How much is too much?

[Mallory]

Ive been contemplating the meaning of what my therapist said all week and I still haven't quite settled on an answer. I'm hoping you all had some input with having a fresh perspective.

So my second session went well. I was far more open and honest about where I was, my mentality, and just in general more about me and my perspective. At the end of the session he stated, "It was interesting today. Thank you for your input and frankness."

Should I be concerned with how direct I am or should I remain an open book and, for lack of a better word, very blunt?

Thanks all.

[ChiGirl]

I think you should always be an open book with your therapist.  If you're blunt or coy, whatever, but if you can't be open with them, who can you be open with? 

[Cindy]

Yes be as open and honest and complete as you can. Therapy is time to get the junk out of the system so you can start a fantastic life.

[Mallory]

Thanks for the replies. Instead of making another topic id figure id pose another question.

This weekend will be session #4. I'm wishing to start HRT as soon as possible and I feel its the right thing for me. Should I just come out and ask my therapist for a diagnosis and subsequently a letter or should I let him come about it on his own?

[Cindy]

Ask them, and ask if he thinks there are any reasons not to that need to be worked on

[Mallory]

Welp, I just asked him and he said he felt confident.  He just needs to gather more information to write it.  Made me feel a lot better.  Thanks, Cindy.

[Cindy]

Awesome!!

[AnonyMs]

Ive been contemplating the meaning of what my therapist said all week and I still haven't quite settled on an answer. I'm hoping you all had some input with having a fresh perspective.

So my second session went well. I was far more open and honest about where I was, my mentality, and just in general more about me and my perspective. At the end of the session he stated, "It was interesting today. Thank you for your input and frankness."

Should I be concerned with how direct I am or should I remain an open book and, for lack of a better word, very blunt?

I faced this situation, and I believe you need to be honest. My experience is that you can be honest to the point that its very stressful on both sides, and get a great result out of it. I wasn't after letters or anything like that or I might have just lied instead.

I've noticed how people speak so respectfully, almost fearfully sometimes about psychs and I don't share that view. I'm more of the opinion that I'm paying them for a service, and they are working for me. If they don't like that I'll get someone else (just have to hope I don't run out of psychs though).

My first psych session was mostly an information dump. By time time of the second one I was uneasy about the how the first session went. It was like talking to a blank wall. Very little feedback. The problem is I have trust issues, and I don't trust people like that. They tend to be hiding bad things.

He's a psych so of course he's hiding things, that what he's supposed to do so that he doesn't influence me, but its completely the wrong approach for me. I can't trust and I need to otherwise I'll get nothing out of it. The other problems is that if I'm invested in something I normally filter what I say quite heavily to avoid upsetting people. That's not terribly useful in this situation either, as how will he ever understand me enough to help? There's no point in continuing without getting past these issues.

So I told him both these things, and said I'd not filter anything when talking to him in the future and that I wanted to see what was behind the walls. The rest of the session and the ones after were very different. I can be very perceptive and challenging when when I want to and went hard at it. I guess that doesn't happen very often, and while I'm not quite sure I think he may have been considering dropping me as patient. That would have been fine, because at least I'd know he's not for me before wasting too much time with him. It worked out really well though. He understands me well and and I trust and respect him enough to get help. And it helped me a lot.

[Muffinheart]

Be open, for sure. I found it so wonderful to open up....it was like reopening the past, confronting it, and dealing with it. Only then, could I move on.


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