On Hold - Need counseling

I have spent the last 4 weeks trying to find a counselor.

One, she didn't take insurance; the next one was up two flights of stairs, no access any other way. (i have a bad Knee)

third one, he had me take the written test, (500 questions), then never returned my calls. I am so disappointed and frustrated.

But, I am not giving up. I could go to the group where my psych eval was done,its 45 min away and i need 6-8 sessions befor my psych will take me off of hold. I dont know how my work would feel about me taking time off every week, that is worry some as well

Had to vent this morning and looking for any advice from the group. Oh, i have my endoscopy monday, its the last test i need.

so the counselor is the only thing holding me back, any advice?

Jae

Hi Jae, I guess my first question is, Why does your counselor have you on hold?  What kind of problems are you trying to sort thru?  Of course none of us are physicians on this forum, but we usually share alot of the same issues and problems.... so maybe we can help with what may have worked for us?

He is concerned that i have continued my out of control consumption of sweets. He said that if the counselor( when i find one) says i have made progress he will move me along even if i have not completed the whole amount of sessions. So i need a counselor and fast. I have my last test in the morning, the upper endoscopy, and i am done. the only thing holding me back is the psychologist hold.

Call your insurance company and ask for a list of in-network providers in your area.  Some insurances will even help you find a counselor if you are having trouble getting an appt. If you have EAP (employee assistance program) thru your employer they will get an appt for you.  They even have single case agreements that can be set up with therapists who are not in-network with your insurance company if you can't find someone within a reasonable driving distance. I think 45 minutes would be considered unacceptable.   Whomever you start working with will need to be in contact with the dr who did your psych eval. So make sure you sign releases so they can share information.  Good luck, this is just one more fustration to get through but the end result will be worth it and you want to make sure you are as healthy as possible before going into this.

I did the EAP thing and got a  therapist, but she was out of network. So after the 3 free visits, i couldn't afford to go back.

Yes, it will all be worth it in the end, but it sure does take you on lots of side trips!

Many, of not most, counselors have some evening hours available.  They are in high demand, of course, but you can usually work something out if taking time off work is a real issue.

Call your insurance company or go to their website to find a counselor who accepts your insurance.  I would also make another attempt to contact the third counselor who had you are the assessment.  There are some potential ethical issues with someone accepting you as a client, giving you an assessment, and then refusing to have any contact with you after that (if even to explain if there is some reason that they are unwilling to work with you on an ongoing basis).

If you do not already know the reasons for the "hold", be sure that you find out what the specific concern(s) is/are, so that once you find a counselor you can productively focus on that/those.  I have known people who went to the suggested number of counseling sessions but the psychologist responsible for the clearance did not see evidence that the patient had worked on the specific things he wanted addressed (so they had to continue additional counseling).

Lora

His concern is that i find other ways to cope. I have nothing else and no idea, so i always knew i wanted counseling.

But to have it hold up my surgery, that was a blow in the gut, so to speak.

I understand why and all the reasons, and i know i need help with this journey.

He also wants me to attend the support group for weight loss patients, we can bring our family so hubby is going with me.

looking forward to attending and learning.

Jae

Hi again Jae, I hope you have had some luck finding a counselor.....  as far as your sweet tooth, it is something that I struggle with everyday.  I had to work with my nutritionist for the 6 months before my surgery to learn how to make better choices when I crave something sweet.  It is true, that the less sugar you eat, the less you crave it, but sometimes the head takes over.....  I think if you find a therapist that maybe specializes in weight issues, that they will know that this is not something we may ever be "Cured" of, and that we will always have to work thru it......  whenever I crave a sweet, I try to make a substitute of a healthy sweet with not too many sugar grams and it usually works just fine!  Keep at it, you can and will do this......  it is worth it!

Have the person who did your psych eval give suggestions.  I also recomend that you have support personnel in place before surgery.  My support group was my therapist and nutritionist.  My therapist called me both days in hospital to see how I was doing.

you need to face your demons and learn how to redirect.

lyn

I'm confused.  You had your psych evaluation but your clearance was put on hold pending further counseling?