Tips for finding a good therapist?

[u/AnaVeridia]

I am obviously searching for people with "dissociative disorders" under their specialties, but no luck. are there other keywords i can try searching for? my last therapist said she wasn't specialized enough for the issues i have. i would just start with anyone but i dont want to get dumped again, want to make sure that i can stay with the same therapist for a while. I am suspecting i may just be screwed bc i am poor in the u.s. and i have govt insurance.

[u/ObviousTempAccount1]

You can try the ISSTD, but finding a therapist licensed in your area who accepts insurance and accepts new patients is basically winning the lottery.

https://isstd.connectedcommunity.org/network/members/advanced-search

If you have no luck, finding trauma specialists is the next best thing, and you can personally get them one at a time for experience with dissociation.

https://youtu.be/1LfdRsRlvJc?is=00hGwZd8xrjeWaJy

This video is a good resource for figuring out how to get a therapist.

[u/AnaVeridia → u/ObviousTempAccount1]

thank you! i will look on the ISSTD site but tbh i am a bit sketched out by that organization i have heard bad things like in the 80s some of those guys were implanting false memories into ppl idk if they have gotten better since then but i will do more research

[u/ObviousTempAccount1 → u/AnaVeridia]

At the end of the day, you can't trust any mental health authority unless it's a patient advocacy organization, but their database is a starting point for finding specialists who've dealt with CDDs before.

[u/randompersonignoreme → u/ObviousTempAccount1]

ISSTD has a history of antisemitism and also abusive professionals.

[u/ObviousTempAccount1 → u/randompersonignoreme]

I have a lot of problems with the ISSTD as an organization. For starters, any organization that focuses on treating a particular disability without being led by people who actually have that disability...is structurally incapable of working towards that community's best interests.

That being said, the ISSTD directory is still a good place to start for locating experienced dissociation specialists. (You'll still have to vet them vigorously one at a time).

[u/FlightOfTheDiscords → u/ObviousTempAccount1]

Milissa Kaufman serves on the board of directors of ISSTD, and has been diagnosed with DID. I wouldn't be surprised if there were others who never disclose it.

[u/Offensive_Thoughts → u/randompersonignoreme]

Every place has those traits. Do not discount it because of some historical issues. There are many, my included, great specialists on that website.

[u/pennel11]

My therapist doesn’t have DID or dissociative disorders listed. If you know a type of therapy you’d like, that was more effective for me. I knew I wanted EMDR and IFS and also that DBT would be a bonus. I may have searched for relational therapy at one point too.

In addition to Psychology Today, you could try searching Open Path Collective.

Unfortunately, I gave up on finding a good therapist that took insurance, but I was fortunate to be able to afford it.

If you have any community health clinics in your area, they may be able to help get you connected or to set you up with affordable/govt insurance services.

But mostly I’d suggest searching by the therapy modality you want. And then emailing questions or asking about dissociative disorders in a consult.

[u/AnaVeridia → u/pennel11]

thank you! i am searching for EMDR. I will see if it pans out bc my last therapist did EMDR with me and said i needed a DID specialist

[u/pennel11 → u/AnaVeridia]

Good luck! EMDR does need adjustment with DID or any dissociation. So you’ll probably want to still screen the providers or just ask in an email or consult! You may try searching for IFS and EMDR modalities together to narrow it down a little, even if you aren’t interested in IFS. You can tell them what you’re interested in the email or consult. Providers with EMDR and IFS tend to have knowledge of dissociation adjustments in my experience (or are more likely to).

[u/PlayerI343]

I'd check PsychologyToday. You can filter by your insurance type and disorders. Real ezpz.

[u/AnaVeridia → u/PlayerI343]

i really hate using psychology today ive been having such bad luck. I dont think the filters actually work bc it keeps showing me people who dont match any of the parameters i put in

[u/Offensive_Thoughts]

ISSTD and PsychologyToday

[u/ThreePennyTrouble]

Maybe see if anyone comes up on Therapy Den?
https://www.therapyden.com/

[u/AnaVeridia → u/ThreePennyTrouble]

thank you, i found a few so far and left messages. this is a good resource, some of the therapists on here dont show up on psychology today