Is therapy a waste/just medicate?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
Me too. Been in therapy 25 years. For anxiety, medicine is the only thing that works. Therapy is good for talking. |
Anonymous
| Speech language therapy helped for my kid with Asparagus Disorder |
Anonymous
|
Yes OP. With most of our therapists, we regretted staying as long as we did. Also, many therapists can't or won't do much to influence schools. Look at:
Breaking Free From Child Anxiety and OCD (SPACE Treatment) https://politics-prose.com/book/9780190883522 Anxiety in the Context of Autism: What Parents Need to Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF2nSr99s5Y Overcoming Entrenched School Refusal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x4NW1S_po |
Anonymous
| look for therapists who have a focus or experience dealing with neurodivergence. A good psychiatrist will not just medicate and will insist on therapy with medication. |
Anonymous
| Finding the right fit in a therapist is so important. If you are interested in looking at someone new, you could try Zach Gordon at In Focus. He’s neurodivergent himself and brings that lense to his work. |
Anonymous
| Hi OP - have you considered/would it be feasible to switch school environments? |
Anonymous
| Therapy would do nothing for my 14 year old with ADHD. But maybe it’ll help when he becomes an adult. You have to be willing to engage with it and he’s not willing at this point in time. |
Anonymous
|
These responses all seem sound to me. I'm also curious if you've asked your kid and/or the therapist if therapy has been helpful.
I'll also say that sometimes, therapy is helpful and you have no idea why. My ADHD 6th grader had a therapist last year for his explosive outbursts at home, and I didn't think the therapist was particularly insightful or systematic. However, our son's behavior really changed during the work with him. Part of it was that both parents usually brought him there, and sometimes, we talked with him and the therapist, and it seemed to signify to our son that we cared. It was an unusual place in which he actually seemed to believe us when we said good things about him. We parted ways because of logistical things, and behavior hasn't gone backward, but I don't think it would have gotten better if we hadn't met with that guy. Sorry to go off track here, but my point is, you can never quite know why something is working (or isn't!) But if you and your teen don't think it's making a difference, you can listen to that gut. That therapist will probably always be around, or another therapist will be if you want to start again. It's not like the choice is now or never. Good luck, and I'm sorry about the bullying. That stinks. |
Anonymous
| For my ADHD/ASD kid, therapy without the right medication was useless. It was like moving deck chairs on the Titanic. I'm don't think it's very helpful. DD (almost 16) talked to a therapist 2x a week between 10-14, and now once monthly. I think it helps us get a read on how she's doing, but that's about it. What helped DD (in addition to medication) was finding the right middle school and high school. Her executive functioning and social skills improved dramatically. She still has room for development in those areas, but she's blossomed. |
Anonymous
|
I think talk therapy is a waste of time in my personal opinion. Speaking from my own personal experience and that of my child. Waste of time, energy and money.
But for some personalities, maybe it’s helpful. I think therapies like a CBT or CBT with the DBT in combination with medication if that is what is needed is the most effective treatment and I the research supports that. CBT worked for my otherwise therapy resistant child worked because it was time bound and goal oriented. Medication definitely helps, but there are skills and thought recognition patterns that medication cannot teach that I think will serve him for life |
Anonymous
|
I used to be pro-therapy. it depends on the problem/diagnosis, but by and large I am not so pro any longer. There are a lot of ineffective therapists out there charging top dollar for little to no return on investment. If you are paying hundreds a month for therapies, I recommend you plug that same amount into a compound interest calculator, and se what you think would benefit your child more: endless low-yield therapy, or that same amount, invested and compunded, in cash in 20 years. It's a shocking calculation.
In 20 years, my kid will be better off not carrying a three-figure student loan than they are from weekly talk therapy that doesn't accomplish stated goals. |
Anonymous
| OP here, appreciating all the perspectives. Thank you. |
Anonymous
| Medication and therapy. Perhaps parenting therapy would also be in order. It can work wonders. |
Anonymous
|
My dd did both. She had an excellent relationship with her therapist who helped immensely. Some of her friends got no help and turned to drugs.
Good luck getting the right therapist |
Anonymous
| Are you paying for the therapy? 10 sessions = the evaluation. |