Treatment/therapists in the UK?

[yuna]

I'm 19 and a student inLondon...I'veonly been living here sincelast september so I'mclueless in where to startlooking for a therapist. My gp referred me to one but he specialises in talking treatment,which I've had before and didn't help very much. I'd like to try CBT or hynotherapy, and I wondered if anyone here is from Londonand could recommend a treatment.


Early this year I was prescribed beta blockers against panic attacks. I have a tendency to procrastinate finding treatment, because just looking at emet sites reminds me of my "problem" and makes me feel anxious and despairing. I've had steadily worsening emetophobia since I was a child. Now it's reached a point where even unsubstantiated things freak me out. For instance, today my boyfriend told me it'd be better if I didn't go to his place because he's got really bad hayfever, and I immediately start thinking that maybe he actually has a stomach bug but doesn't want to tell me so as not to scare me (he's very understanding about the phobia)...and start feeling scaredthat I might have it too cause Imet him yesterday (when fact is all he had yesterdayWAS pretty bad hayfever).


I'd also love to hearfrom other emets (if any live in london maybe we can meet up). I've never had a friend whotruly relates to me in this aspect...and it would be pretty amazing to talk to someone who knows exactly howI feel.

[trickyvicky]

Hi yuna,welcome to this site i hope it will help u as everybody is very understanding..U say u get anxious when u look at emet sites,i hope u find that this site will help u and find some great friends,i have only been here since march and have gained some really reliable friends as they all experience the feelings and emotions as all of us.....I live in Plymouth i know it's a while from u but i had CBT and i found him through the mental heath department,i was seeing an communtiy nurse and all these people are connected to the same branch,like Pysicartic doctors,communtiy nurses CBT and occupational therapist..But originally i had a CPN(community physicatric nurse)and she referred me but my doctor backed it up.I did need to change doctors as the doctor that i had been with for 29yrs did not really have an understanding of mental health so i found one within my area and he has been great...U do need to push for these services as in plymouth u can be on a waiting list for any of the the above people for a while and i have no support with family or friends and the last time i saw any family was about 10weeks ago but they don't hurray these things along,they keep on saying not enough sources but don't give up.....Keep on to your doctor....


There are a few people on here from london so lets hope they will post a message


take care and if u need to chat please PM me or send a e-mail


vicky xx

[Jenneh]

welcome to our family


im aware this may be a flying visit because u say lookin at emet sites make u kinda worse ... but ur very welcome to stick around for as long as u can to get sum good friends and support from here.


im 17, live close to London. but, im afriad i dont know of ne therapists that ur lookin for. but surely ur doc wil know of some? or even if u look it up on the internet maybe?


Jen xxx

[Leopardess]

Hello Yuna, welcome! I'm in a very similar situation to you. I'm 20,from Berkshire, living in Scotland now but I do have a lot of experience of NHS healthcare in the south of England.


The basic rule of thumb is to get yourself on a waiting list as soon as you can. See your GP, tell them you'd like to try gradual exposure/CBT,get referred... (if you don't get referred or the GP only offers you a counsellor, see another GP...) you'll probably have an assessment appointment with a nurse or psychiatrist who will then put you on a waiting list to see a psychiatrist regularly. However you might be looking at a wait of up to a year. [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]In London itself, maybe even more.


There's hope, though. Having been told I had a 12-month wait for cognitive-behavioural therapy, the local NHS wrote to me after 6 months telling me there were still 10 months to go- but would I like to see a Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) instead? I accepted and found her to be more than sufficient for helping with phobia. She's treated emetophobia before successfully. She also couldn't emphasise enough how we would do this at MY speed, assuring me that she wouldn't push me to expose myself to anything I didn't think I was ready for. The whole point of gradual exposure is that you don't feel anything worse than mild unease throughout the therapy. I found this a great comfort.


I think having a friend you can talk to about your phobia would definitely be a good thing for you. I would volunteer, but I'm in the south very infrequently now. [img]smileys/smilies_12.gif[/img]However, hanging around this forum is definitely a good start! Plus, the internet is a nice non-threatening medium that you might find you can open up on a lot more than you could in real life.


Very best of luck in your search for CBT! Let us know how it goes. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[sage]

Hi! Welcome to the site. If you look at the "sticky" links above on this thread you'll see one that's a paper I wrote on guidelines for finding a therapist. I also have a paper on information to print out and take to your doctor/therapist. If you send me an email (not a PM but an email - click on my name) then I'll email you the paper.


Good luck!

