What pops up in your head when you hear the word “therapy” or “psychologist”? You may think about the expenses it comes with, or you might think of the word “weak”.

The reality? It’s not all about expenses nor is it considered “weak” to look for help. But what comes between you when choosing therapy vs psychologist?

Therapy counts as a way for you to get the assist you need. To tell someone your deepest and darkest secrets in a confidential way. Also to have someone help you twist those negative thoughts around into a more “goal-like” function.

In this post, I’ll be telling you about my own experience of going through therapy and tips for when you’re looking to seek a psychologist. This will help you choose between attending therapy vs psychologist.

So which one? Therapy vs Psychologist?

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Therapy vs Psychologist – My Story: The Time I broke Down

On November 2019, it was the time where I had my mental breakdown. I suddenly snapped and that’s when I knew I needed to get help. I suffered from depression, my sleep schedule was messed up, and my anxiety grew bigger every day.

Many people who inspire me suddenly passed away. It’s like standing at a traffic light and cars passing by you in an instant.

The next day, I went to my general practitioner. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. I knew that keeping my pain and emotions in wasn’t going to be enough to inflate it.

My family doctor took notes about my emotions, feelings and history, referenced me to a psychiatrist and later on made a mental plan for me to go to a psychologist.

After leaving that door, one heavy bit of my soul lifted. I had no intentions of getting help but in the end, I did.

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Psychiatrist

On the day my doctor scheduled for me to attend a psychiatrist, I went in feeling anxious. I showed up with false confidence the moment I shook my psychiatrist’s hand.

All that confidence fell the moment he asked me about my history. That was the moment I broke down. I ended up sobbing when I told him my story, my past and my vulnerability.

He told me I had major depression and prescribed me with antidepressants. I had a fear of taking pills ever since that traumatic experience I had as a child when I had to take medication for my stomachache. Not only that but the fear of the antidepressant side effects and how it would change me forever.

I walked out of the room, was told to book another appointment with my psychiatrist and left. Another heavy piece lifted from my soul.

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Anti-depressants

My psychiatrist told me that I would get side-effects like nausea and high risk of suicidal thoughts in my first week of taking these pills. I started having unpopular opinions about whether or not to take them.

I got home and took a good hard look at my prescribed antidepressants. My anxiety triggered the moment I took a look at it.

I ended up going online and searching for answers and other people’s experience of taking them. Many say that it was the best thing they did and others say that it’s hard to get off them the moment you’re on the routine.

I even went on the online chat hotline to get answers. “You do what’s best for you”.

Psychologist/Counselling

My first counselling session was a male therapist. He also worked with my general practitioner (aka my family doctor) in the same building.

It was going well in at least 1-2 sessions. He asked me questions about my history, my childhood, how my anxiety and depression started and family background. I replied in details on what I could remember (while sobbing and crying).

In my 3rd session with him, I felt uncomfortable. I felt like this wasn’t going anywhere and I had this gut feeling of doubt.

That night after my 3rd session, I couldn’t fall asleep knowing that I would have to visit this therapist again. So I did my research to find a psychologist. When I did find one near me, I emailed them and they got back to me in the morning. I felt anxious but self-relief at the same time.

I went back to my GP to get another copy of my mental health plan. A few days past and I went in to give my plan and book for an appointment. I wanted to have a female psychologist however she was busy and the waitlist would be long for her so I chose to have a male psychologist.

The first session of my new therapy, my psychologist asked questions and my history. I told him pretty much everything I told my old counsellor.

The Aftermath after 2 months

I went through 4 sessions with my current psychologist and I’m going to admit that I’m definitely sticking with this one. He knew how I felt, he was very informative on the mental health and psychological statistics. He helped me create plans to overcome my anxiety through small steps.

Compared to my first one, my new one let me talk about what’s been going on with my life after my last session with him. It’s a great relief to talk about my feelings and rant out what’s been happening throughout the past few days. My first counsellor continued talking about my history and never let me spoke about what’s currently been going on.

Tips for attending a Psychologist or Therapy

Don’t be afraid of change!

I had anxious thoughts about whether I needed to change my therapist or not. You may have these feelings of guilt once you made the choice to move on.

This is what I’m going to tell you: their job is to HELP you. They’re not like your friends where you feel like you would “hurt” their feelings. Changing to my current therapist is the best decision I’ve ever made.

So don’t be afraid when you feel like you need to find someone else to help you. Find a therapist that makes you feel comfortable and help you overcome your mental health and/or disorders.

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Not all counselling cost a lot

You need to dig deep to find the one that fits your budget. Even a broke university student like me to still attend therapy.
There are governments who can help you with billing for counselling sessions. I’m currently using bulk-billing here in Australia. Bulk billing is a payment option under the Medicare system that covers your health services by the government.

You can read more about it here if you’re living in Australia.

If you’re a university or college student, you can attend free therapy in your local school. If you’re a psychology student, you can also get discounts for psychologist sessions.

But if you don’t attend school, go to your local GP and ask about the counselling sessions and it’s cost. They will give you plenty of options.

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Conclusion

If you’re looking for someone to talk to when you’re feeling down, you can talk to someone for free through a hotline.

They’re there to listen to your problems. You should be able to search up hotlines in your state or/and country. Below are links to them.

Australian Hotlines: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines

Worldwide Hotlines: https://www.suicidestop.com/call_a_hotline.html

Would I recommend going to therapy? Yes. As mentioned, you can find which therapist is right for you and the cost you’ll spend that fits your budget.

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