do you talk to your therapist about poker?

[gimmetheloot]

I used to see one all the time, but this was before poker came into my life. In all honesty, though I felt that they did help somewhat, I dont think that it has made nearly as much difference long, or short term as simply thinking things over in my own time and getting older.

[shaniac]

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on this subject, i just started seeing someone and there are definitely things i don't tell my therapist about (for me it isn't poker, that's the easy stuff). this is weird, right? or i guess normal... but the stuff i most need to talk about it is sooooo hard to verbalize, because then it's like you accept that they are issues.

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At first I was going to say "weird" because, like, the main point of going to therapy is being able to delve into the parts of your personality that are personal, private and hard to tap into. But, there's really room for only so much exploration with a therapist, so it comes slowly. I would say, then, that if you're making zero progress getting to those hard-to-verbalize needs, then the therapy isn't serving its purpose.

[ITILTEZ]

The few times I saw her last year, poker was about the only subject we spoke about. We spoke about how im responsible of myself in the table and I have no reason to get angry about poker and never take it out to any other players.

Those few hours probably kept me away from going broke last year and I have made much less enemies in the tables in last year or so, when I'm not calling anyone [censored] [censored] or telling how I hope them to catch a cancer or get hit by a truck.

[mwalsh2020]

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I'm sorry, everytime I see the word "therapist", I think of this.

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i laughed.

[Lurker.]

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i'll think about the telling the truth stuff. i feel that she'll be really judgemental specifically about poker and marijuana (i smoke occasionally, once a week approx).

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Oh for the love of God. Dude, you don't need a therapist. You just need to grow some balls. Take a decision that from now on you're not ashamed of your own life. You are who you are. Learn to be proud of yourself. Affirmative-fecking-action.

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you have no idea what you're talking about sir. you don't know what is going on with me, nor my life. do not judge whether or not i need a therapist when you have no idea what my situation is like.

[Sickboy]

How does one find/choose a therapist?

I went to one when I was younger and had problems with depression and I recall enjoying it but my parents paid for it then. I have a HMO health insurance thru bluecross but not sure if it would cover therapy.

Is it normally pretty expensive? Seems like it might be worth while once a week etc.

[Dale]

I've seen the same one since 1998 and I talk to him about poker occasionally, since I took it up about three years ago. I had a great month a couple years ago playing low stakes NL, and of course I thought I was good, but it was just before Party changed the structure to make the games deeper, and I quickly found that I wasn't, and I talked about that, too. I showed him Greenstein's book when it was new and he absolutely raved about it -- and he's not a player; he thought the psychological insight was so good.

I think guys are probably usually better off with male therapists. It's easier to tell your secrets. And if you're there, you probably need to.

[bkholdem]

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How does one find/choose a therapist?

I went to one when I was younger and had problems with depression and I recall enjoying it but my parents paid for it then. I have a HMO health insurance thru bluecross but not sure if it would cover therapy.

Is it normally pretty expensive? Seems like it might be worth while once a week etc.

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I think there is a number on the back of your card to call for mental health treatment. Many insurance plans cover like 8-12 sessions a year with the normal co-pay.

For depression why not look into antidepressants. Better living through chemistry.

[[ Porter ]]

In terms of finding a therapist...I don't have anyone who I could get a "referal" from so it would just have to be someone from my provider: bluecross....how exactly does one choose somebody.

Do you guys think it is better to get a male or female?
Do I want a psychologist?psychiatrist? Marriage and Family Therapist? WTF is the difference?

Mainly going for slight depression and just to talk about my lackluster life. Tnxs

[SNOWBALL]

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on this subject, i just started seeing someone and there are definitely things i don't tell my therapist about (for me it isn't poker, that's the easy stuff). this is weird, right? or i guess normal... but the stuff i most need to talk about it is sooooo hard to verbalize, because then it's like you accept that they are issues.



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Duck,

It's very very important for you to just get it out. Putting it off is terrible. It's hard to explain exactly why, but I can give you a general idea.

1. You might feel guilty about telling him/her later because you will be revealing that you've been dishonest and this will lead to further putting it off
2. You might not want to break the image that you've created for your therapist because you are enjoying the current dynamic, which will cause you to put it off
3. You might find yourself spending your sessions delving into various issues that are not very important. This will later require you to reveal how unimportant all your previous heaping prattle has been, and that's a significant disincentive to really be honest.

Also, patients will often start to view their therapist as kind of a friend. This will cause problems and synergize will all the above factors to badly sabotage your therapy experience.

I sincerely apologize for how badly written my explanation is. I haven't slept for more than 24 hours (finals).

Best wishes,
Jordan