Counsellor

[br0wnd0g23]

Hi. Does anyone have any recommendations for a counsellor for anxiety in chiang mai please. This will.be for a western woman, so she would preferably be looking for an English speaking woman counsellor. She has been to one before and unfortunately it was, here have some pills, by bye. Any information would be great. Thanks

Edited February 8, 2016 by br0wnd0g23

[NancyL]

Well, did she take the prescribed medication, for an appropriate period to see if it helped? Today's psychiatric medications can often be quite helpful, especially when combined with talk therapy.

There is an English-speaking female psychiatrist, Dr. Kittiwan, who has clinic hours on Thursdays at Suan Prung hospital. That's the hospital outside the SW corner of the old city, across from the big park. Arrive at the hospital at 8 am and ask to go to the outpatient clinic where you can get a queue number to see her that morning.

[cyberfarang]

Well, did she take the prescribed medication, for an appropriate period to see if it helped? Today's psychiatric medications can often be quite helpful, especially when combined with talk therapy.

There is an English-speaking female psychiatrist, Dr. Kittiwan, who has clinic hours on Thursdays at Suan Prung hospital. That's the hospital outside the SW corner of the old city, across from the big park. Arrive at the hospital at 8 am and ask to go to the outpatient clinic where you can get a queue number to see her that morning.

Hoping you`ll agree with me just this one time without putting me down. You run a social club and have experience of these things. I think the best form of therapy for people that are suffering from emotional traumas, anxieties or loneliness is other people that are understanding and will listen. In the past I have been lucky to had good friends that have been there for me in times of when I went through a shitty divorce, a close family member died and just the pressures of life and have got me through them.

I can remember once sitting with a friend in a pub moaning to each other about our problems and putting the world to rights. But if I was a counsellor or a quack, this would be my prescription. In America they run anxiety groups where several people meet in a room and get it all out their systems and support each other, something that goes over and above normal counseling. Shame they don`t have anything like that here.

[br0wnd0g23]

Thanks both. Yes pills she tried for a while. Didn't seem to work for her, there are different doses and types , so not sure why. Like I said the Dr just wasn't on any similar wave length, so bot appropriate. We have heard of Dr kittiwan, so we think this might be an appropriate route for her to go down. And regards to chatting with all and whoever I very much agree. Think she will try the Dr and see how it goes from there. Again thanks for the replies on a delicate subject, so appreciate it.

[bangmai]

Shall we have a contest to see who can identify her TVF name?

[Chicog]

It's not me.

[buddhalady]

I tend to agree with Cyberfarang on this one – a close friend of mine, sadly now long deceased, was a qualified, very experienced counsellor and strongly felt that the support of real friends in times of trauma was often far more help than anything she could give. She was also very cagey about a number of modern medications as she felt that addiction could easily occur, as could withdrawal problems. She was keen on St John’s Wort for depression long before studies proved the herb to be more effective than Prozac and less likely to cause problems for those suffering from depression, however caused.

Anxiety groups sound like a very good idea, perhaps such would be useful here. Personally, as regards counselling, I’d have reservations about the possible effects of the cultural differentials between the West and Thailand.

Browndog – I wish your friend well.

[Konini]

Thanks both. Yes pills she tried for a while. Didn't seem to work for her, there are different doses and types , so not sure why. Like I said the Dr just wasn't on any similar wave length, so bot appropriate. We have heard of Dr kittiwan, so we think this might be an appropriate route for her to go down. And regards to chatting with all and whoever I very much agree. Think she will try the Dr and see how it goes from there. Again thanks for the replies on a delicate subject, so appreciate it.

Did she give the happy pills long enough to do whatever magic it says on the box? It took my sister almost a year to find the right one, I think she said that it takes 6 weeks for them to show themselves as being effective or not, increase the dose and wait another 6 weeks (it may have been 8 weeks, I can't remember) and some had to be started off slowly and not taken every day until your body (or head) gets used to them.

I really wish that more money would be put into research of mental illness, what with the numbers of people taking medication to live normally and the human cost of those living in utter misery and suicides, there would surely be good money to be made if more were known.

(What happened to Prozac? I remember 30 years ago seeing on TV news reports that it was being hailed as the saviour of humanity, but (I'm assuming) it was a flop or maybe recalled for being not good for human consumption as I never hear or read anything about it now).

[NancyL]

Well, did she take the prescribed medication, for an appropriate period to see if it helped? Today's psychiatric medications can often be quite helpful, especially when combined with talk therapy.

