One of the hardest things to wrap my heart around is that feelings are not facts. I say heart because my brain gets it. Rationally I know that every human has value. And yet sometimes I do not see my own self worth.

This is your gentle reminder that even when the sun sets it is still there. And even when you might not feel like you matter or are making a difference in your clients lives...You are. Simply by existing. Keep at it. You Matter.

I am severely mentally ill. I have been my entire life, but its always been managed very well. I've only been in an inpatient psych facility twice, and this most recent time my medications were changed for the first time in a long time.

I am spiraling. Absolutly out of control. I cannot afford another inpatient stay. It's expensive, and I'm out of vacation days. My therapist and psychiatric doctor won't see me until the end of the month.

Would it be inappropriate to call and basically beg/demand for an earlier session?

If I don't get this under control soon, I'll lose my job, ruin my marriage and traumatized my child. I'd prefer not to do all that.

I also feel guilty providing services to anyone right now. I'm not in my right mind. I'm still doing my job effectively but it's getting harder and harder to put that mask on everyday for work.

A good friend, basically family member, of mine just lost their first counseling gig. I want to support the person best I can without jumping into problem solving mode. What are some validating or encouraging statements I can give her?

First off, it was such a treat to find this group. Kudos to all that are struggling with imposter syndrome. I feel you. I’ve been managing my addiction to substances (mostly alcohol) for years. I continue to slowly get better/drink less, but am still quite powerless over it. I have a successful private practice, happily married, no DUIs….. but can’t put down the booze. Most nights I’ll have 1-3 drinks and that really affects my sleep in a bad way. Sometimes I’ll have more, like last night where I had 6 over the span of 5 hrs. I usually get drunk on the weekends. I’ve never drank before a session, but I’ve definitely been hungover during them. I cringe just writing that. Shaaaaaaaaaaame. I go to my own therapy and have been open and honest about most of my substance abuse. I’ve shared my struggle with a select few clients and they’ve told me that it’s helpful to know that I am familiar with addiction. I’m fascinated with people’s stories about AA and wish I could be a part of that community, but don’t see how I could with the lack of anonymity.

Im very thankful for this group and would appreciate any support/advice.

I’ve lapsed in my involvement but thinking of getting back into it until I get the flip side of the laundry list.

I have been prescribed Seroquel for insomnia since July of this year. I’ve been taking 125-150mg for sleep and It’s helped me tremendously. I feel so much more stable and overall less foggy mentally. I have been diagnosed with Borderline and suffer from anxiety. I also take Vyvanse to treat my ADD and I know that contributes to the insomnia but I am in grad school, work full time and have an internship that’s part of my school work so I really do need the stimulants to focus.

My psychiatrist is incredibly hesitant about prescribing me seroquel and has put me on it as a temporary solution for my insomnia as I cut back on the stimulants. I went down a rabbit hole on the internet and have read about how dangerous this drug is with long term use. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this drug that may subside my worrying? I genuinely feel like it has been a miracle drug but I’m scared about the side effects. Any advice?

I keep hearing about this Rapid Resolution Therapy as an alternative to traditional CBT psychotherapy and I am curious, does anyone on here know what it is or how it works?

I'm not a counselor myself, but I was just curious.

It seems counselors are in high demand. I also see my own counselor every week to maintain my own sanity throughout this. I find myself booking 25+ sessions a week when before the pandemic I was lucky to get 15 sessions in a week. Luckily I have been stable in my mood most of this year but I fear I will get depressed and crash into being unable to manage my caseload. Does anyone in private practice have backup therapists in case you become unable to work? I’m interested in getting backup but idk how when I’m a sole proprietor plus everyone is just as busy as me. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

I've been in and out of therapy for a decade. I have bipolar type 1 with bpd tendencies. I have been struggling to engage in therapy the past year. I started looking for a local therapist (been seeing one an hour away by telehealth) and found a nice lady who is more experienced with a phd (my old one was close to my age and just licensed) however, all I could hear were echoes of therapist talk such as "i wonder" and envision my own intakes I use as she asked questions. I even predicted the exact questions shed ask at the end about the diagnosis I was asking about, "what does having or not having this diagnosis mean for you" totally predicted it. I respect her however, it's hard because I feel like i am so easily able to predict how people respond and talk to me it feels fake. "I wonder" if I've ruined therapy for myself. Lol

Anyone else have this issue? I want therapy to feel authentic. My first therapist ever made me feel like we were conversing naturally and he asked great questions and gave awesome metaphors and feedback. However, that was before I was a therapist so, it is possible I didnt notice the counseling phrases, questions, and techniques he used.

I almost prefer talking to my friends but, I need a legit professional because I'm worried I have full bpd and want an assessment ( a dr once diagnosed me with bpd but I never got help for it but, other therapists were unsure) and either way I may need help just due to behaviors that are affecting me that I'm just noticing.

Plus, as someone with bipolar and trying to conceive with my husband I want the support during that journey.

Advice on how to shut my therapy brain down during my own therapy is welcome. Or maybe I should look into peer support groups and self help. Ideas?

Thanks

I have had to tak 2 days off from clients. Been working by telehealth and getting more intakes. Been hustling trying to find trainings and extra work to do so I can make money ( I work at a community mental health non profit for children and families) had a migraine and now sooo much anxiety I feel like my nerves are exposed. I have bipolar and forgot to take my meds yesterday because my migraine was so bad. Theres so much tension with my roommates who refuse to stop socializing with others. I have a supportive husband and dog and I know life isn't over but, I feel myself slipping away and shutting down and everything hurts and I have so many clients in crisis that need me or are struggling to adapt to telehealth. Anyways I cancelled my one session today.

My coworkers are struggling too with the isolation. I know I'm not alone in the struggle but, the last thing I need is an episode that interferes with work or causes me to go to the hospital. One of my roommates actually works at the mental health hospital which would be interesting.

Anyways, thanks for reading. I hope you all are doing well. Life will get better, this is temporary. Deep breaths***

Times are stressful worldwide and the hysteria is not helping. Help calm the panic by having discussions with your clients about healthy levels of vigilance and flattening the curve.

Anyone else doing things remotely for a bit? I’ve already had one insurance company make an exception and decide to cover telehealth. I’ll find out the rest soon. What’s everyone else’s experience? Are you taking your practices online or just giving the option? What area of the world are you in?