For those that have tried therapy??

I read how much therapy or counseling has helped some of you here and I'm getting to the point where I think it might be beneficial for me as well. So, I'm wondering how do you go about finding a therapist? One that specializes in dealing with wls? I know I have to call my insurance to see who they would cover, but how did you find someone that was educated in wls patients? And, how will I know if I've found a good therapist or not? Thanks in advance for any advice! Tracy B 328/150's 5'9"

I have a therapist thought haven't seen her in ages but found her through a friend. My insurance reimburses 50% for mental health stuff. I'd try to find someone that works with eating disorders, if possible. We actually had a few come to our support groups so if I needed one that specializes in that arena... I'd know who to go to. Perhaps asking through your bariatric surgeon or bariatric coordinator/staff at the hospital. Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I think I'll call my insurance co and surgeon tomorrow. I just keep reading where people have really been able to dimish their "issues" with eating and I need to get my emotional eating straightened out. Things are ok right now, but I fear for the future if I don't get an emotional handle on things. Tracy B

I went to therapy and it helped immensely. I would suggest, like Kathy, to find someone specializing in eating disorders. Someone on here actually posted a link for therapists who deal with eating disorders and that is how I found mine. Unfortunatley I don't have that link. I think you know if you have a good one if they don't tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. Good luck. Hugs, Bridget

I got my therapist from the lady who leads our support group. She recommended I see a therapist who speicialized in eating disorders and also was familiar with WLS. When I got my appointment and walked in I ended up knowing the lady. She was the first lady who lead our support group when I was first out from surgery. She had quit and I had really missed her because she was really good. Come to find out she had left to go into her own private practice. I had not realized she was a therapist but was sure glad of it. She really helped me to go back in time to my childhood and figure out when my dysfunctional relationship with food began and why. Once we figured all of that out we were able to start moving forward to more current times and see places we could undo that relationship and replace it with more rational and helpful behaviors. I went regularly for a while which got pretty costly. But now I just go when things seem really stressful and out of control so that she can help me through that period because I still have a tendency to cave when things get really stressful and life seems to be spinning. Like this time of year. Thanksgiving, Christmas and being in accounting makes things even more crazy this time of year due to budgets and forecasting and all that mess that is going on this time of year for us accountants. So, needless to say, I have an appointment coming up next week. LOL. Good luck Tracy. You are taking the first step just by realizing and accepting you can't fix it by yourself. And that it is okay to let someone help you. Melissa

Good luck in your search. I'm still looking. The last one I tried was recommended by my physcologist. She works in his group and has several WLS patients. She and I did not click. I really need to work on body image issues. My loose skin depresses me to no end. All she kept saying was you need to loose more weight and wait until I was two years past my goal to even speak to a PS. I think it was about the third session of hearing about how much more weight I had to lose that I knew she wasn't right for me. I think you can all appreciate how the phrase "you need to lose weight" can affect a person. I've been in a funk every since. Wow, don't mean to be negative. I wish you the best luck in journey. I do beleive therapy is great help in working through issues. Torrey (281/177/160)

Hey Torrey ... I hear ya about "clicking" ... I've been seeing my current therapist for over a year, and I don't see that we've accomplished all that much. I've had 3 sessions with a "life coach" and I think that got through to me more than a year with my therapist. Everyone tells me I need to find a new therapist, but I don't know if I can start all over ... I'm contemplating going it alone, but I think my PCP is trying to set up up with an eating disorders therapist. Good luck to you ... hope you find what you're looking for too! Karyn

I like plans of action. I dislike spending 50 minutes just chatting. I think I may try the self help route for a bit. After my father died, I had some really problems with grief. My pyschologist helped me medically, but I got the most help from reading and doing exercises from a grief book. Maybe I'll get lucky. Or I may look into this life coach trend. How do you go about find one? Torrey (281/177/160)

Hi Torrey ... oh, I think you would like Margie. I have a way of making the easiest, most simple things very complex, and she helped me "simplify" things a bit. I plan to continue with her. We actually held sessions over the phone ... and one her mantras is: "the most important thing is self-awareness, once you've got that then you can find strategies to deal with it." She has a new book coming out next spring called "Find Your Courage!" ... I had a sneak preview of one of the chapters and I look forward to the rest. She has a monthly newsletter you can sign up for and you can check out her website at: http://margiewarrell.com She is definitely one of action. If you contact her, please let me know ... I would love your thoughts! Take care, Karyn

I'll check her out. Cheers, Torrey