Looking for a therapist
I am the daughter of an alcoholic, and had childhood trauma issues, I’ve ben told CBT can help, I also know that somatic therapy can help release the trauma stored in the body. If anyone knows a therapist I’d be grateful.
The National Association for Children of Alcoholics
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Hi Amber,
I am really sorry to hear of the trauma that you have experienced. Therapy can be really helpful and there are a lot of different types out there. If you would like to know more about this, your GP is a great place to start and they can also refer for free counselling. It is however useful to bear in mind that there can often be long waiting lists.
Alternatively you can read more about the different types here: www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/what-is-therapy/types-of-therapy. If you are in a position to self-fund for therapy, I don’t have a specific therapist but below are some directories that might help you to find one:
- https://www.bacp.co.uk/search/Therapists
- https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/find-a-therapist/
- https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/
I would advise for you to approach several different therapists who tend to offer a free initial session, or an initial session at a reduced price to share what approach they use. Further to this there are therapists who are offering reduced prices for their therapy given the current environment with Covid. To identify these it would be worth approaching the therapists directly.
Although these directories do not have the ability to filter directly for children of alcoholics, it can help to filter by alcohol or trauma and then approach the therapists to better understand what their experiences are.
I hope this helps and good luck with the search.
Hi amber.88
I am a mental health university student and have also worked particularly in mental health settings with individuals who have experienced ACEs. CBT is a very effective therapy to help support you in living a more positive lifestyle and have a healthy mindset towards life in general. I was also brought up in my teens in a household with one alcoholic parent along with other ACEs in my childhood. I felt taking part in similar CBT activities myself helped me make sense of my experiences, emotions and have a more positive lifestyle.
Contacting your GP and asking to be referred to your local mental health team, there are two separate teams depending on your age (Child and adolescent services or adult). MH teams not only concentrate on MH problems they also work with therapy interventions and the impact of ACEs. They will enable you to start therapy more quickly.
Hope this helps.
Hey Amber,
Firstly well done for finding the strength to know that you need help and putting yourself first. This in itself is a major first step. I myself didn't have much luck via the GP and looked privately. Therapists that specifically deal with addiction and childhood trauma. I'm beginning to look at working with a psychologist as i've heard great things. When looking for a counselor/therapist/psychologist, it's a working relationship so if they don't feel quite right for you and it's not a 'match' that's ok. It's Ok to say it's not working for you and that you'd like to look elsewhere.
I hope you find the right help for you Amber. Good Luck.