INFOBUS: Reaching Out to a Professional

[delicatedreamer]

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@_sagira_ wrote:

For the really hard, difficult things I told her to just ask me lots of questions. Because even though I will be reluctant in the beginning, if she just keeps asking me different questions I will eventually open up and tell her the whole story.  She knows that's how I work, because I've told her.  So I think tell them you have things that you've bottled up and don't want to discuss.  ANd you can talk about not wanting to talk about it.  Which can be helpful.

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Agree so much about talking about not want ting to talk about it. I think that can be really helpful. I love that you've told your psychologist what works for you too re: her continuing to ask you questions even when you're reluctant. It sounds like you have good working relationship

How do you start the conversation when asked what is wrong? When you've 'bottled it up" for so long!

I usually just start at the beginning (of where I felt things started going wrong) or talk about how I've been feeling and why I think this is. It is difficult but I like to just dive right in. If I'm really struggling I might just say 'I don't know' and let them direct the conversation for me by asking questions until I'm feeling more comfortable to explain.

[Sophie-RO]

I'm kind of with you there @graphiqual on making appointments. Something else I have done is if I know I'm going to procrastinate on booking an appointment I'll ask certain friends to gently check with me by a certain day or week to see if i have booked the appointment yet.

Generally I also think having someone non-judgemental at the front desk on reception who has a bit of mental health training is really important.

[Birdeye]

Does anyone else have ideas?

I think in the first session, when asked what was wrong I'd always go with the solid factual things that didn't have me admit anything about how I was feeling. For example, I would say that I haven't been to school in 'x' days or I've been having fights with 'y', or I've been doing 'z' a lot.

I was never sure how the person wanted me to answer the question, so I found the obvious things the safest guess.

What can services/professionals do to make it easier for you to access them? What would make the process of booking an appointment or getting started easier?

If it was easy to search them on the internet. I can look up a doctor and find that they specialise in oncology for example, I've never been able to really search up a mental health person and learning a bit about what the themselves specialise with.

If I don't get a referral from a school counsellor or GP I wouldn't know anything about where they are, what they help with etc.

[Twenty10]

@graphiqual

it's so much easier with someone to help make that appointment.
sometimes trying to access a youth worker, case manager type professional to make those hard appointment calls can be helpful.
even a back-up buddy, like you mentioned, a friend, family member or other *grown up* can help.
also, possibly nerdy, but nerdy is good - it can help to write a phone list to help you say what you need to

[_sagira_]

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@delicatedreamer wrote:

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How do you start the conversation when asked what is wrong? When you've 'bottled it up" for so long!

I usually just start at the beginning (of where I felt things started going wrong) or talk about how I've been feeling and why I think this is. It is difficult but I like to just dive right in. If I'm really struggling I might just say 'I don't know' and let them direct the conversation for me by asking questions until I'm feeling more comfortable to explain.

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I find it hard to discuss things that are 'currently' affecting or bothering me, so I will often talk about what happened a week or a few days ago before leading up to it.  I don't know...it makes it a bit easier.

[mischiefmanaged]

What can services/professionals do to make it easier for you to access them? What would make the process of booking an appointment or getting started easier?

Ah yes, the dreaded "making appointment" dilemma. That takes a LOT of courage!!! I'm sure many of us have hung up the phone a few times before we succeeded - but that's okay. I generally do it on a day when I'm feeling a bit more positive - I just do it and get it out of the way!

Email would definitely make it easier. My school counsellor had a box on her door so that was useful too!

Getting started - I liked that my psychiatrist's clinic sent out this big letter with all this information on it. So who I would be seeing, when my appointment was, how much it would cost, where the clinic was located and DIRECTIONS on how to get there! Also really simple language explaining how medicare works and stuff because seriously, who understands the medicare rebate (and who WANTS to understand it! I don't! I just want to know how much it'll cost me out of pocket!). I also like it that they made their confidentiality clause really clear.

[graphiqual]

@birdeye - I agree it would help a lot to be able to search them up on the internet, I've never really been able to find my psychologists through google

[mischiefmanaged]

Okay guys - last question for tonight! Thanks so much for your thoughts! They've been amazing!

What stops people from going back? What can a professional do at the end to make you want to come back?

[mischiefmanaged]

Hahaha! Googling your doctor. Yep, I'm guilty of that! I found great reviews though so I was happy with that.

[Twenty10]

@birdeye

if you're unsure what the person wants from the question they're asking, get them to clarify!

also, yess! search the internet for info on the dr/professional you're seeing. often they have FAQs to help with some of the 'first time' stresses