Therapy is a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Therapy saved my child's life. She was suicidal and therapy gave her the tools to overcome those feelings and thrive. She took medication for awhile which was also essential but it was therapy that helped her learn how to face and surmount the challenges of living.

I was going to post the same thing.

[Anonymous]

I agree to some extent but early therapy does help kids get comfortable with the idea before they're old enough to feel any stigma. If nothing else, therapy also gives them the skills to talk about feelings more deeply. But don't let it go on too long. If the kid emerges from therapy in the same mood he/she was beforehand, it's not working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree to some extent but early therapy does help kids get comfortable with the idea before they're old enough to feel any stigma. If nothing else, therapy also gives them the skills to talk about feelings more deeply. But don't let it go on too long. If the kid emerges from therapy in the same mood he/she was beforehand, it's not working.

No, it's not working. I feel like they are all just swindlers, either charging $150-$300 per hour without accepting insurance to "treat" you or your child, or they see an insurance they like so schedule you out for months and months and your kid & family doesn't get any better.

[Anonymous]

I disagree. My child's therapist was amazing in helping them deal with anxiety. But since when we started I sat in on some of the sessions and much of our success was the whole family learning how to deal as well and using the tools at home. It is a team effort. She still emails to check in and ask if she can help anymore. Keep looking for someone your child clicks with.

[Anonymous]

Therapy IS expensive and time-consuming. Few providers take any form of insurance, and insurance companies are miserly at best in dealing with families facing mental health crises.

Here's the thing: recovery from serious mental illness is a life-long project, one that does not follow a straight line of upward progress, but involves a lot of setbacks and regression.

Have two years of therapy fixed my kid? I'd never make that claim. She's alive, despite two suicidal episodes, so there's that. We know more about what her emotional challenges are, so there's that. We communicate better as a family, so there's that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. My child's therapist was amazing in helping them deal with anxiety. But since when we started I sat in on some of the sessions and much of our success was the whole family learning how to deal as well and using the tools at home. It is a team effort. She still emails to check in and ask if she can help anymore. Keep looking for someone your child clicks with.

Can you recommend this therapist? My DS has severe social anxiety yet all the therapists he(and I) saw only made it worse and told him to breathe deeply and that he is not at fault(which clearly he isn't) but never how to actually cope with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Therapy IS expensive and time-consuming. Few providers take any form of insurance, and insurance companies are miserly at best in dealing with families facing mental health crises.

Here's the thing: recovery from serious mental illness is a life-long project, one that does not follow a straight line of upward progress, but involves a lot of setbacks and regression.

Have two years of therapy fixed my kid? I'd never make that claim. She's alive, despite two suicidal episodes, so there's that. We know more about what her emotional challenges are, so there's that. We communicate better as a family, so there's that.

I am really happy for you and you DD. Glad that she is alive and improving. I have studied Psychology and I am sorry to say that I think it is a Pseudo Science. I now think that good therapists are actually people with great patience and good understanding and listening skills, but that the majority are self inflated quacks. I am glad you found the person who was able to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Therapy IS expensive and time-consuming. Few providers take any form of insurance, and insurance companies are miserly at best in dealing with families facing mental health crises.

Here's the thing: recovery from serious mental illness is a life-long project, one that does not follow a straight line of upward progress, but involves a lot of setbacks and regression.

Have two years of therapy fixed my kid? I'd never make that claim. She's alive, despite two suicidal episodes, so there's that. We know more about what her emotional challenges are, so there's that. We communicate better as a family, so there's that.

I am really happy for you and you DD. Glad that she is alive and improving. I have studied Psychology and I am sorry to say that I think it is a Pseudo Science. I now think that good therapists are actually people with great patience and good understanding and listening skills, but that the majority are self inflated quacks. I am glad you found the person who was able to help.

Where did you "study" psychology and why would you study it if you think it's pseudo science. You sound incredibly angry. I'd suggest therapy...but I guess that isn't going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Waste of time and money, nothing but bitch session, often focusing on blaming parents for everything, well, in our case that sums it up. Ended up with kid who denied any responsibility for anything and blamed everybody else for everything.

