so my bro sent me a link to a bunch of english-language psychologists or therapists or whatthefuckevers here in rome because there is a) no way i’m expressing shit in italian b) no way i’m expressing shit in spanish (which is fucking sad but what can you do) and c) a slight chance i’m expressing shit in english. (i mean i am absolute crap at verbally expressing myself unless it’s like 3 a.m. and i’m peeved and sleep-deprived and then i’m waxing fucking poetical but basically i’m more a written-word kinda person but yeah.)

anyway i went through the list and narrowed it down a bit and then decided fuck it i’m only going with a lady because i have no idea why so now i have three lady people who can help me maybe and they’re all in like the other fucking side of the city which isn’t that bad but also means location isn’t really helping me decide how to narrow this shit further.

so i have three people i could maybe call (ahahahah!) or email (more likely i mean seriously avoid the phone like it’s the plague) and i don’t know how to narrow this shit down. how does one fucking pick a fucking therapist?!?

i mean there’s 1) an italian lady who speaks english and is a “psychologist-psychotherapist” who deals in “counselling, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), metacognitive therapy for anxiety & mood disorders and addiction” which okay (except maybe for the metacognitive therapy shit which is a basically and crudely-put just “thinking it better makes it better” or so i gather but yeah whatever i do not have the brain right now to actually investigate this branch further)

then there’s 2) a slavic lady from i-have-no-idea-where but anyway she’s multilingual and deals with the international community which points for you and she’s a “clinical psychiatrist/psychotherapist” which good andis also licensed in cbt (jesus it’s popular) and trained at some program in the usa which i don’t know but i’m supposed to care?

and finally there’s 3) an american lady who is simply a “psychologist” and does “individual psychotherapy for all mental health issues” and is “experienced and licensed” which congratulations? but that’s all i know

so i think i’m leaning for the slavic lady?

but like basically it’s taken me a week to go from copypastaing their information into a document and then deciding fuck all the guys let’s go for the ladies and i’ve just now decided maybe the slavic lady so like at this rate i’ll be lucky if i contact them before february is out

basically though i’m just



with a dash of if i could chew through wood i fucking would helpless frustration


* Mary Anne Radmacher

Comments

[chaosvizier.livejournal.com]

Slavic! Slavic is the way! They're stern and will work hard with you, but they are still polite and friendly, and then stern again. Maybe sometimes a little too stern, but that's also necessary.

Also, Eastern European/Slavic women are TEH HAWTTT. ;-) But you might not be sharing my admittedly groinocentric opinions or perceptions.

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

It looks like it's going to be Slavic :) And hey, hotness is always a plus.

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

You go through all three until you're happy, there's no shame in switching out a therapist if it's not working out /crazy person.

I'd start with the slavic lady too, since she deals with the international community. CBT does seem to be all the rage, didn't really work for me (maybe a little) but I know people who swear by it.

*snuggles you mightily* ♥

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

You go through all three until you're happy, there's no shame in switching out a therapist if it's not working out /crazy person. - I love you *cuddles* and you're right, switching is thing I should keep in mind as an option. Just starting with one is being a really hard thing to, well, start. If that makes sense. Anyway ♥ and I'll see about contacting the slavic lady tomorrow (or pep-talking myself into doing so) .

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

*huggles* Like seesmooshrun said, it's a situation where having someone who fits helps a hell of a lot. I think I'm trying to reassure you that you don't need to find that fit first time, at this stage you could throw a dart and work from there until you work out which one is best for you. And remember, they'll be used to dealing with people who dread this kind of situation, so you probably won't need to pep yourself up as much as you might another specialist.

*cheerleaders you!* *and more hugs* ♥

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

*cuddles* *hides behind you* You are a darling.

[seesmooshrun.livejournal.com]

You pick a therapist kind of like picking a general-purpose doctor: all the training and certification etc. doesn't mean much if you don't relate to her and her style of communication. So try the Slavic lady first (she looks best on paper) and if you find her condescending or imperious or judgmental or something else that jars you, you try the next one on the list. Expect it to be awkward/uncomfortable for the first few visits until you get to know each other. There is no shame or stigma in switching therapists even after several sessions; if you don't trust or relate in some way to the person, try another.

And kudos to you for getting this far! I know it's scary and waaaaaaay outside your comfort zone. But *whenever *you take the next right step, I'll be virtually cheering you on. Good luck!

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

You pick a therapist kind of like picking a general-purpose doctor: all the training and certification etc. - That's what I was trying to do, but even in the main list of therapists I started off from, there wasn't a lot of information to go on.

Expect it to be awkward/uncomfortable for the first few visits until you get to know each other. - I'll keep that in mind, especially since it's been a while since I've talked to anyone, verbally, about myself so just the social aspect of it is going to be not-so-fun.

But *whenever *you take the next right step, I'll be virtually cheering you on. Good luck! - That's very sweet of you! Thanks very much.

[lienne.livejournal.com]

snugggggggggles

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

*cuuuuuuuuddles*

[seschat.livejournal.com]

well I'm gonna sneak in for a snuggle too, then! I love you, darling, and also you're amazing ♥♥♥

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

ninja-snuggles! whoot! *chases after you for a cuddle*