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Therapists in my area aren't qualified!

Amy Stone

Amy Stone

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
Maybe it is different elsewhere, but most therapists in my area have degrees in theology or some other religious certification. Literally 99 out of 100. My son was seeing one of these "therapists" (because there is hardly anyone else) and she literally did "nothing". Didn't ask him questions. Didn't offer advice or try and reprogram some triggers. Nothing. Just listened and collected an hourly rate for 6 months. He actually got worse under her care.

We ended up finding him another therapist that specializes in trauma and she has been more helpful in one session than this other person has in 6 months. But she was a rare find and she is young and inexperienced and she isn't familiar with autism. The number of therapists that work with autism? ...even lower than ones that have medical experience. Why is it so hard to find someone with actual medical experience? I have nothing against religions, but I can see why so many people in the US have mental health issues. There is no one qualified to help! If my son wasn't so open about his experience, I would have never known this other therapist was a quack because of the confidentiality. Imagine how many kids fall through the cracks! How many adults! Reading the bible isn't going to cure or justify PTSD or abuse. I am infuriated that this is the standard of our mental health in the US.

What is your experience with therapists in the US?

Edited to clarify: I am speaking of therapists who have degrees in theology or are pastors/ministers with a license/cert in social work with no background in science.
 
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With Autism, often just listening quietly works way better than therapy.

ABA and any of the personality/behavior changing therapies are really traumatic.
 
Amy Stone said:
What is your experience with therapists in the US?
Click to expand...

Not good. A complete waste of time. Enough for me to resolve never to seek out their services again.

Where the only input they provided me was to periodically remind me of the limits of my mental healthcare coverage. I suspect a prostitute would have been far more attentive. Though I don't think she had any religious thoughts. More likely she was working out her grocery list while I poured my heart out.

I walked away from the experience truly offended. Realizing the only help I was getting was from a psychiatrist throwing pills at me that would later be deemed toxic by the FDA.
 
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I've had two "helpers" over the years. Both tried to help in their way. But, they couldn't "help" me. Couldn't relate to me. I didn't feel good about opening up to people "paid" to care. Eventually they left like they all do. No connection with them. It's self therapy and a dog now. Along with this site.
 
Some of them are better than others. For kids I think it's a whole different ballgame. As an adult, I'm glad i went, it helped. The best session I ever had was with a reverend, she was fantastic
 
It seems like hit or mostly miss with therapists these days. It seems that they have a lot of biases and they can't be objective if religious. I like to connect on some level with my therapist so l have chosen female therapists because my trauma involved mostly men. That helps a lot. Now l like to use females for almost everything because l still suffer some ptsd from my marriage.
 
I have had some truly atrocious therapists, but I didn't have them for long. And I have had some good ones. For me, therapy is a necessity, but I manage to have my insurance pay for it and I do not go every week. Maybe 6-8 times a year.
 
My last therapist talked to me like we were on the same level. Like l didn't need therapy. So that was confusing. Basically we ended up comparing notes on being gaslighted by former spouses, so of course l felt zero motivation to return.
It is a lonely planet, and l need to trudge along the messy path on my own.
 
Amy Stone said:
What is your experience with therapists in the US?
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I have run into autism-deniers & the autism-competent.
The former have usually been humanist, who lean toward Kanner's model of autism and Skinner's model of behaviorism.

The autism-competent have been a mix of both humanistic and theistic, slightly favoring the latter, but in all of their cases, their philosophy/theology was a side note, not the basis of their therapy.
ASD1s can spot the competent right away. When we tell them our story, they are able to finish our sentences with high degree of accuracy. Their quotes in media (like Tony Attwood*) ring true with us.

Autism-deniers keep trying to commandeer our narratives and force-fit them into their preferred diagnosis. Unsurprisingly, it is often one that requires expensive prescriptions. (A diagnosis of ASD1 is not so lucrative in that regard.)

*If your therapist quotes Attwood, that is a good sign, too.
 
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Crossbreed said:
I have run into autism-deniers & the autism-competent.
The former have usually been humanist, who lean toward Kanner's model of autism and Skinner's model of behaviorism.

The autism-competent have been a mix of both humanistic and theistic, slightly favoring the latter, but in all of their cases, their philosophy/theology was a side note, not the basis of their therapy.
ASD1s can spot the competent right away. When we tell them our story, they are able to finish our sentences with high degree of accuracy. Their quotes in media (like Tony Attwood*) ring true with us.

