Good evening all,
*This is a somewhat long post*
I decided to see a therapist recently due to a lot of stress and change in my life. I was also having hormonal issues (related to the Pill) and had a lot of depressed moments over a week-period. Also, in the last 6-months, I have graduated from college, got a promotion (with way more responsibility and 50 hour work weeks), went on a few trips (mostly work related), and have been trying to plan for the future (in terms of graduate school, which I am questioning the path I previously chose). Icing on the cake: my older sister has a serious drug problem, and I have recently grown distant from my old circle of friends (mostly felt a lot of negativity in their behaviors) without building a new social network. So yea, I have been under a lot of pressure.
My first session, I mostly cried and talked about what is going on in my life. So, naturally she said I am depressed (after taking a 10-question quiz covering the previous week).
However, I had a problem with this - I know the diagnostic manual for psychologist/psychiatrists (DSM-IV) is pretty arbitrary, but to make a diagnosis of depression, a person has to have a two-week period of symptoms. I made it clear to her that I had not had anything that severe (only 2-3 days here and there, mostly in high school, which she assured me was
very abnormal!), and my body was reacting really negatively to the pill all of a sudden, concurrent with my overwhelming distress. So, then she started insinuating that I am afraid to admit I am depressed and kept asking me why. The reason why I refuse to say I am depressed is that I function really well, and am usually very happy. However, if anything, I am an anxious perfectionist.
But nonetheless, I decided to stick with her, because she practices cognitive-behavioral therapy, which I have studied quite a bit in school and felt would be most effective for my problems, and wanted to give her a chance. I attended four sessions with her, and over this time she 1) stated that my alma mater university is not a very impressive school (then she stated where she came from to prove that she comes from a *pretiguous* school
); 2) demonstrated an arrogance about her neighbor's career path (manager of a gift shop); 3) keeps giving me stupid papers/assignments that are almost insulting (i.e., a notecard with positive statements to read when I feel down); and 4) keeps asking questions leading back to depression. She offers no insight into my thought patterns, and sometimes cuts me off when I am talking.
I am new to this; this kind of treatment is not normal, right? She is just starting her career, and it seems like she does not have enough clinical experience to assess my neuroses. She is definitly not right for me, so how do I "let her go"? In other words, should I come in for my next appointment and give her my personal assessment of her practice, or just cancel my next appointment over the phone and never look back? I do not want to pay her anymore; I feel like I have given her enough of my time and money and she has only provided me with arrogance and a lot of textbook photocopies. At the same time, I do not want to leave her hanging, and feel that I could offer my insight - however, she did not ask for it and it may lead her to believe that I now have a personality disorder.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? How do you leave a therapist who is unable to meet your needs?
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate any opinions/stories!!!