I've been seeing a therapist 1-2 times a month since July. It seemed promising in the beginning and I actually felt a bit optimistic. Unfortunately it turned out to be the same as my other experiences with therapy.

I was allowed 12 free sessions because it was a follow up to an outpatient program. The first four were spent discussing my history and gathering background information. They were a huge waste of time because my psychiatrist already sent my file and all of his notes to my therapist, but she never bothered reading them. Instead, she made me tell her my whole life story. Okay, fine.

The next four sessions, she focused on the issues I'm presently dealing with and basically told me that the past doesn't matter (uh, okay... so why did we waste so much time talking about it?). Each session, she gave me "homework" and a fuck load of reading to do. I did all of it. She didn't follow up on anything. Every time I saw her, it was like we were meeting for the first time. She didn't remember anything about me (not even my name!) and consistently asked me to refresh her memory about my history. Whenever I told her about the difficulties I had with the strategies she was teaching, she said we would discuss it next time. We never did.

Each session was supposed to be 1 hour but ended up being closer to 30 minutes because she consistently started late and ended early. I brought up this issue several times and she apologized, claiming that she had something really important to do. The sessions were spaced very far apart (I was supposed to see her at least twice a month) for the same reason. During my 6th session or so, I discovered that her "something important" was really just an excuse to have an early lunch break. I never confronted her about it directly, but I suggested that we meet at a more convenient time. She refused, saying other appointments were taken. I double checked with the receptionist and sure enough, she was lying. I booked a different time. She called the week of my appointment and cancelled.

This week I had my 9th session and she claimed that the next one would be my last. I've been tracking my sessions very carefully so I know she's full of shit. I asserted that I had 3 more sessions and she got all flustered and said she would try to squeeze in a few extra sessions, but noted that they would be shorter in duration. This is such bullshit. I'm really tempted to snap and yell at her during the next session.

This is what "therapy" is. I too learned the hard way that therapists are NOT there to help you.

I've said it before, but I suspect that a lot of them are just in their line of work because psychology is an easy major (IMO) and they didn't know what else to do. I knew too many of those types when I was in uni. I almost did the same, but quit because I felt like a hypocrite and disagreed with a lot of the BS.

I guess I screwed up. I could be getting paid to do nothing right now.

Good therapists are out there. I've had some who were extremely helpful. But yes, having bad experiences with therapy can only reinforce some of the negative thoughts you're having.

Do you have insurance? Is it possible to find someone else in your network?