# Is therapy a ripoff?



## SunFlower2011 (Nov 30, 2011)

I never find therapist not to be helpful unless you pay large amounts for their services. And it seems they all generally tell you the same thing. 

How can someone afford to pay 70, 100, or up to 150 dollars per session for 1 hour. Times that 10 and you're dedicating 700, 1000, or 1500 for about 10 sessions, which is equivalent to only 10 hours. I dont get how people afford therapy, to get better. It takes time, like months to improve. But paying that much is just too much.

Thoughts?


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## Cool Ice Dude55 (Jan 7, 2014)

it kind of is. you're basically paying someone to pretend to listen to you, and even then they don't contribute much.


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## TheForestWasDark (May 23, 2015)

I ran into an old therapist when i was in public, she told me she had moved on to a government job. You never know if they are just using that job as a stepping stone and chances are they just read some book info and are spitting out whatever they can think of.


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## D'avjo (Sep 23, 2018)

Group therapy worse as new people turn up each week and you have to pretend to be interested in their ****. I fell asleep in one session.


I only went to get friday off of work for few weeks.


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## andy1984 (Aug 18, 2006)

it's good if you're clueless. if I had a kid like me I'd pay for it and see if it did any good.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

All medical care is a ripoff. It's designed from the ground up to take advantage of the sick and drain them dry.


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## Citrine79 (Dec 14, 2016)

Past attempts have failed for me but now I think I may have found a good situation. Only been a few appointments so far but I think the $15.00 co-pay I have made for each appt has been worth it.


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## kesker (Mar 29, 2011)

depends on the therapist. they're not all the same.


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## ladysmurf (Jan 3, 2012)

kesker said:


> depends on the therapist. they're not all the same.


that is true, but the majority of them are in it for the money, and just listen to you for 1 hour.while you vent your anger..i never found it helpful


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## boswell1967 (Mar 25, 2019)

The first time I went to therapy was because my mother had asked me, after she got a knock on the door from the police, who found me passed out in our community spa. I agreed to go to therapy because maybe I needed to hear from someone about my drinking problem. I went to four sessions and racked up a bill of $786.52. After the first session he had diagnosed me with depression and it was the first time that I had heard this word from a stranger. My family had mentioned that my problems stemmed from my parents divorce. Bottom line I think that if you can afford therapy you can certainly benefit from it. However, I think that we have the capabilities to heal ourselves with alternative medication. I use cannabis oil in micro doses to manage my depression as well as my anxiety. Medical cannabis has improved my life as a whole and it has certainly opened up opportunities in regards of my career, family, and relationship. Tinctures and oils work the best for me. Smoking anything will cause more harm than good and for patients that are suffering from anxiety, smoking can induce panic or paranoia because there is too much THC being ingested. I follow this youtube channel which talks about all the different ways that cannabis oil can heal our ailments.


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## boswell1967 (Mar 25, 2019)

sabbath9 said:


> Smokers can regulate their dose just by taking as many puffs as they need. If one puff is all you need then fine, take one puff and save the rest for later.
> 
> The raw plant has dozens if not hundreds of chemicals that mankind is still clueless about. The cannabis smoke actually protects smokers' lungs from cancer and other ailments.


I think if anything vaping cannabis might be a more healthier option. I prefer using Oils as it provides me with therapeutic relief with longevity. My anxiety can get really bad sometimes out of no where so I need to use HT THC FECO. https://kingharvest.org/images/pdf/03:29:2019_2295.pdf lab report for my syringe.


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## SorryForMyEnglish (Oct 9, 2014)

Moreover, in long-term therapy in order to imporve to the point where you don't need therapy you have to spend years in it (and you're supposed to visit a therapist regularly, once a week on average, imagine if it's not how often you have a session).

I think this guy has very legitimate arguments against it: 



 So sad that just because he names them it doesn't get better because the system wouldn't improve by itself.

Btw, that doesn't mean that therapy is a made up scam and you can just heal on your own, that it isn't helpful or that it doesn't heal at least some of our traumas. That just means the system is not good and it should be reformed. On the other hand a lot depends on a therapist.I think it depends on two components of the therapist 1) how skillful, professional they are, what their type of therapy is and 2) the therapist's personal motivation, personal qualities and values (at least to me).

