KiteAuraan posted:

Chokes, the advice about therapy is good and I'll try it next appointment (whenever that is, social worker and all).

The Archaic posted:

I'm the union rep elected by my coworkers. I organized the crew and got everyone to join a union in 2018 and only now just begun collective bargaining. My boss, whom I considered a mentor and a close friend, I'm pretty sure she hates my guts, as do several coworkers I once called friends. I'm pretty sure I've put her into a massive mental health crisis, or at least exacerbated the issues with anxiety that was already there. We are a small business who barely break even, and with a Conservative government in charge of Ontario it seems like our industry has a massive target on its back. My credit card debt is only rising, and I make $3 less an hour than I did 5 years ago. Rent is only going up, and I haven't had a raise in 3 years. The business income is entirely based on contracts with small to medium sized construction and development firms, and there's alot of anxiety that unionizing will put us out of business. Additionally, the wages for staff are all over the place and inconsistent, so the coworkers who want my head on a stick are probably thinking they're going to lose money from paying union dues. The nasty emails they sent me were extremely distressing and I'm seriously thinking about quitting and finding another job, because I really don't feel welcome at my workplace any more. The workplace I'm trying desperately to save.

The good news is, we've also organized several other companies, and we estimate our union now represents 50% of Ontario archaeologists, with other archaeologists in different provinces calling us and asking how to organize too. We've dodged two legislative bullets, in which our government is trying to gut archaeology from environmental assessment requirements, thanks in part to the union who has contacts with the government. None of the other reps at other companies are dealing with this poo poo, their crews are 100% behind them. I have to constantly remind myself I'm doing the right thing, because this is getting overwhelming. I wouldn't have made it this far without my girlfriend, who is an actual communist. She's had my back the entire time and has never doubted me for a second.

I definitely don't have it as bad as some folks in this thread. You guys have so much more courage and balls than I do. I guess I just wanted give kudos to the folks struggling to survive in this nightmare of a world. Your pain makes sense, because the world is insane. Thanks for sticking around, because we need you, your families need you, C-Spam needs you and Bernie needs you.

The Archaic posted:

I'm the union rep elected by my coworkers. I organized the crew and got everyone to join a union in 2018 and only now just begun collective bargaining. My boss, whom I considered a mentor and a close friend, I'm pretty sure she hates my guts, as do several coworkers I once called friends. I'm pretty sure I've put her into a massive mental health crisis, or at least exacerbated the issues with anxiety that was already there. We are a small business who barely break even, and with a Conservative government in charge of Ontario it seems like our industry has a massive target on its back. My credit card debt is only rising, and I make $3 less an hour than I did 5 years ago. Rent is only going up, and I haven't had a raise in 3 years. The business income is entirely based on contracts with small to medium sized construction and development firms, and there's alot of anxiety that unionizing will put us out of business. Additionally, the wages for staff are all over the place and inconsistent, so the coworkers who want my head on a stick are probably thinking they're going to lose money from paying union dues. The nasty emails they sent me were extremely distressing and I'm seriously thinking about quitting and finding another job, because I really don't feel welcome at my workplace any more. The workplace I'm trying desperately to save.

The good news is, we've also organized several other companies, and we estimate our union now represents 50% of Ontario archaeologists, with other archaeologists in different provinces calling us and asking how to organize too. We've dodged two legislative bullets, in which our government is trying to gut archaeology from environmental assessment requirements, thanks in part to the union who has contacts with the government. None of the other reps at other companies are dealing with this poo poo, their crews are 100% behind them. I have to constantly remind myself I'm doing the right thing, because this is getting overwhelming. I wouldn't have made it this far without my girlfriend, who is an actual communist. She's had my back the entire time and has never doubted me for a second.

I definitely don't have it as bad as some folks in this thread. You guys have so much more courage and balls than I do. I guess I just wanted give kudos to the folks struggling to survive in this nightmare of a world. Your pain makes sense, because the world is insane. Thanks for sticking around, because we need you, your families need you, C-Spam needs you and Bernie needs you.

earofavegetaplanet posted:

giving your boss a massive mental health crisis sounds great, keep up the good work and don't sweat the small stuff

The Archaic posted:

I'm the union rep elected by my coworkers[...]

quote:

earofavegetaplanet posted:

giving your boss a massive mental health crisis sounds great, keep up the good work and don't sweat the small stuff

Consummate Professional posted:

holy heck. y'all hiring americans? will relocate

UnfortunateSexFart posted:

Sure, you may inhale deadly amounts of smoke but who cares, free health care.

Chokes McGee posted:

so what I'm hearing is it's a wash

UnfortunateSexFart posted:

Ehh the American west is on fire every summer too so it's probably still a net gain. And it's not always smokey in Melbourne at least, only when the wind is blowing south. Here's today vs yesterday from my apartment:

bobtheconqueror posted:

The monolith is cool, and my friend.

Also, worth noting, I've been attending drag shows recently as a means to support a friend of a friend who is competing in them, and it's a lil' weird, but kinda awesome too. That said, what the gently caress there's tons of drama and I don't know precisely how to deal with that part other than spending money to help people not feel so bad about whatever bullshit is going on. How do I live in a world where peace costs me 90 USD every Thursday!?

thehandtruck posted:

Saw a few posts asking 'How do I find a therapist?' and "How do I know they're good" so I wrote some stuff:

The first thing to do is try to think about what you want to get out of therapy. Are you anxious and want to be less anxious? Are you depressed and want to be less depressed? Is the piss tape real?(Yes) Are you having relationship issues and want them to get better? Or, you don't know what you want to get out of therapy but you do know something isn't right, which is fine too.

