Ella, that's real bummer. I can imagine most traditional Christian therapists veiw mental illness a result of moral failure. Hopefully this one isn't that type of person, but prepare yourself. Also, remember that traditional does not equate to Godly. Just because tradition says something doesn't mean that God did. You don't have to be a "good, straight, feminine, traditional, church-going, stay-at-home mother of 26 kids who only uses art as a hobby and is complete property of her abusive husband", because while the church may be saying that, God certainly isn't. God uses diverse people. Some of the biggest bible characters were gender non conforming or some sort of outsider. Even Jesus was a reject. David probably had depression and was titled a man after God's own heart. This therapist may be able to help, but if you find she's just shoving scripture out of context down your throat instead of listening to you, then you need to do something about it, especially if your mental state gets worse. Definetly tell your parents, or even just tell this lady straight up if she's getting something wrong. If they won't listen, there are other steps you can take if you get to that point.
Also, anyone can feel free to PM me about Christianity/Bible stuff/Jesus stuff. Also if you have questions about ways to get help for mental illness if your parents aren't supportive. I might be able to pass along some resources regarding that.
One of the therapists I tried out basically said that all I needed to do was pray to make my depression and anxiety go away
I uh
I only had one session with her before we moved in to someone less shit at their job
The only therapist I've ever gone to wasn't very helpful. Idk. I just didn't get along with her and I spent every session basically sitting there in silence. It wasn't fun or helpful. Guess why I went in the first place? Because I forgot to wipe my browser history and my mom discovered that I had been reading gay fanfics, one of which happened to have a bit of smut in it
Ella, that's real bummer. I can imagine most traditional Christian therapists veiw mental illness a result of moral failure. Hopefully this one isn't that type of person, but prepare yourself. Also, remember that traditional does not equate to Godly. Just because tradition says something doesn't mean that God did. You don't have to be a "good, straight, feminine, traditional, church-going, stay-at-home mother of 26 kids who only uses art as a hobby and is complete property of her abusive husband", because while the church may be saying that, God certainly isn't. God uses diverse people. Some of the biggest bible characters were gender non conforming or some sort of outsider. Even Jesus was a reject. David probably had depression and was titled a man after God's own heart. This therapist may be able to help, but if you find she's just shoving scripture out of context down your throat instead of listening to you, then you need to do something about it, especially if your mental state gets worse. Definetly tell your parents, or even just tell this lady straight up if she's getting something wrong. If they won't listen, there are other steps you can take if you get to that point.
Also, anyone can feel free to PM me about Christianity/Bible stuff/Jesus stuff. Also if you have questions about ways to get help for mental illness if your parents aren't supportive. I might be able to pass along some resources regarding that.
This is such a comforting message. I struggle a lot with reconciling the way I am (pan, not super feminine, etc.), with my Christianity. Ella, good luck. I hope that this experience is still healing for you in some way.
I had a therapist who went to my church
Luckily she wasn't a Christian Therapist TM
i just can't stop crying today, the littlest things are setting me off. first of all, i still don't have my meds for like the 6th day in a row now because my psych only just sent the prescription order today and cvs probably won't fill it until tomorrow. second of all, the start of the school year drawing nearer is just really getting to me. my whole life i've always been excited for the beginning of the school year, especially since i started college, because it feels like a fresh start and more time to do cool stuff and try new things, and that's just not how it is this year. it's making me so sad that this time of year that's always invigorating for me is presently just another reminder that most of the good in my life is on hold. and now i'm crying again just typing this love that for me
do you ever know people who don't know what a spoiler tag is?
Whoops sorry. The post I'd just responded to was untagged so I forgot
Did little miss perfect mess up.
Dude, that was so uncalled for, I can't even put it into words.
I thought that bitch deleted her account.
Huh.
What a shock that she didn't, I'm truly astonished.
This is my astonished face: :|
i just can't stop crying today, the littlest things are setting me off. first of all, i still don't have my meds for like the 6th day in a row now because my psych only just sent the prescription order today and cvs probably won't fill it until tomorrow. second of all, the start of the school year drawing nearer is just really getting to me. my whole life i've always been excited for the beginning of the school year, especially since i started college, because it feels like a fresh start and more time to do cool stuff and try new things, and that's just not how it is this year. it's making me so sad that this time of year that's always invigorating for me is presently just another reminder that most of the good in my life is on hold. and now i'm crying again just typing this love that for me
That's awful, Charlotte :(
Luckily online school is a healthier option for me than normal school (especially after my freshman and sophomore years) so I'm fine with mandatory online school for my district but I hope that everything goes well for you! <3
do you ever know people who don't know what a spoiler tag is?