In the end of the video above he asks a question: isn't it a little bit odd that we need one person who professionally sits, listens with empathy, supports etc to lots of people and that's how they make a living? I think he's right, but unfortunally the alienated capitalist society we live in doesn't offer us any other alternatives. Plus it's extremely rare to find a friend or a person who would substitute a therapist because full acceptance is required. But then I always doubt that my therapist, ofr example, actually fully accepts me or all those things she told therapy was about. She seems pretty cynical and she seems to think that she's above people with serious psychological problems. Maybe it's subtle, but it's still the case and I can't force myself to forget it every time I have a session with her and that's not helpful. Also this portion of empathy is not enough for me. But that's on a personal level cause I needed to express it somewhere so I just randomly started to write about it in this post.


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## Keyblade (Apr 21, 2013)

i had like 5-6 sessions i think and didn't help at all. All she told me was that i should try to go outside and start by asking colleagues to go out.. like ugh

She spent a long time trying to find the origin of my SA... which didn't actually help


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

I go to the doctor to get the med part (training wheels).


I learn how to handle each situation with skills that I learn, but I learn them on my own and bounce them off of professionals. They have been pretty impressed. The only issue is that I let things go longer than they should. It's basically me holding myself up.


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## coeur_brise (Oct 7, 2004)

Is therapy is a rip off? It can be yes... However, does that mean it's a useless investment? Overall, I think no. It isn't unless, like time and time again, said for the bazillionth time, that if you find one that works for you and with you, it's worth it. It's supposed to be therapeutic. If not, it's not technically therapy.

I get that some therapists want to go through all the technicality of "where your parents from, do they have depression, did anyone kill themselves in your family, how did you deal with depression, what has helped in the past, what do you think will help now, How can I help you today. K, thanks and see you next week" is generally not so helpful in the long run. It's too analytical, doesn't get to the point. As in, how does my parents having a history of illness explain what I already knew versus how is that supposed to help me deal with my inherited pain that I'm feeling right now and trying to deal with... duh. And even then, there is a cause and an effect, but they seem to think that finding the cause will cure the effect. Ugh anyway.

I do agree that the system is flawed when it comes to behavioral health. I, too racked up $800 in bills in just two months of seeing behavioral health "specialists". Mind you, they are specialists since they don't treat just anyone who walks in without a diagnosis, hence why its so expensive, and that's where it's ****ed up. Specialized healthcare costs a **** ton more than general practice, unfortunately when depression/anxiety is one of the most common things to experience. In that case, I'd just try to find better healthcare, more affordable at least, whether it's offered through employers or through the state. Not only is anxiety and depression some sort of epidemic, untreated depression is an even bigger epidemic, ffs. Sorry, I just very strongly about this and cannot emphasize that enough. I suppose untreated illnesses are not due to just general lack of awareness but the general lack of money to treat it from the patient's perspective.

That said, I do think therapy is worth it when you find time to devote yourself to it.therapy could be anything. Petting cats or dogs, exercising. There's almost too many outlets that it's overwhelming. Some do it by themselves, some really do not.. (me for example).. in my which case, I think therapy helps when you can find a qualified person who can put a perspective or words to describe how you're feeling and what alternatives you can feel. 
just don't give up because you don't have to live a sucky life and esp not in this sucky way. Thanks for reading.


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## Eternal Solitude (Jun 11, 2017)

If I were to judge it by personal experience I'd say yes. The only reason why I go is to have some sort of human interaction since I live alone by myself and have no friends. I hate human interaction as much as I crave it. Therapy provides an opportunity for me to interact with a sentient being. Sure beats talking to the wall I guess... the way I see it is no different from prostitution: some people folks hire prostitutes to fulfill their physical needs, I hire therapists to fulfill my emotional needs. That doesn't mean that this activity has cured me.


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## wabisabi (Jul 21, 2019)

I have found only one helpful therapist in all of my journey, and the way he helped me was by motivating/encouraging me, sharing his own story and introducing me to toastmasters...I don't know if the problem is with me or them, I don't really connect well to anyone including therapists.


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## Scrub-Zero (Feb 9, 2004)

Id like to think some therapist are there to help because they care about other people's well being but the cynic in me will always kill that one quick. 

It's all a big money rip off. Push meds, extend therapy to reap as much cash as possible etc.


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## RSxo (Apr 19, 2018)

It depends on the therapist and the price. Therapy itself is one of the most effective, research-supported methods of mental health treatment, so it's certainly a good method.