You sound like my parents. They wanted therapy to explain to me what was wrong with me and how to fix it. They were the root cause of what was wrong, but no way no how were they ever going to hear that from anyone. The adults have to change first. That's what it means to be a parent.

On the plus side, I am hyper-aware of what not to do with my own kids, starting with blaming them for bad family dynamics.

+1.

OP, of course parents are a huge part of the overall picture of any child! They are the strongest influence in their lives. I'm not saying a child doesn't have to work on their behavior- of course they do- but problems for teens don't arise from a vacuum.

So you are saying a child with severe social anxiety from birth is the fault of parents? Or ADHD kids are created by parents? Parents hold a lot of influence, no doubt, but unless parents are truly insane, which some are, you are saying parents are whole to blame for their kid's actions? Teens are blameless? Right?

No, I am saying that as parents you are the creators of the environment in which the teen lives. You are key to your child's recovery-- whether you want to be or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Therapy saved my child's life. She was suicidal and therapy gave her the tools to overcome those feelings and thrive. She took medication for awhile which was also essential but it was therapy that helped her learn how to face and surmount the challenges of living.

Same experience. Although it took 4 different therapists before we found one that helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Therapy IS expensive and time-consuming. Few providers take any form of insurance, and insurance companies are miserly at best in dealing with families facing mental health crises.

Here's the thing: recovery from serious mental illness is a life-long project, one that does not follow a straight line of upward progress, but involves a lot of setbacks and regression.

Have two years of therapy fixed my kid? I'd never make that claim. She's alive, despite two suicidal episodes, so there's that. We know more about what her emotional challenges are, so there's that. We communicate better as a family, so there's that.

I am really happy for you and you DD. Glad that she is alive and improving. I have studied Psychology and I am sorry to say that I think it is a Pseudo Science. I now think that good therapists are actually people with great patience and good understanding and listening skills, but that the majority are self inflated quacks. I am glad you found the person who was able to help.

Where did you "study" psychology and why would you study it if you think it's pseudo science. You sound incredibly angry. I'd suggest therapy...but I guess that isn't going to happen.

Because it is. Psychiatry is not whereas psychology is subjective and further more, until recently was more of a mysticism than anything resembling a science. Results and methods of psychology can't be scientifically quantifiable and are open to subjective interpretation. Psychology doesn't meet basic requirements of scientific inquiry. There are five requirements: Clearly defined terminology, quantifiable, controlled experimental conditions, reproducible and testable. I am not angry at all, I studied it and only with studying, I realized that it is all bunch of made up ideas with no scientific base. How do you define depression, anxiety, it is different from person to person, how do you find a method to treat such anxiety? Now, psychiatry is a whole different beast since Freud and Jung days, psychology is an angry beast itself full of people who try to prove that it is a science, but that can't be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Waste of time and money, nothing but bitch session, often focusing on blaming parents for everything, well, in our case that sums it up. Ended up with kid who denied any responsibility for anything and blamed everybody else for everything.

You sound like my parents. They wanted therapy to explain to me what was wrong with me and how to fix it. They were the root cause of what was wrong, but no way no how were they ever going to hear that from anyone. The adults have to change first. That's what it means to be a parent.

On the plus side, I am hyper-aware of what not to do with my own kids, starting with blaming them for bad family dynamics.

+1.

OP, of course parents are a huge part of the overall picture of any child! They are the strongest influence in their lives. I'm not saying a child doesn't have to work on their behavior- of course they do- but problems for teens don't arise from a vacuum.

So you are saying a child with severe social anxiety from birth is the fault of parents? Or ADHD kids are created by parents? Parents hold a lot of influence, no doubt, but unless parents are truly insane, which some are, you are saying parents are whole to blame for their kid's actions? Teens are blameless? Right?

No, I am saying that as parents you are the creators of the environment in which the teen lives. You are key to your child's recovery-- whether you want to be or not.