[jlockyer]

Hi Yuna


I live in work in London but I'm not going to be much use with help in finding a therapist as I'm having a bit of trouble myself. I've been trying to use the private health insurance I have through work to pay for some sessions witha private therapist my GP recommended but the insurers are currently trying to wriggle out of paying by saying that I have had this condition all my life and so they won't cover it...


Anyway, I have also joined the National Phobics society and they offer special rates for both CBT and hynotherapy - about £7 a session and they also put you in touch with counseller in your area.


In the past I have tried hypnotherapy but found I was never relaxed enough sitting in a therapists office for the treatment really to work.


Could you approach the student welfare office at your college as they should be able to help?

[cwarren]

Hi, I livein Cambridge (so not too far from London) and there are several therapists in the area, and the one I went to 3 years ago was trained in CBT (he was a hypnotherapist) and had cured people of emetophobia before - he actually had letters from people that had written to him thanking him for curing them.


Unfortunately I stopped going as I became scared to go back, I don't know why though(I am ready to start again now though)


His website (if you're interested) is www.rck.net


Hope this helps, and good luck!

[izzybee]

I've just read that website and this man sounds amazing!! How did you find his session? (If you want to say that is, you erally dont have to) I might start thinking about hynotherapy again

[sage]

I read it too, and to me it sounds ridiculously simplistic. All I could think was "AS IF". I suppose if one's phobia is just mildly annoying, his methods would work. But when you've got years of absolute terror invested into it, just figuring out the cause and "releasing emotion" won't work any too quickly.


While his theory is not incorrect - he makes it sound too simple to cure. What if the "emotion" to be released is so deep, so complicated, and so far-reaching that you just can't release it all in 6 sessions? Most emetophobes go away from these treatments feeling like failures when all along it is the therapist who is the failure.


I wonder if he can cure schizophrenia in 8 sessions....

[cwarren]

Well, he does actually state that while phobias can be cured in 8 session, it can take more as obviously it depends on the person.


Izzy,


No, I don't mind answering any questions you have! He is a really kind, friendly man and he is quite perceptive of people and what they are like. Of course, just beacuse I got on well with him does not mean that other people will, like Sage says, you have to look around and find someone you "click" with.


Good luck!

[faith-marilyn]

Heeeey! Im new here - i was thinkin of joinin an i saw ur message and had to reply so here i am! Im faith marilyn an im 18 from liverpool. I suffer from emet too. As i live in liverpool i dont know anyone who u can see in london, but im currently in CBT myself. I did the talk therapy too a few years ago which had very short term effects so thats y i am in CBT. Ive also tried hypnotherapy and in all honesty it really didnt do a thing 4 me so I would advise u to try CBT first as hypno is also really expensive. Ive had bad emet for 5 years but like urself ive had it developing all through childhood. If u go and see your gp again and ask him/her to get u an appointment with a CBT worker they will give u one, there are many available! It only took a few months for me to get my appointment (2 months) but it shouldnt be so long for u bcos there was a mixup at my doctors! Anyway back to the point...Ive been in CBT with a great therapist for only 3 weeks now, ive had 3 sessions and I am feeling SO much stronger. She has encouraged me to realise that there was a point in time when i was NOT afraid of v* and at the time it wasnt so bad when it was happening, and that the fear of the fear is a lot greater than the actual v*. The more i tell myself that there was a point when i wasnt scared, the more clear it is becoming to me that the fear of the fear and the damage it is having on my life is actually worse than actually V* and thinking like this is very encouraging! because of my emet ive had agoraphobia for 5 years (fear of going out) incase i v* when im out, but over the last few months ive done so many things that i used to be able to do so things are looking up for me! My point is that if i am able to get through this and feel a lot stronger - after only 3 sessions of CBT, u can too !!
I hope that has helped u, i would definately recommend CBT to you, good luck !!
Faith Marilyn
[img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img] Edited by: faith-marilyn

[sarahx]

Hey, i dont know wether u r still checking this post but ill pm u it anyway too... here are two websites which a psychiatrist gave me to find a private therapist for cbt...


www.babcp.org.ukthis one is for CBT therapists


www.ukcp.org.uk this one the therapists do other treatments too


on both sites u enter ur address and they find the therapists near u and prices ets..


hope it helps


Sarah xxx

[Abi]

Hi, I livein Cambridge (so not too far from London) and there are several therapists in the area, and the one I went to 3 years ago was trained in CBT (he was a hypnotherapist) and had cured people of emetophobia before - he actually had letters from people that had written to him thanking him for curing them.


Unfortunately I stopped going as I became scared to go back, I don't know why though(I am ready to start again now though)


His website (if you're interested) is www.rck.net


Hope this helps, and good luck!

That guy looks and sounds soo scary!