My parents divorced when I was in 5th grade. My mom blamed my dad for everything so we did, too. She had a series of terrible, abusive boyfriends and I ended up moving out when I was 16. I'm happy with my life now but our relationship is strained to say the least. I'm thinking that I should use the time over the summer to start seeing a therapist before I become a mother. For some reason, I feel kind of nervous about it.
So, if you've been what was your experience like?
Do you have recommendations for someone in N. Austin or RR?
Insurance should cover most of this, right? Or, am I wrong on that? (I'll call them just thought I'd ask while I'm on the subject.)
TIA!
Re: Talk to me about seeing a therapist.
Dr. Dan Roberts in RR is wonderful. I went for anxiety, so my experience will be a little different, but things that surprised me...
It was very challenging. I guess I expected (from TV) to be more "validated" than challenged, so I was a little pissed at first.
But it turned out he knew what he was doing. Shocking, I know. 
You get out what you put in. Doing the work outside of therapy is super important.
It can be uncomfortable at times, but that's not a bad thing.
Good luck!
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I don't have an recs, but I saw a therapist several years ago and it was one of the best things I ever did for myself.
I "interviewed" a few different therapists before finding one I was comfortable with. It was kind of a trial and error process and I even ended up talking to one guy for a few months before deciding we weren't a good fit. The only way therapy works is if you feel comfortable enough to really talk to the person, so don't settle on someone and hope you warm up to them. If the first one clicks, great, but don't give up if you don't get a perfect match right away.
Another thing I learned from my experience that's worth passing on is this: it gets harder before it gets better. I guess I was thinking that I'd start talking to a therapist and my life & relationships would magically fix themselves, but that's not quite the case. It was quite a lot of work, but totally worth it.
Good luck!
One of the best decisions I ever made was to see a therapist. It has been very eye opening for me, as well as a safe outlet to express feelings I am not always comfortable sharing with people who are close to me. We had a lot of changes happen for our family in a crazy short amount of time, so I was having a hard time adjusting. She helped me realize the areas I was being unrealistic in my expectations and also the places where I needed to speak up for myself.
I go to someone in Kyle, so I don't have any recommendations in your area, but our insurance does cover the majority of it after deductible.
First of all, (((hugs))) to you. I have a similar background, but I didn't move out at 16.
I just started seeing a therapist, recommended by a friend, last month. And it has already been a wonderful experience. I would recommend her, but I don't think she's taking new patients at this time? You can email me and I'll give you her info if you want to call her to ask though (she's in Northish Austin): jclouseau63 at gmail
My particular insurance covers it and I pay a $40 copay each time. Hands down the best $40 I spend on myself. Go, definitely, go. I have tons and tons of mother issues (and others) that we're working on right now. It is so empowering to feel validated and to work on learning new ways to cope with your feelings. Really, it is. My therapist said that having kids brings up a lot of old issues with your parents, so it's a common time/motivation to try to work through those issues. She's also great for current issues, like recommending discipline tools for our kids. Anyway, if you want to chat offboard or try my therapist, shoot me an email. I know people probably know who this AE is, but I still want to preserve some semblance of privacy about it.
Definitely go though. Don't put it off. You'll be so tired and have less time when the baby arrives, so go ahead and start now. more (((hugs))) to you. That first call is hard, but it gets easier and it is definitely worth it when you find someone you click with. Good luck.
ETA: and ditto kateaggie and chicklit. It is work, but very much worth it to feel better and learn new tools for your daily life.
Insurance is all over the place, yours might make you talk to an "internal" one first. They did at one company I worked at. I am not currently in therapy although I out to be... Anyway, I have a few things that may be insightful as far as experiences
If you love your therapist right off the bat, that's good. If you always love what they have to say, they're probably blowing sunshine up your arse which ain't gonna do a whole lotta good. That's what friends are for
However, if you ever want to punch them in the face or you feel so overwhelmingly pissed off at them that you feel like you might never go back - then you're probably getting somewhere in therapy
Not everyones experience but it has been mine. I've been seeing them on and off since I was 12.
Part of what I finally got "over" in therapy was guilt. I thought I wanted to "be strong" and all sorts of other things so I could find and meet my mother who has been out of my life since I was 3 (saw her once when I was 7 again too). After a year of hard work (I was 25), I came to realize that I didn't really care if I ever "met" her. It made me quite angry with my therapist when he lead me down that path. He never even suggested it, he just sort of kept asking me questions until it became obvious to me there was no other answer.
What I hated and was struggling with was the lack of feelings toward her. I felt like I "should' want to meet her. And I didn't. And I still don't. I should love her right? *shrug* She called me 5 years ago. I haven't called her back. But it was so very important to journal and write letters I'd never send her. It helped me so much to see that while other therapists had tried to help me "release" the power she had over me, this one helped me to realize the true hidden meaning behind my anger and self doubt.
Additionally, I had many a therapist try to help me improve my relationship with my father. Long story short, the above therapist (who again, made me want punch him in the face despite his zen attitude) - made me see that it was my father who is flawed in his relationship with me and there is nothing I can do about it. Unless you know, I want to present myself as a helpless damsel in distress. That's the only thing that brings out his caregiver attitude. One of my first reading assignments was "Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself". Holy crap I wish I'd read it in high school. There were parts of it that made me sit up in bed with astonishment at how similiar some of the stories were.
My other favorite reading assignment was "The Four Agreements". I listened to it on CD on my long drives to pre-nursing school classes at ACC. Again, totally life changing. I've been meaning to get another copy of it and listen to it all over again.