this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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For context, I (23M) live in the United States. In Ohio. A bit concerned about privacy because of the whole Nazi problem and the fact that I live in an abusive household.

I've been working on myself a lot recently and realized that I can't do this alone anymore (or rely on Internet strangers to talk about my issues). I feel like I finally have the strength to ask for help in the real world. I've just never done this before. What's it like? Is it warm and fuzzy, or cold and analytical? (Does it feel like someone is providing care and comfort, or is it more like an emotionally detached scientist meticulously studying you and scribbling down notes while mumbling "Hmm, I see, I see" while you yap at them?) Do you start to see results right away, or are things slow at first? How much stuff is recorded in a database that other systems can look up?

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[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 37 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (9 children)

Generally speaking, it's a conversation with someone who's capable of guiding you to better choices and responses. How "warm and cuddly" that is depends on the therapist. Trying different therapists until you find someone youre truly comfortable with is part of it all.

How quickly it "starts to work" is entirely dependent on a) How honest you are, b) how open you are to outside perspectives, and c) how much baggage you've got to unpack.

As an adult, you should be fully protected by doctor-patient confidentiality and HIPAA unless youre threatening yourself or others. There are very clear benchmarks for that, but ymmv depending on location. Im not from Ohio so 🤷‍♂️

If youre on the queer or autistic/adhd spectrums, try to find someone who specializes in that. They'll know how to help you without putting you at risk.

And ALWAYS avoid free counselors. Theyre usually tied to religious charities and will steer you toward their perspectives, or put you at risk for being queer etc. Just stay away. It's like any other trade, if theyre worth it, pay them.

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Is what you’re describing CBT or…? There are so many kinds of therapy, every time I get to the “which one do I need” stage my anxiety takes over and I just have to shut the whole project down and it sits on the back burner for another set of months.

Idk im not a therapist, sorry =/

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