Autism-deniers keep trying to commandeer our narratives and force-fit them into their preferred diagnosis. Unsurprisingly, it is often one that requires expensive prescriptions. (A diagnosis of ASD1 is not so lucrative in that regard.)

*If your therapist quotes Attwood, that is a good sign, too.
Click to expand...

With chemotherapy, the doctor gets a cut of the profit for every drug prescribed. I wonder if it's the same with psychiatric drugs?
 
Person centred or psychodynamic therapies are not so useful for people on the spectrum in my experience although depends how the individual works and supplements their trainings. Initially at least, we need proper autism awareness and often more active interventions I think. But respect goes a long way, as the therapist who truly respects others is usually humble and intent to understand our experience.
 
Yeshuasdaughter said:
With chemotherapy, the doctor gets a cut of the profit for every drug prescribed. I wonder if it's the same with psychiatric drugs?
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Having been in the pharmaceutical industry, I would say yes.
All types of physicians and therapists are visited by the pharma reps and offer gifts and money to
push the "latest" drugs.
So many of the latest have some of the worst side effects. Yet ask for an older drug of the same
classification and the answer will be something like it's outdated and the latest ones have fewer side
effects, (wrong), or they work for off label problems such as pain, headaches, obsessions, etc.

Truth is whether old or new, the same family of drug works the same.
The most promoted are the SSRIs and research material has shown seratonin and autism
aren't the best combination. Yet they will prescribe it knowing it only increases seratonin.
Just an example.
 
Many autistics show increased seratonin activity. One in four according to science journals.
Adding even more seratonin can cause seratonin syndrome. Symtoms of confusion, rapid heart rate
and high blood pressure, muscle rigidity and more.

So elevating seratonin alone can be risky. I've tried several SSRIs and found the tricyclics worked
better. Balance of three different chemical verses one that I already had too much of.
I felt like I couldn't think when taking SSRIs.
Age also showed an important role. Some adults were helped with increasing seratonin, but,
not children age 16 or less. Seratonin can help depression in some.

The specific areas in the brain that seratonin affects in ASD is an on going study for future generations
of drugs. Certain areas seem to be low while others aren't. A one size fits all SSRI doesn't seem to
be the answer for us.
Here is a link that explains it in plain language:
The serotonin system in the autism brain - Autism BrainNet
 
Crossbreed said:
How does serotonin affect autism?
Click to expand...

I was put on an SSRI for menopause (as an alternative to estrogen) and I had one of the rarer side effects of my throat getting tight. Very tight. As if someone was strangling me. It wasn't an anaphylactic reaction but a muscular one. It took several days for it to wear off. I don't do well with any Rx in general as I tend to experience the rare (not so side) effects. That said, my trans 17yo who is also on the spectrum is on an SSRI for depression and it is a game-changer for him and has helped tremendously (although I suspect he will have trouble if/when he has to wean off).

FYI - Black Cohosh is an herbal and works for menopause
 
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I had very good results with therapy--because the psychologist involved first, diagnosed the condition of autism. Second, he explained what it did. Third, he offered concrete ways to better life--and fourth, he helped me out by talking, throwing ideas out there that I could try to use, etc.

He and I were both Catholic.

A bad experience later came when the guy denied that I am autistic mainly because I "function" well enough (clean appearance, tidy clothing, drove my own car to the office, etc.) -- denying that the thing that's warped my life since birth even exists is a good way to not go back.

He & I also were both Catholic.

Well, I think to answer OP's question, a lot of religious people get into the job of therapist mainly because they want to help people. That's a major tenet of Christianity & many other major religions, is to help others.

Another reason for dissatisfaction with therapy is that, well, many therapists just don't do a good job and have zero idea how autistic people work. That bit earlier about serotonin is HUGE-- and quite informative; I didn't realize we tended to run high in serotonin.
 
Gerontius said:
He and I were both Catholic.
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Sorry I should have clarified further. I wasn't speaking of therapists who were religious in general, I am speaking of therapists who have degrees in theology or are pastors/ministers with a license/cert in social work with no background in science. I think there is a time and a place for that, such as if a person is terminal, but not to treat patients with medical conditions.
 
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Amy Stone said:
Sorry I should have clarified further. I wasn't speaking of therapists who were religious in general, I am speaking of therapists who have degrees in theology or are pastors/ministers with a license/cert in social work with no background in science. I think there is a time and a place for that, such as if a person is terminal, but not to treat patients with medical conditions.
Click to expand...
I disagree I think it depends on your vocation the belief by atheists that science rules is fascistic
 
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