The therapist says it will all be okay. The doctor tells me to hang in there.
They don’t understand what I’m going through. They smile when i talk about how much I’m hurting, they try to make me think my life is better than expected.
I want a therapist who is caring and understands, still haven’t found one yet.
It is often difficult to find a counselor who has specific training or experience dealing with self-injury, as I’ve experienced this before too — many of us have. It is hard when we, as patients, must educate those who are treating us.
My recommendation is to let her know about SAFE and encourage her to visit the website. The book “Bodily Harm” is a great resource for professionals, as well as friends and families, in order to help them start to gain an understanding of what we are really going through. My doctor at the hospital didn’t have much experience and when I mentioned the book, she went out and bought it immediately. I shared with her that I had read it before and really liked how it explained self-injury. She read the book and bought me a copy to have when I was in the hospital. We worked through portions of the book together and it opened up areas for “constructive conversation”.
There are work-books out there that are specifically designed for teens going through self-injury, as I’ve found them on the shelves of Barnes and Nobles. Go out and buy one or two – then share them with your counselor. You might have to be your own advocate in the beginning, but most professionals aren’t afraid to start looking once they are given a place to start. My doctor found the SAFE website and brought it up to me in the hospital — then I got to share with her my experiences with SAFE and the main book they use. From there, we had a place to start helping each other. My doctor ended up helping to save my life and now I’m going to be able to get more specialized help for self-injury.
Yes, it can be frustruating and is often frustrating when you have to educate your doctors/ health professionals. But by becoming our own advocates, we are not only helping ourselves – but we are helping other people that our doctors and counselors will treat in their future. Reach out and help those around you better understand you.
Sometimes we have to become our own best advocate. By this I mean we have to educate those who are trying to help us. Refer your counselor and doctor to this website and recommend they read the book “Bodily Harm” – that could be a starting point.
Thanks, I guess that helps. They really don’t seem to care. I just want a therapist who understands and cares.