After you've thought about the above, go to PsychologyToday.com and put in your city. On the left you can start adding filters such as insurance. You can also sort by price and if they slide (meaning do they have a sliding scale based off of what you're able to pay, which most do). There are also options for Online Counseling if you are unable to go in person due to any reason. (I would encourage in-person but online is better than not going at all.) You'll also see "Issues" on the left where you can pick something that speaks out to you. Most issues are related so don't worry too much diagnosing yourself and picking the right issue. These are professionals and they will know what the issue is.

You can also sort by theory. So if you've read about DBT for instance and really think it's right for you, click that. If you're not sure, don't worry, these are professionals and they will know what theories to try. All therapists you'll find on here will favor 1 or 2 theories of treatment but will be experienced in working in a variety of theories/methods so I wouldn't get too hung up on this unless there is something you're looking for in particular.

Okay I've populated a huge list of mind nerds, now what?

Take a look at their picture first off. Does anyone strike you as off-putting, or chuddlike? Go with your gut here! It doesn't mean your gut is right, but your gut is telling you that you won't be able to work well with that person. And that's okay. Don't force yourself to work with someone who isn't the right fit for you. Notice how on the left you can also sort by man or woman. This is also okay. And this may not be kosher for this forum but even if someone is of a certain group that you have prejudice towards do not force yourself to see them. You aren't doing anyone any favors or changing the world or ending racism/classism/sexism by wasting your time and money going to see someone you can't make progress with.

Once you've filtered some people out, take a look at their bio. Does anyone strike you as interesting? Anyone say something that really resonates with you? If someone sneaks in, "kids today don't have any grit," they're probably not for you. Conversely if they mention how powerful economic issues are in influencing our mental health, it might be working talking to said comrade. Once again, go with your gut.

Okay I've got 4-5 people that seem weird enough for me.

Give 'em a call! All therapists should do a free 15-20 minute FREE phone consultation. You will never have to pay for that phone call even if you decide to continue with them. Talk to them, be open, tell them what your reservations are. Then, listen. When they responded did you feel like you could open up to that person in session? Or did you feel like it'll be an uphill battle? If you didn't click with them, dump their fuckin rear end and move on.

I jumped in and have been seeing a therapist weekly for a month. Is my therapist good/is therapy working?

Great question. Generally I would ask you, "do you feel like you've been able to open up to that person, and how do you feel when you do open up?" If you've been able to explore things with them and you feel comfortable with them, I think that's good. There's no perfect metric because let's say you went into your first session wanting to work on your depression, there may be other things that have to be worked through first before the depression can be alleviated. Or if you're anxious, you might always be anxious going into session, it doesn't mean that therapist isn't good or that therapy isn't working.

I think in some ways it's better to ask, can I see myself growing in this space with this person or have we hit a wall? It's very difficult because someone who is just starting to work through some very scary stuff might start to tell themselves their therapist sucks as an excuse to quit. It's a tricky question but for me I could usually tell between 4 and 8 sessions if I could work with this person.

So ya jump the gently caress in and get your brain fixed. You can always tell them something isn't working and see if they can change it, if not, dump 'em and move on to someone else. That's their job. You are paying them, you are the client. And if you're unsure if a thing is you or the therapist, feel free to ask in the thread or if you're wondering what a certain theory will be like, ask away.

Chokes McGee posted:

I would be interested in their definition of "psychologist," as well. Does that include social workers and licensed therapists? If not, that's really misleading.

WrenP-Complete posted:

Social workers and psychologists are different professions with separate educations and licenses. We both can get licenses to practice therapy or psychotherapy. Also other regulated professions can practice therapy - like some areas have licensed psychotherapists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, etc.

Not all psychologists do therapy as part of their profession - there are many kinds of research psychologists, forensic psychologists, etc.

juche avocado posted:

i imagine it varies by regulatory jurisdiction but at least here in psychiatrists are the ones specifically with the 'scrip pad

you have it backwards, at least from my experience

juche avocado posted:

it is in fact a lovely, dumb, harmful wannabe-meme; this coming from a bernie voter

also check out how therapist is right there on the end of the list for Bernie supporters

almost like occupation is self-reported thing with fuzzy categorization

anyway i need to find a new therapist and also treatment in general wwoop

Cybernetic Vermin posted:

One can argue about how *good* Bojack is as a show, but it does wallow in the deepest despair with precision, to a point where it really isn't very healthy to watch if you are of a certain mindset.

Jollity Farm posted:

That's also the thing that put me off watching, even though I heard it's very good. I suppose I can only take depictions of depression if they're the length of a song or something.

Chokes McGee posted:

yeah, I�ve heard it is a relentlessly depressing show, which is why I stay the hell away

thehandtruck posted:

Long helpful post on finding a therapist and determining if they are good for you.

Mundrial Mantis posted:

Just want to say thanks for this. It's time I start looking into therapy and work on getting out of being stuck in this weird numb pit.