How to Find a Psychotherapist Who Loves Your Rainforest Mind

August 27, 2015 by Paula Prober 49 Comments

photo from Morgan Sessions, Unsplash, CC

How do you find a psychotherapist who isn’t overwhelmed by your fast talking, fast thinking, complex emotions, difficult questions and multiple sensitivities?

How do you find a psychotherapist who isn’t frightened by your uncanny ability to notice when s/he’s distracted or slightly out of whack?

How do you you find a psychotherapist who isn’t fooled by your articulate insight, your wit and your idealism; a psychotherapist who sees beneath the surface to the deep pain and shame that suffocates you?

How do you find a psychotherapist who knows the difference between giftedness and ADHD, OCD, and bipolar disorder?

How do you find a psychotherapist who can understand your long, complicated, nonlinear, out-of-the-box explanations and experiences?

How do you find a psychotherapist who is energized and not drained by your intensity and who gets your sense of humor?

How do you find a psychotherapist who’s also been a client and who knows the importance of his or her own continued self-examination?

Here’s how:

Be willing to “shop around” for a while until your intuition says “yes” unequivocally.
Look for a psychotherapist who also has a rainforest mind.
Bring this blog post and other relevant posts and articles on giftedness to a first meeting. See how the person responds to your request that s/he read up on the topic.
Check out this list of professionals around the world who specialize in giftedness, from Lisa Conrad’s blog. And this list from Noks Naut. Here’s a comprehensive database from Davidson Institute.
Know that you might need to see professionals in different modalities for a more comprehensive approach. (bodyworkers, acupuncturists, energy healers, doctors, naturopaths, herbalists, astrologers, etc.)
Look for people who are trained in depth psychology (psychodynamic, internal family systems, somatic experiencing, object relations, Jungian, EMDR, and others) and who feel that it’s important to look at your family of origin as part of the healing process.
Ask the therapist about his/her own personal counseling process and how s/he manages stress and self-care.

Know that your therapist will not be perfect. S/he will occasionally get overwhelmed and out of whack. Get lost in your long, complicated, nonlinear, out-of-the-box explanations and experiences. But, if you’re with the right person, s/he will own up to it. Admit the mistakes. And, still, won’t stop loving you and your fabulous rainforest mind.

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To my blogEEs: What suggestions do you have on how to find a good therapist? What questions do you have? I love hearing from you. Your comments benefit our whole community!

Author: Paula Prober

I'm a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice in Eugene, Oregon. I specialize in counseling gifted adults and consulting with parents of gifted children. The label "gifted" is often controversial and confusing. I use the metaphor of the rainforest to describe this population. Like the rainforest, these individuals are quite complex, highly sensitive, intense, multi-layered, and misunderstood. They're also curious, idealistic, highly intelligent, creative, perfectionistic, and they love learning. I've been an adjunct instructor at the University of Oregon and a guest presenter at Oregon State University and Pacific University. I've written articles on giftedness for the Eugene Register-Guard, the Psychotherapy Networker, and Advanced Development Journal. My first book, Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Adults and Youth, was released in June 2016 by GHF Press and is available on Amazon or at your independent bookstore. My second book, Journey Into Your Rainforest Mind: A Field Guide for Gifted Adults and Teens, Book Lovers, Overthinkers, Geeks, Sensitives, Brainiacs, Intuitives, Procrastinators, and Perfectionists, was released in June 2019.