Therapy And Couseling

aamrapali · May 26, 2017

"Therapy" and "Counseling" have become these standard words for anyone dealing with issues almost as if it were an instant over the counter pain killer.

Some questions on these to anyone knowledgeable on this forum:

1. Has anyone living abroad tried going to a counseling or therapy session?

2. If YES to above, were you able to connect with a foreign therapist/counselor since they may not know Indian cultural background, family setup, upbringing and other socio-economic factors. Depending on where in US you live, finding a therapist that is Indian AND Indian born/raised is very difficult - who can relate with your problem.

3. Did you find the therapy and counseling sessions helpful to a "significant" extent so much so you wish you had done this a long time back and it helped change your life for the better?

4. Are there any negative consequences if you are not on any strong medications. Recently, when looking up a brochure for higher studies, one of the criteria was "should not have sought therapy in the past 1 year or actively seeking therapy".

5. Is the cost really worth it? They range from 100-200 dollars per session and typically there are 10-12 sessions. That is a LOT of money to spend on emotional issues. It is definitely pain but a different kind - a pain that can still keep you functional and not debilitated like cancer pain.

I am interested to hear from the group those who have tried and benefitted from therapy or counseling.

blindpup10 · May 27, 2017

aamrapali said: ↑

1. Has anyone living abroad tried going to a counseling or therapy session?
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Yes, I have gone to therapy over few years on and off. I live in the US.

aamrapali said: ↑

2. If YES to above, were you able to connect with a foreign therapist/counselor since they may not know Indian cultural background, family setup, upbringing and other socio-economic factors. Depending on where in US you live, finding a therapist that is Indian AND Indian born/raised is very difficult - who can relate with your problem.
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Yes, I was able to connect, even with an Indian upbringing. An issue is an issue no matter, the color of the skin, nationality or different cultural background. I may have had to explain why, how in few instances. But I am sure people personality/ behavior is the same in spite being raised in the different culture.

aamrapali said: ↑

3. Did you find the therapy and counseling sessions helpful to a "significant" extent so much so you wish you had done this a long time back and it helped change your life for the better?
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Yes, I have found therapy to be very helpful. For one, I wish I had started therapy when I was 15, I wouldn't have made as many mistakes as I did. The first step to seeking help is to realize that there is something wrong or missing or giving importance to the feeling "something isn't right" and reaching out for help. At least that's what I did. I was told to seek help when I was talking about my struggles with a friend and I took the advice and met with a therapist.

aamrapali said: ↑

4. Are there any negative consequences if you are not on any strong medications. Recently, when looking up a brochure for higher studies, one of the criteria was "should not have sought therapy in the past 1 year or actively seeking therapy".
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Hmmm, not all therapy means you will be given medications. When there is something like that- I would definitely call the university and find out more details what the restriction pertain to.

aamrapali said: ↑

5. Is the cost really worth it? They range from 100-200 dollars per session and typically there are 10-12 sessions. That is a LOT of money to spend on emotional issues. It is definitely pain but a different kind - a pain that can still keep you functional and not debilitated like cancer pain.
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The first step is weighing is your mental health or money important.
Second- With insurance, you may not pay $100-$200 per session. Maximum I have paid so far is $20 per session.As a student, I didnt have to pay for the 12 sessions.
Third- It is REALLY worth it.
Fourth- Emotional issues are not to be considered as "just emotional issues"- A large part of a person is- who they are emotionally or what they experienced and how they prevailed. Emotions are a part of you.
*Being successful is measured not only on what car or what zip code they live- how well one is able to connect with family and how well they understand about themselves.
Functional can have different meanings to different people- For example- functional may not necessarily mean go to work, make money ignore the emotional issue and spend money on things. This is perfect if they are single and isolated.
*If you have a partner you may have a problem in defining what functional means according to "the couple".
*There may be different expectations, understanding, and realizing how to balance what you want and what your partner wants. And where do you stand with your emotional issue in the relationship. How well are you being fair to your partner with your emotional issue, counts to an extent.
Another way to look at this is- Everyone has issues, are your issues hurting your partner? Are you willing to change to not hurt your partner?

aamrapali said: ↑

I am interested to hear from the group those who have tried and benefitted from therapy or counseling.
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I hope I have answered your query.

aamrapali · May 27, 2017

Thank you @blindpup10 for taking time to outline the details and answer all of my questions. Very helpful.

Laks09 · May 27, 2017

aamrapali said: ↑

1. Has anyone living abroad tried going to a counseling or therapy session?
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Yes. I have.

2. If YES to above, were you able to connect with a foreign therapist/counselor since they may not know Indian cultural background, family setup, upbringing and other socio-economic factors. Depending on where in US you live, finding a therapist that is Indian AND Indian born/raised is very difficult - who can relate with your problem.
Click to expand...

My therapist was Caucasian. She was able to easily understand the Indian context and help me.

3. Did you find the therapy and counseling sessions helpful to a "significant" extent so much so you wish you had done this a long time back and it helped change your life for the better?
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Yes. Absolutely. I went a year after my son's diagnosis. I wish I had gone right away. She helped me get emotions under control and in turn help my son.
She helped me let go of a lot of people in my life who were adding to my stress. She was God sent.

4. Are there any negative consequences if you are not on any strong medications. Recently, when looking up a brochure for higher studies, one of the criteria was "should not have sought therapy in the past 1 year or actively seeking therapy"
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It's privileged information and by law it shouldn't be made available to colleges etc. Make sure you don't put anyone's name in the information sharing form.
I'm not sure schools are allowed to discriminate based on MH issues. I guess they don't lose anything by putting it on their brochure. I don't know if they can verify it.

5. Is the cost really worth it? They range from 100-200 dollars per session and typically there are 10-12 sessions. That is a LOT of money to spend on emotional issues. It is definitely pain but a different kind - a pain that can still keep you functional and not debilitated like cancer pain.
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For me yes, it was worth it. I felt like I had no choice. I have to focus on my son. I am the parent who has to pull it together. I couldn't afford to not give it my best shot and be "here" for my child.

I am interested to hear from the group those who have tried and benefitted from therapy or counseling.
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I hope this helps. Maybe PM for more details on the type of issue etc. It's in the past and I don't want to publish it here.