Emotional ramblings...thoughts about eating disorder treatment

Ive spoken to a couple different MFTs who tell me that the only treatment for eating disorders is good old cognitive behavioral therapy....like my negative thoughts are the root of all my problems. (its hard not to tell them to go **** themselves but ive done good). Ive been in an intensive treatment program with CBT and it's not really helping my eating disorder issues. My depression and anxiety has only gotten worse while in this program (and my never ending ****tail of psych meds I probably dont need)

Has anyone been to a therapist...im just wondering what kind of strategies/methods are used to treat eating disorders (specifically binge eating).  What makes a good therapist vs ineffective one?

Im kind of an emotional mess today - as a little background I was in therapy, seeing a male therapist- talking about issues with men, trust, intimacy, relationships, body image...very personal things, and he ended up touching me and making inappropriate sexual advances. I appealed to my insurance to pay for an outsider provider for mental health because I cannot go back into that building, but they are refusing, and my only option is drive 180 miles round trip to the closest Kaiser therapist. Neither are feasible options, so I feel like Im at a dead end for the next 6 months until I can switch out of this mess. 

I did find a psychologist I want to work with but she charges $125/session and its just like...ouch. Ive been off work for a while (since this whole therapist thing) and...it's just not practical. Blah. 

I'm due to see a therapist in july. I have never been to a shrink before so this should be interesting. I'm sorry you had a bad experience is there a way you can bring it up with a board of doctors to get him out of there? I wish you all the best my friend.

You should be walking out of each session feeling like it made sense and that you have some work to do and some things to think about. The therapist is not going to fix or cure you, that is up to you. The therapist is there to guide you through the process. The therapist is only a tool just like VSG, the hard part is still up to you. But if the therapist doesn't have you digging to find the source or initial cause of your depression and anxiety then you may need to find a new one. 

 

I'm actually in grad school to become a Psych-Mental Health NP and wrote a big paper on Obesity and CBT, ironically. Additionally, CBT was pretty much created here at Penn by Dr. Beck so it's all over everything we learn, good and bad. haha

But, the research has shown that CBT really is the most effective therapy treatment for binge eating (and other eating disorders.) CBT is a very active therapy and can be very tough for clients. Have you been given some homework and books to read? I'm in therapy myself, but my therapist uses a mixture of techniques, most recently, mindfulness, to help with my head games. I've found on the good days, I walk out of there really thinking, like Keith said, and have a game plan on what to try and accomplish for the week. Other days when it's not so good, I tend to not feel much, like I gained nothing.

It sounds like you may need to have someone take a look at your meds and adjust some classes or doses. Additionally, maybe going in to therapy with some topics you want to discuss will help you go down a path that you see as beneficial.

I hope this was helpful, or at least shed some light. Eating disorders, much like substance use disorders, are really tough to treat in therapy.  I've been following your posts and am rooting for you. You're so real and an inspiration in many ways. :)

Unfortunately, all of my CBT is in ******g group therapy which I more or less refuse to participate in because most people there are just not on the same page I am...and my issues are way to personal. So Im not getting much out of it. Unfortunately. 

I do no good in group therapy situations either.  I'm one on one with my therapist and am making major strides on controlling my binge eating by understanding what's causing it, and having new tools that I can use to avoid starting the binge in the first place.  I have a long way to go, but this has been a life long issue for me, so I don't expect to fix it in a couple of months.  Therapy really can work.

Jane

All your CBT is group work? That's just stupid. I'm sorry. I'm actually fired up now. How is this therapist seeing any benefit from doing this? It's just silly. I can see how it could work for certain aspects of it, but to get down to your core beliefs, schemas, and negative thoughts, like you said, you need to speak with someone one on one. Additionally, in my personal opinion from what I've learned, we need to identify our triggers and what made us get to this point in addition to the behavior changing component. 

I agree with others about looking for therapists who do a sliding scale. Usually they are very supportive and willing to work with you. Do you know where to look? I can look on some sites if you need some help.

Please keep us updated. I was so upset when I read your initial post about the therapist who crossed some major boundaries and was hoping you found a new one. Mental health is so important for everyone, but especially for our population. I don't even want to think where I'd be if I wasn't getting the free counseling from school.

Im going to try and find a way to work this psychologist I found... 

Yeah and really the only CBT going on is an MFT reading handouts to us like children. Most of the time is just people talking about their issues with their kids/spouses/neighbors cat...

I don't see how someone could possibly benefit from group CBT therapy.  It is such a personal thing and no two people's needs and struggles are truly alike.  Stupid, stupid, stupid!

 

Having said that, I did go to a psychologist who specialized in eating disorders.  I knew I needed help in managing my feelings with something other than food.  When I first started, she told me that I may not lose any weight at all for a long time.  I really didn't want to hear that.  I wanted to get in, hear the right things, then get out and lose weight immediately because I was fixed.  She was right, I was wrong.  It's not easy and it does take work.  What DID happen is that I was able to stop gaining weight.  I had gained over 70 lbs from the most recent weight loss result and my weight gain wasn't slowing down at all.

 

I haven't seen her in a year, but plan to possibly go back now that I have had the VSG.  While I had stopped gaining weight and had actually lost some weight, my anxiety and borderline OCD make it hard sometimes to not eat in response to pain, either physical or emotional.  I don't want to sabotage myself.

 

I hope that you are successful in finding someone who can treat you one on one.  It is hard work, but it is truly worth it.

 

I too am outraged by that charlatan you saw previously.  It makes me want to fly out there, track him down and fix a hateful glare on him every time he sees me!   In a totally non-stalking way of course!!!

The truth is that really good therapy is often hard to find and most often expensive.  The best therapy I ever had was with a woman who charged outrageous prices but she changed my life.  I am very difficult to please when looking for a therapist because I have rather specific requirements for therapy.

Here are some things that I look for that work for me.

1) A therapist that has a clear goal in mind.

2) Someone who asks me straight out "How will we know when you are done".

3) Someone who is focused on here and now, today, as oposed to history.  Now my history will come into therapy but only as it relates to my current issues. We work on what is in front of us this very moment and we deconstruct my though process and actions and come up with better alternatives. 

4) Someone with great bounderies.

5) Someone who does not believe that therapy must hurt.  I never walked out of therapy feeling burdened by my past, only excited to try something new and invigorated.

6) Someone who is clearly able to see my strength as well as my weaknesses and is willing to work with me from the position of my ability not some percieved disability. 

7) Someone who is more than willing to tell me the truth and is practical and grounded in the real world, not just jargon and theory. 

8) Someone with real life experience and a strong belief in their ability to help me overcome my issues.

9) Finally, someone I admire as a human being.