8 months after being referred for counselling and haven’t heard anything

Rosie21098

Active Member
#1
My doctor referred me for counselling at the end of February. He said I would hear off them directly and all correspondence would now be with them and not my doctors surgery. It’s been 8 months now and I haven’t heard anything off them.

I’m not say I have this condition (I know having some of the symptoms doesn’t always mean you have it), but reading about CPTSD really is like reading about how I feel/how I act. In general, I’m now a lot happier since I saw my GP 8 months ago, however I still suffer with flashbacks. They have definitely not gone away. And waiting so long for counselling really doesn’t help during those times either.

I know the pandemic obviously plays a part in this, but I really thought I would’ve had at least some acknowledgement off them 😕 When I’m good, I am really good. It’s just when I’m bad it’s really scary and wish I had that support I reached out for.
 

Ash600

Of dust and shadows
SF Creative
SF Supporter
#2
Hey there Rosie,

8 months is a hell of a long time to wait. Granted, there can be a waiting list to access counselling and of course this pandemic is undoubtedly throwing a spanner into the works. However in any given situation, there is a chance of getting lost in the system. Instead of waiting to hear from them, maybe let them hear from you. As a starting point, give your GP a tap and see if he can nudge someone into action. With any luck there will be some movement. I've seen and have experience of this happening before, and making a few moves yourself can on occasion prove fruitful.

Hope you manage to get some progress.
 

Rosie21098

Active Member
#4
Hey there Rosie,

8 months is a hell of a long time to wait. Granted, there can be a waiting list to access counselling and of course this pandemic is undoubtedly throwing a spanner into the works. However in any given situation, there is a chance of getting lost in the system. Instead of waiting to hear from them, maybe let them hear from you. As a starting point, give your GP a tap and see if he can nudge someone into action. With any luck there will be some movement. I've seen and have experience of this happening before, and making a few moves yourself can on occasion prove fruitful.

Hope you manage to get some progress.
Hey, thank you for your reply.

The problem is that my GP never gave me any information about the counselling, such as where it would be or the organisation running it, so there’s no way I could get in touch with them. He wasn’t very understanding and I really had to push for him to do anything for me, so I’m not particularly surprised that nothing has come of it 8 months later. Problem is that my practice is now all online and nobody will see you in person. Although I really don’t feel like going through the same process I did with my GP 8 months ago (it really was awful), I think I just need to be persistent that something is wrong and that I need support so I may just put through a form for another appointment, I guess. Not sure what more there is to do.
 

Ash600

Of dust and shadows
SF Creative
SF Supporter
#5
Sounds as if your GP is kind of old school and not really understanding, let alone empathetic with your situation. Is he the only doctor at the practice or are there any other docs you could see instead (online of course).

I was also wondering if there are any advocacy services who may be able to act on your behalf? I'm not sure if you're in the UK, but there is the organisation Mind https://www.mind.org.uk who could be able to provide assistance.

The main this is being persistant. Despite whatever issues you're going through, it can be seen as a good sign that you wish to actively do something about it. Recognising there is something wrong and having a desire to put it right is the first step and often the hardest, but it's something which you are doing. All I can say is, please don't give up.
 
#6
In the exact same situation here i also talked to a GP in February, however i’ve been waiting just a little longer.
I keep getting letters saying i’ll be seeing someone within the “next couple of months” but haven’t heard anything directly from the service :(
Its really really hard but i hope you can start talking to someone asap!!
 

Dante

Git
SF Pro
SF Supporter
#10
Have you checked they actually bothered referring you? I have a physical pain issue and the first time they said they would arrange an appointment and would be in touch, after 6 months of hearing nothing I chased them up and it turned out they hadnt bothered to make any appointment at all, they just lied to get me out the door. Its worth chasing, even if you expect it to take a while, just to remind them that they cant just forget about you, because believe me, most doctors are HAPPY to forget about anyone who wont kick up a fuss after being ignored.
 
#11
Have you checked they actually bothered referring you? I have a physical pain issue and the first time they said they would arrange an appointment and would be in touch, after 6 months of hearing nothing I chased them up and it turned out they hadnt bothered to make any appointment at all, they just lied to get me out the door. Its worth chasing, even if you expect it to take a while, just to remind them that they cant just forget about you, because believe me, most doctors are HAPPY to forget about anyone who wont kick up a fuss after being ignored.
I really wouldn’t be surprised if he never referred me. He was really rude when I was saw him. He was also the GP for my mother (who abused me). She died very suddenly, which is how I escaped the abuse. When I went to see him he thought I was upset because she had died and reminded me that I’d already had bereavement counselling so he didn’t know what else to do for me. Just spent ages looking through a book full off phone numbers saying ‘I don’t know what to do’. Even raised his eyebrows when I refused bereavement counselling and that her being dead wasn’t the problem. Told me that all the support available is for current abuse and as mine is past abuse there’s not much he can do. He phoned the place he was supposed to refer me to to ask if my abuse ‘fitted in’ and when he hung up just said he’d send off a letter to them and to get in touch with them about anything else (even though he never told me the details of the place). I just don’t think I have the energy or strength to go through trying to explain that to yet another GP and risk not being believed again.
 

Dante

Git
SF Pro
SF Supporter
#12
I know kinda how you feel, I have been trying to get doctors to care about my pain for 1 and a half years and it is really difficult to keep motivating myself, I'm still trying to get just the RESULTS of one of the tests they did at the beginning of the year, and it's got to be more difficult to motivate yourself when it involves talking about past trauma, but if you NEED help, you need to persevere.
 

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