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## Catechumen (Aug 21, 2018)

I must have spent thousands in money and hundreds of hours with various therapies and even got into the fringes of some cultish-type groups over the years, so I have some experience. :frown2:
I would say some therapies are useful at times and some are useless or even dangerous! Some therapists can be subtly abusive and downright manipulative! :O

There was an online question guide a few years back to consult, ah found it:

50 Warning Signs of Questionable Therapy and Counseling

In no particular order, it is a red flag if you find your:

1. Counselor does not have sufficient and specific training to address your issues and/or attempts to treat problems outside the scope of the practice.
2. Therapist is not interested in the changes you want to make and your goals for therapy.
3. Counselor cannot or does not clearly define how he or she can help you to solve whatever issue or concern has brought you to therapy.
4. Therapist provides no explanation of how you will know when your therapy is complete.
5. Counselor does not seek consultation with other therapists.
6. Therapist makes guarantees and/or promises.
7. Therapist has unresolved complaints filed with their licensing board.
8. Therapist does not provide you with information about your rights as a client, confidentiality, office policies, and fees so you can fairly consent to your treatment. Note: The information provided to new clients by therapists differs by state and licensure requirements.
9. Counselor is judgmental or critical of your behavior, lifestyle, or problems.
10. Therapist "looks down" at you or treats you as inferior in subtle or not so subtle ways.
11. Counselor blames your family, friends, or partner.
12. Counselor encourages you to blame your family, friends, or partner.
13. Therapist knowingly or unknowingly gets his or her own psychological needs meet at the expense of focusing on you and your therapy.
14. Counselor tries to be your friend.
15. Therapist initiates touch (i.e., hugs) without your consent.
16. Counselor attempts to have a sexual or romantic relationship with you.
17. Therapist talks excessively about him- or herself and/or self-discloses often without any therapeutic purpose.
18. Counselor tries to enlist your help with something not related to your therapy.
19. Therapist discloses your identifying information without authorization or mandate.
20. Counselor tells you the identities of his or her other clients.
21. Therapist discloses that he or she has never been in his or her own therapy.
22. Counselor cannot accept feedback or admit mistakes.
23. Therapist focuses extensively on diagnosing without also helping you to change.
24. Counselor talks too much.
25. Therapist does not talk at all.
26. Counselor often speaks in complex "psychobabble" that leaves you confused.
27. Therapist focuses on thoughts and cognition at the exclusion of feelings and somatic experience.
28. Counselor focuses on feelings and somatic experience at the exclusion of thoughts, insight, and cognitive processing.
29. Therapist acts as if she or he has the answers or solutions to everything and spends time telling you how to best fix or change things.
30. Counselor tells you what to do, makes decisions for you, or gives frequent unsolicited advice.
31. Therapist encourages your dependency by allowing you to get your emotional needs meet from the therapist. Therapist "feeds you fish, rather than helping you to fish for yourself."
32. Counselor tries to keep you in therapy against your will.
33. Therapist believes that only her or his counseling approach works and ridicules other approaches to therapy.
34. Therapist is contentious with you or frequently confrontational.
35. Counselor doesn't remember your name and/or doesn't remember your issues from one session to the next.
36. Therapist does not pay attention or demonstrate he or she is listening and understanding you.
37. Counselor answers the phone during your session.
38. Therapist is not sensitive to your culture or religion.
39. Counselor denies or ignores the importance of your spirituality.
40. Therapist tries to push spirituality or religion on to you.
41. Counselor does not empathize.
42. Therapist empathizes too much.
43. Counselor seems overwhelmed with your problems.
44. Therapist seems overly emotional, affected, or triggered by your feelings or issues.
45. Counselor pushes you into highly vulnerable feelings or memories.
46. Therapist avoids going near any emotional or vulnerable feelings.
47. Counselor does not ask your permission to use various psychotherapeutic techniques.
48. Therapist tries to get you to exert overt control over your impulses, compulsions, or addictions without helping you to appreciate and resolve the underlying causes.
49. Counselor prematurely and/or exclusively focuses on helping you to appreciate and resolve the underlying causes of an issue or compulsion when you would instead benefit more from learning coping skills to manage your impulses.
50. Your counselor habitually misses, cancels, or shows up late to appointments.

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/warning-signs-of-bad-therapy/

Also, _remember_, *you* are your therapists next meal ticket, house-extension, foreign holiday., etc.
The longer you stay as their patient, the more income you generate for them!
Often the people who need the most help are those who can least afford it! Do they care? Hell no!

Often people become therapists in the subconcious hope of curing their own issues - yes it's a fact - they will project their own problems onto you - beware! :O


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## SorryForMyEnglish (Oct 9, 2014)

^^ Girl that's one long list!

I'm not even sure what the right therapist is supposed to do anymore. Apparently only CBT.


