|
Yes, in fact a lot of what you said sounded very familiar.
My latest re-entry into therapy started with the usual screening questions about family history, drinking, job stability, etc. The alcohol issue was big when I first started, but after a month or two we sort of switched over to what turned out to be a more pressing issue (I was hospitalized for a while.)
Since then alcohol has rarely been brought up. I've been working on coping mechanisms for several weeks now. Though I managed to curb my drinking I still have problems that I deal with negatively--as I did for years with drinking.
I've been looking into it as all being a network though. The only reason I have not been drinking is probably that I've been doing other harmful things in its place. As I'm working through solutions to better deal with my emotional disorder I'm finding the need to drink is lessened. Equally, when I was focusing on my alcoholism it made clear the problems that I was trying to drink away.
I myself didn't do this when I stepped into the office, but in hindsight I feel I could recommend it: you should have a talk with them upfront about where you want things to go. You ought to be entitled to direct your own therapy. They might recommend you talk about this or that, but even then they should tell you exactly why they think it's important.
Also bear in mind that they are probably using a formula to figure out where best to begin with you. The whole cookie-cutter nature of therapy is hard to deal with when you're in it, but surely there are reasons. And while I'm much, much better at giving that advice than taking it myself... I don't know... something else for us to think about. Forgive them their errors and assume that they're doing their best.
Hope it goes well for you,
Isaiah
|