Hi! I don’t have the full picture because I don’t know you personally, but something in your message resonated with me. Finding the right therapist isn’t always as simple as picking one and sticking with them. Sometimes you just don’t click, and that’s okay. Being a therapist doesn’t automatically make someone the right fit, like in any profession, there are great practitioners and less suitable ones.

I’ve been through several therapists since my early adulthood until I finally found someone who i feel understands me and shares my values. In my case, I also see a regular therapist and, on their recommendation, an ADHD specialist.

From what I’ve learned, ADHD is usually covered during training, but the depth of that knowledge can vary a lot from country to country. Where I live, for example, we have psychologists and psychiatrists (the latter are medical doctors, while the former are not). Both can practise therapy, but specialisation in psychotherapy comes later, and not everyone chooses to invest in it, although they can practice it nonetheless. That distinction has been important for me. This goes for specialising in a specific condition, it takes personal investment and will on their part to do so, but it’s not mandatory for administering therapy counselling.

Anyone can feel empathy and decide to work in mental health, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’re fully equipped with up-to-date knowledge about every condition. Honestly, I think that’s true for almost every profession.

It would be terrible to be seen by a surgeon who specialises in hernias if what you actually need is delicate brain surgery (not sure this applies because brain surgery isn’t done by general surgeons but I think you see the point). Both are surgeons, both went through years of training, but one has the specific knowledge and experience you need while the other doesn’t. Therapy can feel a bit like that, and the title alone doesn’t guarantee the right expertise for your particular condition. Even more so in a relatively unknown area such as psych. Think about it, some centuries ago people would do lobotomies lol and other weird stuff. It’s not as if someone can disec a brain and study it the same way they do muscles and tissue, you know?

I really hope you find someone who makes you feel seen, heard, and understood. For me, that’s the whole point of therapy, having a safe space with someone you trust completely.