Whoops sorry. The post I'd just responded to was untagged so I forgot
Did little miss perfect mess up.
Dude, that was so uncalled for, I can't even put it into words.
I thought that bitch deleted her account.
Huh.
What a shock that she didn't, I'm truly astonished.
This is my astonished face: :|
here's mine
A much better one, to be sure
i just can't stop crying today, the littlest things are setting me off. first of all, i still don't have my meds for like the 6th day in a row now because my psych only just sent the prescription order today and cvs probably won't fill it until tomorrow. second of all, the start of the school year drawing nearer is just really getting to me. my whole life i've always been excited for the beginning of the school year, especially since i started college, because it feels like a fresh start and more time to do cool stuff and try new things, and that's just not how it is this year. it's making me so sad that this time of year that's always invigorating for me is presently just another reminder that most of the good in my life is on hold. and now i'm crying again just typing this love that for me
That's awful, Charlotte :(
Luckily online school is a healthier option for me than normal school (especially after my freshman and sophomore years) so I'm fine with mandatory online school for my district but I hope that everything goes well for you! <3
thank you jyn <3 i'm genuinely really glad to hear that online school is a good option for you! come to think of it, there are times i'm really grateful for it. when in-person classes were happening, i had a hard time getting to class on particularly bad mental health days, but an online class removes the pressure of having to get up, get dressed, leave myself enough time to grab a bagel before class; with online classes i can just stay in my pajamas and rest while not missing anything. it also does make me feel a lot safer that things are gonna be online. there are silver linings and i should keep that in mind, i'm just so melancholy today :'(
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
Go to the first one. See what's up. Make decision w new info.
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
I'd wait and see how the first one goes, that way if she seems off you can say something about how you just don't think she's the right fit for you. Finding the right therapist is very important!
i just can't stop crying today, the littlest things are setting me off. first of all, i still don't have my meds for like the 6th day in a row now because my psych only just sent the prescription order today and cvs probably won't fill it until tomorrow. second of all, the start of the school year drawing nearer is just really getting to me. my whole life i've always been excited for the beginning of the school year, especially since i started college, because it feels like a fresh start and more time to do cool stuff and try new things, and that's just not how it is this year. it's making me so sad that this time of year that's always invigorating for me is presently just another reminder that most of the good in my life is on hold. and now i'm crying again just typing this love that for me
That's awful, Charlotte :(
Luckily online school is a healthier option for me than normal school (especially after my freshman and sophomore years) so I'm fine with mandatory online school for my district but I hope that everything goes well for you! <3
thank you jyn <3 i'm genuinely really glad to hear that online school is a good option for you! come to think of it, there are times i'm really grateful for it. when in-person classes were happening, i had a hard time getting to class on particularly bad mental health days, but an online class removes the pressure of having to get up, get dressed, leave myself enough time to grab a bagel before class; with online classes i can just stay in my pajamas and rest while not missing anything. it also does make me feel a lot safer that things are gonna be online. there are silver linings and i should keep that in mind, i'm just so melancholy today :'(
Yeah, I missed a frankly depressing amount of classes due to my anxiety being so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. I hope you can find more silver linings; it's very hard some times but they are out there! Oof, felt that, though not really today.
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
is there any angle you might be able to take with your mom? would she be upset if you pointed out that you're nervous about the "traditional gender roles" thing and just address the less controversial criticisms of "traditional" femininity, like you want the option to have a career someday, etc? or would she be unhappy with that sentiment?
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
Go for one session, two if you can handle it, and if you hate her, make up some excuses. Don't have them be too small, because then your mom will tell you you're being petty and to get over it and you're lucky you can go at all etc, but don't have them be super big either. Find a happy medium. Something that she disagrees with your mom on might be good. You can exaggerate that a little bit, but with your mom it's honestly more likely to get you out of there than a lot of other stuff. If you can't find any of that, say it just makes you uncomfortable and anxious and you don't really know why but it's making everything worse
I barely kept from snapping in a discussion I had with my former principal, we were trying to discuss fundraising for an organization my friends and I are setting up, and she kept trying to get us to do it through the parish that the school's connected to?? And we kept trying to say that we wanted it to be secular and open to everyone but she wouldn't listen to our reasoning :[
I muted myself halfway through because I didn't trust myself not to launch into the Kate monologue I had just memorized snap.
