# Do you ever feel that therapy is a complete waste of money ?



## wings of hope (Dec 11, 2013)

I have been to many therapists over the years. I have paid like 100$ per session and sometimes more if the sessions were frequent. Some therapists told me to visit them twice a week which is funny because one week does not make a difference. i have been so tired and it has burnt a big hole in my pocket. sometimes I feel they should be banned because all they do is nothing but some feel-good talk..i could even have it with some random stranger..i mean what's the point of therapy...just to feel good in their office ?


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## ineverwipe (Jun 16, 2013)

Yea that's why I quit going to therapists. Even CBT didnt do anything for me. You can do what they offer with a good self help book anyways


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## sandman32 (Dec 1, 2004)

If your depression is severe then therapy is probably useless at this point in your life. I've been to many different therapists, and was in therapy for two years, once a week until recently. I didn't get better at all. I actually got worse, because I didn't get better, if that makes sense. Two years went by and I got to the point where I was so frustrated and realized that I might as well have flushed thousands of dollars down the toilet. For the longest time I've never been able to separate my anxiety and depression. They've always been attached at the hip. But if you can address the depression I think that therapy for anxiety could work. Then you might get your $100 worth


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## NameTaken (Dec 11, 2012)

Studies have shown CBT to be effective in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. I have never been to a therapist myself and I have no idea how things would go, but maybe your therapist isn't using CBT which has been proven to be the most effective form of treatment for social anxiety. I have also read that the effectiveness of this treatment method is heavily reliant on the enthusiasm, and willingness of the patient to do the work needed to improve.

I plan on seeking treatment soon and I hope very much that it will help me, because it seems my life has pretty much been at a stand still for many years.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/anxiety-disorder-therapy-090413.html

http://www.counselling-directory.or...anxiety-disorder-and-the-effectiveness-of-cbt


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## athousandyears (Dec 29, 2013)

It is a waste of money. Especially if you have a bad therapist, which I did. Now I just do things to help myself like doing things I like to do and talking to people I am more comfortable around. Its my own kind of therapy which I find helps me more than an actual therapist who make you feel worse about yourself.


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## Zack (Apr 20, 2013)

FalseHope said:


> The point of therapy is not to just feel good in their office. You should be going a therapist that is challenging you. You should be working on improving, on setting and achieving goals, and on moving forward. The therapy experience shouldn't just being going there to vent, whine, and complain. My therapist holds me accountable. He helps me think differently, taught me how to deal with stress, and helped me accomplish the goals that I identified with him initially. I was always made aware of the fact that if I did not continue to make progress, if I did not try, that I could not continue to come there. He made it plain that it was unethical for him to continue to see me if I was not making progress. He said there was no point in coming if I wasn't going to do the work involved.
> 
> It sounds like your experience has not been like that but you must understand that not all therapists are bad or just out for money. My life changed dramatically through therapy and the money I invested in it had a huge payoff for me. I have a great relationship with my therapist and will be forever grateful for the help, support, and guidance I have received.
> 
> ...


You sound like you have some hope and spirit and _want_ to be helped? Like you have some fight left in you. What about those of us who don't have the energy, feel exhausted and feel totally beyond help and have no hope left? I just want to die so visiting a therapist is pointless for me. I'm worthless so I don't speak much to therapists. I basically just answer questions with short answers and don't engage or contribute anything but the bare minimum.


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## Satsugai (May 12, 2012)

Therapy is definitely expensive. I've paid double what you've paid for over 6 months now. And I think it's worth it.

I had almost given up when I first started seeing my current therapist. I was a mess, I had been staying home for 5 months doing crap, I didn't think things could've improved. And if they did, something will go wrong and I'd go back to how I was before so what's the point.

But I had a nice therapist. And I agree with _FalseHope_, you need a therapist who challenge you. And you need to do your part, you need to do the homework. You need to make changes.

I definitely didn't come to therapy with this state of mind, it happened gradually as I did more work and took more responsibility. It's still a work in progress of course.


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## TenYears (Jan 15, 2010)

Yes, and my therapy is free lol. I've been going to a psychiatrist on and off since I was 15. I hated it then, and I hate it now. I keep going hoping that I'll get something out of it. I'm in such a bad place that I seriously need all the help I can get. Not going is not an option for me.


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## urbancoyote (Dec 10, 2013)

I ahd therapy a few years ago. It was free. Pretty much a waste of time, although the therapist was hot . The only thing I really took from it was to just say to myself "what's the worst that could happen?" in certain circumstances, or taking a second to think about the situation and convincing myself its no big deal. A lot of what the therapist was saying, I already knew i.e.why I am like that, possibilities of worst case scenarios happening being small etc. I'd say all this before she did, so felt I was doing a lot of her job for her. I dont need to know why I suffer from SA, that doesnt help me.


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## s1819 (Dec 29, 2013)

it can be a waste of money to those some people that are somehow "immune" to therapy and advice, they automatically reject helps


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## BriBri80 (Nov 22, 2013)

*The Answer*

Well In my case, I really appreciate my current therapist, and I've had a good run. I can understand the harsh feelings against therapy considering how many bad experiences there are out there. I think having the right therapist means the difference between success, failure and even the littlest bit of progress. I was fortunate to find a therapist (finally) that was tough, always focused on the patients issues and always stimulated the mind to correct itself. I was diagnosed with social anxiety just a few years ago, with some other things as well (fortunately only relating to my SA). I have had therapists that claim they have 30 years of experience and they didn't know how to address my problem, or even diagnose me in some cases. They not only cost the most but, they were ineffective. I recently (meaning in the last year 2013) found a therapist that had a few years under their belt, the price was affordable, they cared about the patient, diagnosed me correctly and put me on a terrific plan to get healthy. Since then I've made incredible strides, I've progressed to the point of limiting the symptoms of my SAD and feeling generally much better about myself and the direction my life is going in. You have to find someone who is passionate about their work, someone who doesn't think price first and knows that just because you have SAD, doesn't mean you just want a shoulder to cry on, you want progress, you want to address the issues head on no matter how difficult it might be for you. I would rate finding a good therapist in your life at ***** (five stars of importance). I would recommend a therapist in your life even if you didn't have any problems! Their wealth of knowledge when it comes to mental health is so worth it. Live better, feel better, be free.


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## bottleofblues (Aug 6, 2008)

Yep that's why i gave it up years ago, i spent years seeing over a dozen different therapists, wasted thousands of dollars and got virtually nothing out of it. I'm still a pretty ****ed up person but eventually i've come to the realization that one on one talking therapy just doesn't help me.
All i found it to be good for was to vent, and at over $100 an hour its not worth it, i can just come on this site and do the same for free.


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