How can I find a psychiatrist that will be willing to listen?

@kimmym - can you speak with your primary care Dr for a referral? They may know someone who they have experience with. Call your local mental health association for a referral, and compare your insurance with the list of names they give you. If you are working, and your employer has an EAP program (Employee Assistance Program, all confidential), ask them.

Thank you for reaching out, and realizing you need to seek help to get through your travails. That is a big first step. I speak from experience!

Hello @kimmym

The suggestions made by @gingerw are all good ones. Another way to find a good counselor and/or psychiatrist would be to attend a NAMI support group meeting in your area. As you listen to others talk you might pick up some good information about counselors and/or psychiatrists that they are seeing. Here is the website for NAMI with a list of support groups throughout the country, https://www.nami.org/Local-NAMI/Programs?classkey=72e2fdaf-2755-404f-a8be-606d4de63fdb

Also, if you are part of a church or other faith community, you might talk to your pastor or other spiritual leader about referrals.

If you have any other thoughts/questions, please post them. I would enjoy hearing from you again.

Can you let me know how your search for a doctor goes?

Teresa

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post. I appreciate all of your advice about how to find a good fit for mental health needs. Im going to start implementing those ideas asap. Thank you, again.

Thank you for your thoughts on ways to find the right care I need. I have felt for so long like I was just taking a stab in the dark when I would select a Dr. I will find a local NAMI group That's a great idea. Thanks for the website. Also, I had never considered calling my church about referrals, but that too is an awesome idea! Thank you. I'm getting started right away on this. I'll let you know how it goes! Thank you, again!

@kimmym I hope you find just the right person. Yes, please keep in touch. I'm looking forward to hearing how it works out for you.

Teresa

Finding a good fit with a doctor is so essential but can seem selfish -I don't think it is.
My personal experience is that I worked with a top clas psychiatrist but he had little time to listen so I found a mayo trained neurologist in the same hospital and it changed my life for the better - more time to try to understand my needs less time writing prescription medicine. It is not a criticism of my ex psychiatrist in any way it is just we had no chemistry. With my neurologist my medication has been reduced and changed- more adventurous in finding what works for more lesser egotistic in this is the best for you. I am so grateful that I was lucky enough to find a mayo clinic trained doctor in Bangkok where in live - try change and accept diversity in approaches. Best of luck
Michael in bangkok

@mbabkk
Thank you for sharing your experience, Michael. It points out that there are good doctors who will meet our needs, but we do have to persist in order to find them.
Teresa

Thank you for helping me to look outside the box to find the right Dr and treatment!

I think its good to find the therapist or group first. I don't think psychiatrists do much one on one therapy. Then once you find the therapist ask him or her for recommendation. Therapists are all groups too for feedback/consultation from each other. That's licensed requirement. So they know which psychiatrists are good for which people.

Personally, I have found wellness coaching to be really helpful too. I have had same wellness coach for more than a year. They work with medical departments at mayo. You get one at the Healthy living program. But you do have to sign up for a program first. You can sign up for three hour program with nutrition, physical activity, and resilience class. Then you can continue with wellness coaching. I do think they spend a lot more time talking with you about what you're trying to do with your life. So you have goals that you work on. The goals can be anything that's important to you. So I find doctors are important. But wellness coaching is really helpful day to day. I have become more mentally healthy since I have gotten wellness coaching. They do have a medical director I think. I don't think they just let their wellness coaches go it alone.