I am really distraught over a bad breakup. How do I find someone to talk to. Will I need a referral?

After about 2 months, I am beginning to realize time is not healing the wounds. I need help. Do I seek a psychologist, psychiatrist, some other type of help professional.





I also have an HMO health insurance company (actually it is GHI HMO). To the best of your knowledge will I need a referral from my primary care physician? Right about now, I can't stand that doctor and have no desire to call him up and poor my heart out about needing counseling. (and I would check with my insurance company, but it is 1am, so I don't think they will answer.)





What do you look for in order to determine if you want to see this counselor. I don't want anyone to know I am going, so it's not like I can ask people if they know anything about them.


Finally, I really don't want my parents knowing I am in counseling, do you think I can avoid giving them my mailing address...and I don't want to give them my work one...they open my mail there.I am really distraught over a bad breakup. How do I find someone to talk to. Will I need a referral?
my dr .told me i needed to see a shrink about 6 yrs ago ,she said i got married to soon after a major relationship,she wanted to be my shrink,she gave me some realy bad advise,she told me to ask my husband of3 months to leave,she thought i needed time to heal from my prior relationship,she almost drove me crazy with all she ask of me,in order to heal,i kept telling her i didnt need more time and that i loved my husband,she finally pushed me over the edge ,i didnt know what i wanted any more,i had my husband to leave, he left in the snow with his 10 yr old son crying and begging me why,i told i didnt know ,they went to a local shelter,the next day i thought what the hell was i thinking ,i went and got my man and my s-son and told him i was temp-insain,he almost didnt come home ,i would have never did any thing like that on my own,drs. dont always know the answer to your mental problems,shrinks think nobody is smarter than he or she ,but i had news for mine she was dead wrong,idid not need help i found my way through my problems by my self and just having friends to listen to my thoughts,i wasnt really over my last relationship ,i spent 10 yrs with him,we parted as friends,thats the part that was hard,it still hurt when i met my husband now,i married him 4 months after i meet him,we are still married,%26amp;my ex is still my friend,you see you have to let go if you care for some one as much as you do ,you have to keep them in your life some way and if you cant have an intamite relationship ,try to be thier friend,if you love this person %26amp; they love you ,that is an easy way not to totally lose them forever,hey talk to some dr. if you feel that you really need to but really pay attention to ,what they ask of you ,dont let them twist your head believe me it happened to me,the answer is inside of you ,you are the only one who knows how you feel and how you need to heal .good luck ,it will get better.I am really distraught over a bad breakup. How do I find someone to talk to. Will I need a referral?
you probably won't need a referral from your primary doctor to seek help with your problem. but if you see a psychiatrist, i don't think many will want to talk to you until they find out how you are going to pay for their services. the company i worked for had a eap program (employee asistance program) for family problems, drug addiction, etc. if i remember right it was free, but if you need meds you will have to see a psychiatrist. even if you just feel you need a counselor to talk to, i can't remember anytime when i went to someone for services where i didn't have to sit down and fill out forms with my address, medical history, and you have to sign alot of things that say you agree with all the terms of their services,so i guess you would have to tell them not to contact your home or workplace. i was also depressed about a break up many years ago and was admitted to a mental health center and stayed there for about a month. hopefully your situation is not that bad
First talk to your primary care doctor and tell the doctor what you are in need of. Your doctor can then point you in the right direction. If your just looking for counciling then all you have to do is seek a councilor. If your worried about your mental health then seek a psychiatrist. You can avoid giving them your address but there is no harm in asking.
If you are still in school - access the Counseling Dept. on campus.


If you use your medical insurance - and it's your parent's policy, then the bills/payment receipts will come to the policy holder at your house.


However, counseling is an expensive thing. And you will need a way to pay for it. (figure on $100 or more per session)


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There are some other possibilities.


Call your church - often they will have someone who does some counseling or atleast is willing to talk with you - for little or no cost.


Call your community Mental Health clinic. They often have counseling on a ';sliding fee scale';, meaning that the fee is adjusted down for your low income level - to make their services accessable to people who need it.


You can also call a help-line such as 1-800-NEWLIFE. They have someone to answer the phone 24 hrs a day, and they also have a counseling referral service, or offer online or phone counseling.





Your health insurance should have a phone number on the back of your card. Give them a call in the morning. Just ask what your coverage is for counseling, and what counselors would meet their criteria - licensing, psychologist, etc. / or if they have a list of participating counselors from which to choose. You don't have to go into your problems, but may need to indicate whether it is a life-threatening problem.





To answer your question, over the phone, as you make your appointment they will likely briefly interview you, gaining what your age group is and the nature of your ';complaints'; If it is a romantic break-up, tell them that. When you meet the person in their office, the first visit is a Hi Who are You, what brings you in today? and Who are you, what do you do, how do you do it, what are your credentials, hours, fees, and what do you expect of your clients? Do you give homework?etc.....


You are both looking each other over, and giving a sample of who you are and how you think. Either one of you can say this IS or IS NOT a good fit to work together.





However you choose to proceed, I hope you find someone to help you. It is worth it.
Well sometimes you need a referral and you should not go to a psychiatrist to start as you just want to talk. If after talking to a therapist you then decide you need medication then go from there. It is strictly confidential so your parents don't have to know. You can look in your phone book and they may have a Mental Health line or CMH. You can talk to the person and they should know what type of people work in the office. You can tell them that you want to talk to a male or female and if you can discribe the type of counselor you would feel comfortable with. Someone that is more reserved or up in your face type. You know what I mean. Sometimes they will even have you meet with a gate keeper (so to speak) to get an idea and then they will try to match you with a good person so that you can get the best results. Good Luck and I know it can be difficult but just be as open and honest as you can. Sometimes all you need is a neutral person to talk to .