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## SorryForMyEnglish (Oct 9, 2014)




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## SorryForMyEnglish (Oct 9, 2014)

Catechumen said:


> Often the people who need the most help are those who can least afford it! Do they care? Hell no!


Yes, they don't. Almost no one else cares about it too. Also people don't care about sweatshop workers, modern slavery, homelessness etc. Or if they do they don't do anything to make the situation better. On one hand, I agree that's cynical and that's what I also don't like. On the other one, it's not that fair to put this whole baggage of responsibility on therapists. Are they responsible for all the traumatizing experiences, lousy parents, bad childhoods, economical problems, class oppression, capitalism etc just because they chose therapy and healing people as their profession? Not more than any of us. It's ethical to lower your price for people who can't afford it, but you can only do so much. You can't help everybody and heal the world. You also can't influence the government to change it's policy, insurance companies etc just on your own.

To me it's odd we even have such a profession as therapist because almost everyone needs one to different extents. Why would one pay to another person to feel loved and accepted, listened to, safe? So much could be done for things to get better in the world if we made a collective work as humanity.

I agree with other stuff you said though.


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## Suchness (Aug 13, 2011)

Almost all therapists don't know how to treat the root cause of trauma but they can address and answers hundreds of symptoms and questions. One of the reasons people keep going back for many years and only learning to put up with their issues instead of healing their trauma. People like Eckhart Tolle, Teal Swan, Evette Rose, Dr Joe Dispenza and others are doing real work to help people heal.


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## Shredder (Apr 19, 2011)

SorryForMyEnglish said:


>


LOL - For me, this is one of the biggest reasons therapy can feel like a waste of time and money.

I've been starting to take written notes with me that I read which forces me face the emotions driving image A when I'm in a therapy session and become image B.


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## omofca (Nov 24, 2018)

None of mine helped much. The ones who helped most were the ones listening most of the time, if you can call that helpful


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## SorryForMyEnglish (Oct 9, 2014)

Shredder said:


> LOL - For me, this is one of the biggest reasons therapy can feel like a waste of time and money.
> 
> I've been starting to take written notes with me that I read which forces me face the emotions driving image A when I'm in a therapy session and become image B.


Sorry, but I'm sort of glad to hear someone else is the same way because I have the same issue. Also glad that you seem to have found the way that helps you to express your emotions and be emotionally open. I actually found this picture on my therapist's social media page lol It's 100% about me and maybe about some of her other clients too.

I also do that, but I also have many doubts about the therapist and it prevents me from opening up as well as other things... Last times I was just sharing these doubts with her and it helped me to open up a bit more. Then there was a session where I expressed frustration about the fact that I don't see her reacting to stuff I'm saying to her and she gave me her feedback that it's better not to say anything at all and she would be present and involved in this silence then than just to say things for the sake of using the time (I share lots of stuff that happens to me and most of it is important as if it's a church confession, but I'm not emotional when I do that and when she tries to ask me questions about it I don't open up emotionally). She actually created a metaphor and said that it felt like I'm a mother who brought my child to therapy, the child is disinterested and silent and the mother tries to fill that time with talking to the therapist herself because she feels uncomfortable. Then I made a pause and started to talk about something more random, but what was actually on my mind at that time and she shared something about herself when I asked her about that topic and I shared my opinion too. I started to perceive her more as an equal person to me and next session I opened up much much more also because I was writing something to her before in an emotional state (she told me I could do that) and she started to mirror those emotions.

It was my last session so hopefully it continues to be this way because only that will help me to progress. I only had about 3-5 sessions like this in total. Other ones were just me saying lots of stuff at once briefly and superficially without any emotional attachment to it and ''I don't know''s and etc And I've been in therapy for almost two years now. I don't have sessions as often as it would probably be better for me though (I have them twice a month). But so does almost everyone else. And just like what Catechumen said, lots of people who also need it so badly and even more than me can't afford it at all so I'm very lucky so far.


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## Shredder (Apr 19, 2011)

SorryForMyEnglish said:


> It was my last session so hopefully it continues to be this way because only that will help me to progress. I only had about 3-5 sessions like this in total. Other ones were just me saying lots of stuff at once briefly and superficially without any emotional attachment to it and ''I don't know''s and etc And I've been in therapy for almost two years now. I don't have sessions as often as it would probably be better for me though (I have them twice a month). But so does almost everyone else. And just like what Catechumen said, lots of people who also need it so badly and even more than me can't afford it at all so I'm very lucky so far.