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
Go for one session, two if you can handle it, and if you hate her, make up some excuses. Don't have them be too small, because then your mom will tell you you're being petty and to get over it and you're lucky you can go at all etc, but don't have them be super big either. Find a happy medium. Something that she disagrees with your mom on might be good. You can exaggerate that a little bit, but with your mom it's honestly more likely to get you out of there than a lot of other stuff. If you can't find any of that, say it just makes you uncomfortable and anxious and you don't really know why but it's making everything worse
You could probably do something like "she seems too nice, I want someone to be more firm with me" or vice versa, like a personality clash thing?
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
is there any angle you might be able to take with your mom? would she be upset if you pointed out that you're nervous about the "traditional gender roles" thing and just address the less controversial criticisms of "traditional" femininity, like you want the option to have a career someday, etc? or would she be unhappy with that sentiment?
she'd probably be perfectly fine with that opinion, she's totally supportive of women getting jobs, living alone, and things like that, however this lady's bio didn't specify how traditional, just that she takes a very religious approach to (insert list of topics that happens to include gender roles, sexuality, and a few other things some consider controversial), so pointing out something that was never explicitly said might seem overly picky.
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
Go for one session, two if you can handle it, and if you hate her, make up some excuses. Don't have them be too small, because then your mom will tell you you're being petty and to get over it and you're lucky you can go at all etc, but don't have them be super big either. Find a happy medium. Something that she disagrees with your mom on might be good. You can exaggerate that a little bit, but with your mom it's honestly more likely to get you out of there than a lot of other stuff. If you can't find any of that, say it just makes you uncomfortable and anxious and you don't really know why but it's making everything worse
that seems like a smart approach
I'll try that.
thank y'all <3
thank you guys <3
I don’t know if I can make any excuses without having at least one session first, and if I say anything regarding what we know now from her public bio and reviews, mom might think I’m hiding something bad.
should I wait and see if this one’s ok, or…?
what should I do?
the first session isn’t for a few weeks so I have time but I’m still a bit scared-
is there any angle you might be able to take with your mom? would she be upset if you pointed out that you're nervous about the "traditional gender roles" thing and just address the less controversial criticisms of "traditional" femininity, like you want the option to have a career someday, etc? or would she be unhappy with that sentiment?
she'd probably be perfectly fine with that opinion, she's totally supportive of women getting jobs, living alone, and things like that, however this lady's bio didn't specify how traditional, just that she takes a very religious approach to (insert list of topics that happens to include gender roles, sexuality, and a few other things some consider controversial), so pointing out something that was never explicitly said might seem overly picky.
Something I see a lot with the praying curing depression and anxiety thing is people say it helps them and yeah, it can and often does give you temporary relief for when your symptoms are really bad, but it's obvious to outside people that they aren't cured at all and it comes back full force pretty soon. And God's given us medicine and knowledge so rejecting that help in favor of praying that he'll help is pretty man on the roof in the floor if you ask me (if you know that story. If you don't, basically there's a flood so a guy goes up on his roof and as people pass by offering him help and he keeps saying "no, God will save me" until he drowns. He gets to heaven all like gOd WhY dIdNt YoU sAvE mE and God is just like :/ my guy I sent a bunch of people and you blew them off so don't put this on me. The point being God puts people and things in your life to help you so maybe recognize that instead of clinging to the way you think he should do things. Or something like that)
So maybe you could work that in somehow. Not quite sure how. But she also might think you're sassing her and being condescending and rude
(that's a good take. like, god already answered your prayer, in the form of medicine, and you're ignoring it. my grandma, who's the most religious person i've ever known and who i'm diametrically opposed with on just about all matters of politics and spirituality, points to "prozac and jesus" as her most instrumental tools for coping–even she knows that sometimes, not every solution to every problem will explicitly be in the bible. though i'm not really religious, so maybe it's not my place to comment upon this)