New poster here. One thing I realized is that my kid got the genetics that predisposed her to alcoholism and anxiety from me and her father - so the fact that she struggled with those things wasn't my fault. But what was really important is how I dealt with those issues in my own life and how I helped her (or not) to deal constructively with them. Because no matter how I parented her she was going to have to face those challenges. I couldn't change that but I could help her learn how to manage them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Waste of time and money, nothing but bitch session, often focusing on blaming parents for everything, well, in our case that sums it up. Ended up with kid who denied any responsibility for anything and blamed everybody else for everything.

You sound like my parents. They wanted therapy to explain to me what was wrong with me and how to fix it. They were the root cause of what was wrong, but no way no how were they ever going to hear that from anyone. The adults have to change first. That's what it means to be a parent.

On the plus side, I am hyper-aware of what not to do with my own kids, starting with blaming them for bad family dynamics.

+1.

OP, of course parents are a huge part of the overall picture of any child! They are the strongest influence in their lives. I'm not saying a child doesn't have to work on their behavior- of course they do- but problems for teens don't arise from a vacuum.

So you are saying a child with severe social anxiety from birth is the fault of parents? Or ADHD kids are created by parents? Parents hold a lot of influence, no doubt, but unless parents are truly insane, which some are, you are saying parents are whole to blame for their kid's actions? Teens are blameless? Right?

No, I am saying that as parents you are the creators of the environment in which the teen lives. You are key to your child's recovery-- whether you want to be or not.

New poster here. One thing I realized is that my kid got the genetics that predisposed her to alcoholism and anxiety from me and her father - so the fact that she struggled with those things wasn't my fault. But what was really important is how I dealt with those issues in my own life and how I helped her (or not) to deal constructively with them. Because no matter how I parented her she was going to have to face those challenges. I couldn't change that but I could help her learn how to manage them.

Exactly. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Therapy IS expensive and time-consuming. Few providers take any form of insurance, and insurance companies are miserly at best in dealing with families facing mental health crises.

Here's the thing: recovery from serious mental illness is a life-long project, one that does not follow a straight line of upward progress, but involves a lot of setbacks and regression.

Have two years of therapy fixed my kid? I'd never make that claim. She's alive, despite two suicidal episodes, so there's that. We know more about what her emotional challenges are, so there's that. We communicate better as a family, so there's that.

I am really happy for you and you DD. Glad that she is alive and improving. I have studied Psychology and I am sorry to say that I think it is a Pseudo Science. I now think that good therapists are actually people with great patience and good understanding and listening skills, but that the majority are self inflated quacks. I am glad you found the person who was able to help.

Where did you "study" psychology and why would you study it if you think it's pseudo science. You sound incredibly angry. I'd suggest therapy...but I guess that isn't going to happen.

Because it is. Psychiatry is not whereas psychology is subjective and further more, until recently was more of a mysticism than anything resembling a science. Results and methods of psychology can't be scientifically quantifiable and are open to subjective interpretation. Psychology doesn't meet basic requirements of scientific inquiry. There are five requirements: Clearly defined terminology, quantifiable, controlled experimental conditions, reproducible and testable. I am not angry at all, I studied it and only with studying, I realized that it is all bunch of made up ideas with no scientific base. How do you define depression, anxiety, it is different from person to person, how do you find a method to treat such anxiety? Now, psychiatry is a whole different beast since Freud and Jung days, psychology is an angry beast itself full of people who try to prove that it is a science, but that can't be done.

1) many scientists would disagree with you?

http://www.scilogs.com/from_the_lab_bench/is-psychology-really-science-why-yes-it-is/
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wavefunction/is-psychology-a-e2809creale2809d-science-does-it-really-matter/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2013/08/19/is-psychology-science-is-the-wrong-question/#.V3Vi9PkrKUk

2) Why does it matter to you if it is or isn't a science? If it's not effective for you, then it's not effective for you.

[Anonymous]

OP here. So maybe then "THERAPY" isn't a scam, but many "therapists" (at least in this area) are just swindlers selling snake oil to the desperate, and figured out how to tap into the cash-cow of Federal insurance resources.