Starting therapy... for three months?

May 23, 2012 6:33 AM

Starting therapy... where to look? And the catch... I'm only here for the summer? Then what? More inside.

I'm a college student, recently went through a breakup, and, at this point, think talking to a professional would be in my best interest (for a variety of reasons). The problem is, my internship for the summer is on the opposite side of the country as school. Is it worth it to even start some kind of therapy here (Seattle area)? I'm not sure what the normal lead times for getting appointments and such are. And I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to get used to a therapist here for a a couple months then have to find a new one at school.

Another question, I'm a dependent on my parent's plan. Is this something that I can do without their knowledge initially? I would be paying the copays, but I'm assuming they'd be notified/receive some kind of bill. Not doing it via insurance is almost certainly worlds out of my price range.

Throwaway email is [e-mail]. Thank you for your help.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (4 answers total)

Depending on your needs (if you just need a therapist as a 3rd party-who-doesn't-know-anyone-in-your-circles), you can probably get away with using a sliding scale clinic or possibly a therapist training program/teaching school, which could keep you able to pay your own way (this is so context-sensitive, I'm not going to try to estimate figures, but you could look into it).

If you use your parents' insurance they will almost certainly get a statement of benefits at some point showing activity on your part.

I generally use therapists' services for short periods of time - 4-6 appointments in a 6 week period and then I'm good for years. Usually I can get an appointment within 1-2 weeks of requesting one.
posted by kalessin at 6:38 AM on May 23, 2012

Your college might have some sort of inexpensive therapy available for students.
posted by Obscure Reference at 7:48 AM on May 23, 2012

Yes, it is most definitely worth it to get help NOW rather than waiting later. Things might get even worse for you later on. The therapist can help you in the now and this is crucial for people that don't feel emotionally healthy or in a good place.

I also had three months left except I'm finishing school rather than going back to school. It hurt so much because I felt like I was getting passed on from person to person since two professionals have had to let me go within less than a year. Until, someone described it as a "continuum of care" which made me accept that I'll work with so many people in my life. This may not be the case for you, but know that it's okay to work with more than one person. The therapist's job is to support you and help you, but they are not there to become friends with you.
posted by livinglearning at 10:01 AM on May 23, 2012

For speedy results and less long-term foundation-laying, you'll probably be happier with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) rather than with someone who uses a psychodynamic approach. This kind of identification is usually listed on a website or available over the phone.
posted by feral_goldfish at 10:16 AM on May 23, 2012