therapist recommendations? (Pittsburgh, Oakmont: insurance, health, best)

[ajl777]

does anyone have any reccomendations in pittsburgh? i've looked long and hard. a lot of the major places i've went want you to do group and eap stuff never works out. don't feel like people in pittsburgh are very open about this kind of stuff either so hard to get reccs from real life people.

[Hopes]

What type are you looking for? What part of town? Do you want a man or a woman? Is there a specific type of therapy approach you prefer? I'm asking these questions so the information is available to those who are more in the know. There are a couple of posters who are/have been associated with social work. I'm sure one of them will have some ideas.

My only recent experience has been with treatment for teenagers in the past decade. One really great one does treat adults too. He's in Oakmont. I'm sure he's good with a lot of things, but I'm familiar with his experience with anxiety disorders and resulting depression. If Oakmont isn't too far to travel, send me DM for his name and I'll look it up. We probably went through 10 different ones before we found a good match for a family member.

I have not been happy with the mental health options in Pittsburgh. I don't recommend going through the behavioral health intake at Western Psych. We had some bad experiences with that. You're dealing with students for the initial evaluation, and it can take months to start treatment. I can recommend one great guy for children via Western Psych, but I don't know if you get to pick who is assigned.

Other than that, the only other names I could give you are the therapists of my friends, but I suspect they aren't very good based on the progress of my friends. Maybe that's a terrible thing to say, but it's true. They have been in therapy for eternity. Their therapists let them go in there and b*tch about whatever they want without actually addressing their issues. If you want a therapist that actually guides you and provides behavior therapy and goals, you might have to hop around. I highly recommend you tell your therapist your goals and your expectations. That's the best way to find a good match.

It's a shame people aren't open. It's something people need to do sometimes. I gave it a whirl myself a few decades ago after my parents died. It did help.

[LIRefugee]

I'll second Hopes' post that a little more info about the sort of therapist you are looking for, especially if gender or location is important. Feel free to DM me if you'd rather not post publicly. I may be able to recommend one or two if I knew more about your needs.

Hopes' statement about needing to run through 10 or more in order to find a good fit is also a general truth; someone may recommend a great therapist, but that person might not work for you specifically. In general I would recommend looking at private practitioners and not the larger group practices as you'd be more likely to get real individualized attention, though they are less likely to take insurance.