You and your therapist have a good relationship. You’ve been seeing each other for a while, and you feel a certain amount of safety when you’re in therapy. One session, your therapist asks you if you have ever considered medication. Your jaw drops. You? Medication? Why are they saying that? What are they seeing?
I obviously do not speak for all therapists, so let me tell you what would make me suggest medication to a client. Typically, I have four criteria that I like to have met before I make this suggestion. These are: 1) Prolonged symptoms which have outlasted a particular event, 2) the symptoms are symptoms that have historically been challenging, 3) there is a family history of a problem, 4) the severity of the symptoms are such that they are impacting daily life in extremely noticeable ways.
I am neither a physician nor a nurse. However, I have been working with clients for a very long time and feel fairly confident in knowing when symptoms are related to situational distress, or are more of a pattern that points to a more biological genesis. When I make this suggestion, it is so that you and I can talk more about it. I want to explore this with you. Talk through what your feelings about it are. What are your fears? What have your experiences been in the past?
If you agree that this is a direction that you would like to explore, the next step is working together to find a provider who is a good fit for you and the areas in which you are struggling. We don’t stop therapy! We keep meeting. We talk through the anxieties that come with making this decision and we work on whether or not any side effects you are having are bearable. I’m on your side- always!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Beth Garrett is a mother of three children and a clinical social worker at Partners for Behavioral Health & Wellness. She has been working with Cleveland area children and families for 25 years. She loves helping parents understand their children better, and helping all people understand themselves better.
Contact Info:
Elizabeth Garrett MSSA, LISW-S
egarrett@bhwpartners.com
24800 Highpoint Rd.
Beachwood, OH. 44122
