At the recommendation of my psychiatrist treating me for ADD and depression, I went to see a therapist that she recommended. It did not go so well. Partly because I’m a very closed person that doesn’t like open up a about a bunch of stuff right toff the bat, partly because he was having me do some kind of “pretend you’re talking to your depressed side, what do you say?” junk; but, most, because he doesn’t understand the tech world, not in the least.
So how do I find a therapist that knows what the tech world is like? How do I find the one that knows at a scrum is, or a sprint, or the difference between server and desktop?
Better yet, if you’re in the Boston area and you know of one… send me their info!
Maybe see if there’s another recommended therapist from your psychiatrist? I imagine the bulk of patients he/she sees has job related depression and there is obviously a sizable community of devpresssed candidates so I’m sure you’ll find someone suitable. Good luck!
I don’t think it’s necessary. That’s like saying only a therapist who has lost a child can help a grieving parent.
If working with scrum or time management is the cause for stress/anxiety, it doesn’t matter if the therapist understands what a sprint is. He/She should be able to understand what triggers your depression/anxiety and how you can deal with it. A lot of people from different backgrounds have depression, not just developers.
I’ve seen 5 or 6 psychologists… some good… some bad… some that made me uncomfortable. It’s totally normal to ask them questions about how they work.
Try another one and hopefully you’ll find a better fit.
I agree with monkeypatching here. A tech background can be really helpful, but I don’t think it should be necessary. I believe a good therapist will ask the right questions until they understand and can help.
That being said, I’m only just a few sessions in with my first therapist. We’ve been able to get around the tech barriers so far.
I personally found https://therapists.psychologytoday.com to be very helpful, since the therapist profiles include things like specialties, treatment approach, and accepted insurance.
I toyed with this idea but ultimately I found that I was just finding excuses about why a therapist or psych wouldn’t understand where I’m coming from and that somehow my particular situation was completely different. As others have said here, a good therapist or psychiatrist can help you no matter what background they’re from because ultimately the issues are within us and not our surroundings.
I am a techie-therapist, both a software developer and a psychotherapist. I know it can be helpful for some people to have shared background, interests. But it’s not at all necessary – really the most important ingredients in the relationship are the therapist’s competentðical practice, and the quality of the relationship you and they are able to form. My own therapist was/is not a techie at all, and yet the relationship has been incredibly productive.
That said, there are a few of us therapist+developer types out there for sure!