Therapists in the UK who specialise...

Page 1 of 1 [ 1 post ] 

bumble
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Mar 2011
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,073

03 Jul 2012, 8:21 am

I have been on disability for some time, partly due mental health problems (anxiety, depression, social anxiety and suspected Aspergers) and partly due to some physical health problems I am experiencing (chronic migraines etc). I also have a support worker and am supposed to go for therapy.

However I find that the support services and the therapists I end up with make things worse for me and medications just mess me up as well (I am still trying to reverse the damage done to my cognitive abilities from the last one!). Just about every oddity I have is diagnosed as being pathological and I am not sure that I agree with the mental health diagnosis in the first place. They also talk to me like I am an idiot and it is really upsetting and frustrating me. My support worker seems to think I am backwards and I think she is doltish so we really do not get along I admit.

Anyway, as a child (13) I was tested by a psychologist due to some emotional issues I was having as a result of my environment (bullying at school, frustration with the school system because it was too slow for me and I got bored and emotional and physical abuse at home) and all they really found at the time was that I had a high level of intellectual ability, advanced moral development and that I was emotionally immature, over sensitive and too idealistic.

Their analysis was supported by my academic ability as I was capable of straight A grades (when I did the work...I tended to avoid school sometimes due to my frustrations and bullying) and was told by academic institutions that I was exceptionally bright or extremely intelligent (even at 3 and 4 years old..in fact I was schooled a little early due to my abilities until my parents moved and I was put through mainstream schooling). So I tend to agree with it.

For these reasons I would like to find my own therapist, preferably someone who specialises in working with people who have advanced (but asynchronous) development as I feel they may be able to understand my frustrations more...ie my emotional and physical sensitivity (I am sensitive to physical stimuli as well as being emotionally sensitive), my tendency to feel weird or like I don't fit in because my thinking is so different from the majority of people, my uneven development and emotional intensity and various other quirks.

I will not go through the NHS as they have done nothing to assist me and only make things worse. I just end up with more labels that I don't even think are accurate as I think my 'issues' stem from my developmental differences (and perhaps my past home life) and not from a pathological disorder as such.

Does anyone know of a good therapist who specialises or how I can go about finding one?