There is an English-speaking female psychiatrist, Dr. Kittiwan, who has clinic hours on Thursdays at Suan Prung hospital. That's the hospital outside the SW corner of the old city, across from the big park. Arrive at the hospital at 8 am and ask to go to the outpatient clinic where you can get a queue number to see her that morning.

Hoping you`ll agree with me just this one time without putting me down. You run a social club and have experience of these things. I think the best form of therapy for people that are suffering from emotional traumas, anxieties or loneliness is other people that are understanding and will listen. In the past I have been lucky to had good friends that have been there for me in times of when I went through a shitty divorce, a close family member died and just the pressures of life and have got me through them.

I can remember once sitting with a friend in a pub moaning to each other about our problems and putting the world to rights. But if I was a counsellor or a quack, this would be my prescription. In America they run anxiety groups where several people meet in a room and get it all out their systems and support each other, something that goes over and above normal counseling. Shame they don`t have anything like that here.

The OP asked about a therapist, specifically a female therapist and I answered the question by providing the name of a licensed, qualified professional who has a good reputation for treating many English-speaking people AND she has the ability to prescribe modern medicines, which often can be valuable in treating mental illness. As Konini said, it often can take 6-8 weeks before the effects of a medication are apparent and if the first one prescribed isn't appropriate, then the doctor has other options to prescribe. Meanwhile, the patient and doctor should be engaging in regular talk therapy to work to resolve the issues, also. One or two visits isn't going to fix the problem.

You're right about the importance of having a good social network to help get through times of trauma. That's one reason the CM Expats Club encourages newcomers to get involved with their many Outside Group Activities or clubs-within-a-club http://www.chiangmaiexpatsclub.com/activities/ so they have a social network in place BEFORE they have a need for support. A couple that the OP's friend may wish to check out are EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and Positive Ageing. However, the people who run these groups aren't licensed counsellors, which is what the OP was requesting. But, I do know people who say they've found the activities of these groups to be valuable. For example, one lady said she was finally able to "get her ex-husband out of her head" from the tapping exercises of the EFT group.

[fey]

did they give you aspirin?

[br0wnd0g23]

Nancy. Thanks, Dr kittiwan seems very good. Nice lady and seems to know what she is talking about. She has also a couple of colleagues that also seemed very good. So fingers crossed she can get to the bottom of it all and go from there. We will also look at these clubs and activities and see what they offer. Thanks again for all the replies

[Rotagivan]

I've seen Dr Kittiwan about ten times. The medication she prescribed improved my life so much.

 

She can be a bit quick. "Ok I will prescribe X, that's it". Most visits were 2-5 min and for that I payed 300 every time. 

 

She told me that fluvoxamine, a common anti depressant, cannot be bought in a pharmacy (which it can) "because it is an anti depressant". 

 

She also answered no when I asked her if there is a tolerance build up to Quetiapin/Seroquel, which there is. 

Edited April 21, 2017 by Rotagivan

[Trujillo]

Speaking of which, where does one go for rehab? Alcohol, specifically. 

I know a few people who might be interested. 

Real information appreciated. 

 

 

[Dante99]

15 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Speaking of which, where does one go for rehab? Alcohol, specifically. 

I know a few people who might be interested. 

Real information appreciated. 

 

 

Alcoholics Anonymous, they are real.

[dundas]

I think modern medications can work very well, but from what I've seen they're not for everyone. In the case of one person I'm thinking of, they complained about the effects of the drugs and how that impacted on their work. In the end they solved the problem themselves -- they moved to a new work location and that changed everything, not that I am suggesting that as a solution for the OP! 

At the time I couldn't help but wonder if a sympathetic ear in addition to the prescription of drugs might have resulted in way better outcomes. 

[Puwa]

Your friend would be best off being evaluated back in her home country. She needs someone who can fully comprehend her condition. Any medication can be continued here easily if required. 

 

It's premature to suggest specific therapies without a diagnosis. Depression? Chemical imbalance? PTSD? Hormonal? And it's probably not a good idea to accept a prescription if the doctor hasn't made a diagnosis. Thai psychologists push Prozac like Halloween candy, partly because they don't do CBT, or what we know in general as psychotherapy or talk therapy, not for Thais and not for westerners. Instead, they do 10-minute prescription renewals. 

 

 

[Tombellrpcv]

Golden Leaf Counseling in Chiang Mai  is legit. She has a MS from Johns Hopkins so is Western trained and prices are reasonable. She is an American citizen but was born in Thailand so is bi-lingual as well.