Good luck moving forward with your therapy! It can be REALLY hard trusting a therapist and it can take a lot of time and work but it sounds like you are getting somewhere. I think just sitting and venting can get stale pretty quick. I think to date the best session I had was when my therapist asked me how I thought the session went and I replied "A complete waste of time" I apologised for saying it as I avoid conflict but it broke me out of the pattern that I was in and challenged things a little.

But in all honesty, last session was a couple of days ago and I had notes in my pocket but I didn't get them out. Old habits are hard to break. :roll


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## Dan the man (Jul 4, 2013)

I think it doesn’t hurt. Except for maybe your wallet 😝

In my case I think it if nothing else it guided me down the right track. But you’ve gotta be willing to do what it is to get to the bottom of what may be bothering you


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## zohramaster10 (Jul 28, 2019)

SunFlower2011 said:


> I never find therapist not to be helpful unless you pay large amounts for their services. And it seems they all generally tell you the same thing.
> 
> How can someone afford to pay 70, 100, or up to 150 dollars per session for 1 hour. Times that 10 and you're dedicating 700, 1000, or 1500 for about 10 sessions, which is equivalent to only 10 hours. I dont get how people afford therapy, to get better. It takes time, like months to improve. But paying that much is just too much.
> 
> Thoughts?


Hello Sunflower2011,

It indeed is insane how expensive therapy is in a lot of countries. And I agree, some therapists do tend to engage in unethical practices and just want money in exchange for minimum effort put. But not everyone is like that.

One practical solution is to opt for online therapy. There are a lot of therapists across the world who are very good, certified and accredited by Institutes in the States and charge much less, like 40-50$ per session (because their countries are not that expensive to begin with). If you don't believe me about not all therapist being like that, you can just message me privately and I'll give you a Free therapy session.


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## Dan the man (Jul 4, 2013)

I guess I should add to my last post therapy did if nothing else help me better verbalize the things that bother/bothered me


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## Vacateer (Oct 14, 2013)

Meh. Most of the change that happened with me was dumb luck, having met people that changed me or randomly having the courage to do something else. I can't help but feel that therapy was meant for extraverted lemmings, with all due respect. I mean if therapy works for you, great, but for me personally it was a blatant waste of time.


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## wmu'14 (Sep 17, 2010)

Yes, the therapist I saw just gave me information I can find online or in a self-help book.


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## blue2 (May 20, 2013)

Well everybody's trying to milk somebody, we're cash cows.


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## RRAAGGEE (Mar 15, 2014)

SunFlower2011 said:


> I never find therapist not to be helpful unless you pay large amounts for their services. And it seems they all generally tell you the same thing.
> 
> How can someone afford to pay 70, 100, or up to 150 dollars per session for 1 hour. Times that 10 and you're dedicating 700, 1000, or 1500 for about 10 sessions, which is equivalent to only 10 hours. I dont get how people afford therapy, to get better. It takes time, like months to improve. But paying that much is just too much.
> 
> Thoughts?


Isn't your insurance suppose to cover therapy sessions?


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## Citrine79 (Dec 14, 2016)

My insurance does cover it...I pay a small co-pay for each visit. And it is worth it. My therapist is really the only one I can vent to (have no friends) and is willing to listen to my ramblings (especially about work). He is also patient with me as I am struggling with the things he has asked me to work on. I am not at the point yet where I want to take meds and the place I am going to does not push them on you like some other places I have gone in the past and I do appreciate that.


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## cybernaut (Jul 30, 2010)

Never been to a therapist in my life and it will continue to stay that way.

Currently uninsured at the moment anyway.


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## White Shirt Guy (Sep 26, 2019)

It can be but not for me right now. I go to this place where it's trainees I do sessions with. It's a cheap price and most of the people I got are really genuinely sweet and actually care. I did get this guy who seemed like a robot and asked me the same questions. I asked for someone else and the change worked out well. It's nice to have deep conversations with someone and have them point out thought patterns and false beliefs. I take advantage of the tools discussed and work to take action on my weekly assignments. It's possible to learn and do this stuff on your own but I prefer what I'm doing. Do what works for you.


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## K_W1991 (Oct 6, 2019)

I wouldn’t say therapy is a rip off. 
I think it depends on the therapist, some are great and some are just awful. I remember I had one when I was younger and her approach was a lot to be desired to say the least. 
How ever, I found one when I was older and she was really good! 
Sadly I had to stop seeing her due to cost as my wedding was coming up lol. 
It’s always a good idea to have a good look around before you decide on a therapist though and what training it is they have to find the person that will be able to counsel you best.


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