Fun facts to know before reading:
I have severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that I have been struggling with since Kindergarten.
I have been seeing my therapist, Lindsey, for a little over a year on a weekly basis.
She is revamping her website and asked me for a testimony -- anonymous, brief, and to the point. The problem is, I can't fit all that needs to be said in a short paragraph. Let me tell you how this woman helped me turn my life around.
Lindsey was recommended to me by my very best friend, Tor. Growing up I had already formed the same opinion as that of my father - therapists were for "crazy people". However, after hearing stories of Tor's sessions with Lindsey and seeing the tremendous progress and confidence that she was able to pull out of Tor, I was not only willing to give her and this whole counseling thing a chance, but by that point I was tired of living an unhealthy life that solely revolved around juggling and hiding my illness.
My first appointment was one of the most draining experiences of my entire life. The entire time I sat across from her in this little box of a room, looking into the eyes of someone who finally f***ing believed me. Not only did she believe me, but she understood the scientific reasoning behind that fact that I correlated my family's safety with a prime number.
When I moved to college, I continued to see her on a weekly basis via Skype. It was a little odd at first, but to be fair the whole seeing a therapist thing was a little odd for me. I learned to love it because I didn't have to put pants on or even leave the room. #college
In the spirit of my crippling OCD, let me give you three reasons why choosing to accept counseling by Lindsey was easily one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.
1. Lindsey doesn't try to parent me. She is solely there to help me with whatever it is that I am asking for help. If I need boy advice, I ask Lindsey. If I partied too hard over the weekend she doesn't belittle me for it, she tells me how to go about it next time so that I stay safe and happy and healthy. But the majority of the time, unless I bring it up, she stays out of my personal life. She knows her boundaries and communicates them very well to her clients; first and foremost, Lindsey is there to help me manage my OCD.
2. She is so completely unconventionally professional. Once or twice I have had to call her late at night when I couldn't pull either myself or Tor out of a panic attack. This isn't routine, and if she is busy or completing another session she will keep her professional priorities in place, but just because she remains a professional does not mean she won't go the extra mile for her clients. Also, on the other hand she has a great sense of humor that she knows when to turn on and off given the sensitivity of the situation.
3. Lastly, Lindsey holds me accountable in both the best and worst ways. If I'm not taking my medication, or busting my ass to get healthy, she will call me out on my sh*t so we can figure out what's wrong and make a plan for battle. However, when I thank her for helping me get as far as I have gotten, she reminds me that she only works as hard as I do. She has told me that if I weren't making the effort to schedule appointments and take my medication and better myself, I would be in the same place I was over a year ago. I'm turning my life around with her help and as thankful as I am for her, I also equally appreciate the independence she has given me.
