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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 9:46:46
I was trying to figure out if asking for names of therapists people have found to be especially helpful (in my city) would be in accordance to board rules and general ethics- just because it is an internet forum, after all. I'm still a little unsure if this would be appropriate- any thoughts?
Posted by wildcardII on July 18, 2006, at 10:18:53
In reply to is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapists?, posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 9:46:46
i know that Phillipa knows of a site where some babblers have posted the docs name and rated them...babblemail her~she loves to help.
Posted by Dinah on July 18, 2006, at 11:48:44
In reply to is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapists?, posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 9:46:46
I've never seen Dr. Bob object to people asking. I also haven't seen that many helpful answers. A lot of us are spread out geographically. But perhaps Phillipa's website has something useful to you.
Posted by Phillipa on July 18, 2006, at 12:47:33
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapi, posted by Dinah on July 18, 2006, at 11:48:44
No I don't have a site for therapists. At one time I found a site rate your doctor. I still have no therapist they are hard to find insurance and all that stuff. I did go to psychology once and the advise was to interview three therapist in my area and see who might be a good fit. I really don't know where the people here find such good therapists. The one I tried here said no to exploring past issues and only wanted to give me papers to do CBT on my own. If there is a site I would google and see. But you need good insurance as not many take Medicaire like I have. Love Phillipa
Posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 14:28:01
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapi, posted by Phillipa on July 18, 2006, at 12:47:33
Thank you to all of you for your rapid responses. I've got insurance for now, so that shouldn't be an issue. But I have found it exhausting to plunder about trying to find a good therapist suited to my needs, anyway. I once was very fortunate to have a very, very good one, but unfortunately her judgement became truely questionable towards the end of her career, and then she retired and moved away anyway. I am still crushed by this experience. I've subsequently tried a few others based on referrals and internet research, but I found that impressive credentials don't seem to be good predictors of compatability or even of common sense. My doctor is wonderful, but doesn't seem to be connected to the therapy circles, and has been of limited help. I've seen sites where therapists post their profiles, but it's so hard to imagine what they are really like and if they are effective based on just that. I suppose I could become more organized and choose a few to "interview" instead of getting imediately and unquestioningly getting involved in therapy that doesn't seem to fit, and then quit just to start over. I've done that a few times over the last year. I am still unsure how to "babble mail" people or what that is all about. By the way, is the site to rate your doctor free? Are you able to share here what it is? I've already tried googeling about quality therapists and doctors several times, but the only thing I ever found was a "rate the doctor" site and it cost a fee for each doctor one asked about. It offered no rankings or suggestions. Plus, I once found a very bad doctor in a "best doctors" book- so I am leary and left wondering if one can just pay their way on to the lists or not. (Even other docters later told me this person put me on too many incompatable meds and into danger.)So, do I understand then it's ok to post the question? The reason I feel unsure is I can't decide whether or not it for any reason violates any therapist's privacy to have their name posted on the internet.
Again, thank you all so much, I greatly appreciate everyone's generous responses and suggestions.
> No I don't have a site for therapists. At one time I found a site rate your doctor. I still have no therapist they are hard to find insurance and all that stuff. I did go to psychology once and the advise was to interview three therapist in my area and see who might be a good fit. I really don't know where the people here find such good therapists. The one I tried here said no to exploring past issues and only wanted to give me papers to do CBT on my own. If there is a site I would google and see. But you need good insurance as not many take Medicaire like I have. Love Phillipa
Posted by Dinah on July 18, 2006, at 15:56:38
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapi, posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 14:28:01
It is certainly ok to ask. Psychology is the board that deals with therapy.
You can turn your babblemail on by updating your registration.
https://dr-bob.securesites.com/cgi-bin/pb/signup.pl
One of the questions is if you want Babblemail off or on. Just check on. Then your name should be blue at the top of each post, and you can Babblemail any other poster by clicking on their name (if it's also blue).
Posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 16:26:16
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapi » laima, posted by Dinah on July 18, 2006, at 15:56:38
Thanks for your response. As for babblemail, I saw that- but not being very tech savvy, I'm still a little unsure of what it exactly is. Would it mean ANYONE could send email to my email account me just by pressing on my name? Would they not easily end up learning my real email address that way? If there is a more complete explanation of babblemail, I haven't found it yet.Thanks again.
> It is certainly ok to ask. Psychology is the board that deals with therapy.
>
> You can turn your babblemail on by updating your registration.
>
> https://dr-bob.securesites.com/cgi-bin/pb/signup.pl
>
> One of the questions is if you want Babblemail off or on. Just check on. Then your name should be blue at the top of each post, and you can Babblemail any other poster by clicking on their name (if it's also blue).
Posted by Adrift on July 18, 2006, at 18:18:59
In reply to Re: about babblemail, posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 16:26:16
no, it will be delivered through this site, so only Dr Bob, who already has your address will know it. When you recieve a babblemail it will come as a babblemail from poster x on psycho-babble and vice versa, you will not get any of their personal infomation, unless you each choose to exchange it. If you want, I will send you a test one, but you will need to turn it on.
Posted by greywolf on July 18, 2006, at 20:26:26
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapi » laima, posted by Dinah on July 18, 2006, at 15:56:38
You might want to check with your local university if it has a medical college. They'll likely know some good therapists in your area, and, if you are in need of a particular specialty, they'll probably be able to give you a couple names.My OCD therapist is an experienced therapist who was brought in by the university to teach based on her reputation and expertise. I imagine that many universities probably have similar people who also have a clinical practice.
Posted by laima on July 19, 2006, at 9:30:44
In reply to Re: about babblemail, posted by Adrift on July 18, 2006, at 18:18:59
Thank you for explaining. I might turn it on later, but not now.
> no, it will be delivered through this site, so only Dr Bob, who already has your address will know it. When you recieve a babblemail it will come as a babblemail from poster x on psycho-babble and vice versa, you will not get any of their personal infomation, unless you each choose to exchange it. If you want, I will send you a test one, but you will need to turn it on.
Posted by laima on July 19, 2006, at 9:35:57
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapi, posted by greywolf on July 18, 2006, at 20:26:26
You know, I have been trying to look at university listings and such, but have found that great credentials don't necessarily mean a great compatability or even competence. It's frustrating. I don't know if asking people on the board would be very different- in terms of finding someone both good and appropriate to my issues, but I'll give it a try. Thank you.
>
> You might want to check with your local university if it has a medical college. They'll likely know some good therapists in your area, and, if you are in need of a particular specialty, they'll probably be able to give you a couple names.
>
> My OCD therapist is an experienced therapist who was brought in by the university to teach based on her reputation and expertise. I imagine that many universities probably have similar people who also have a clinical practice.
>
>
Posted by 10derHeart on July 19, 2006, at 13:32:06
In reply to Re: about babblemail, posted by laima on July 19, 2006, at 9:30:44
Adrift's explanation was great, and here's Dr. Bob's from the FAQ page:
"This site lets members send messages ("babblemail") directly to each other using just posting names. The messages are sent as email, but by the server, so the sender doesn't need to know the recipient's (and the recipient doesn't find out the sender's) email address. To give it a try, go to the babblemail form. If you want, test it out by sending a message to yourself. Babblemail is turned off by default. To turn it on, update your registration and check the "accept babblemail" box.
If someone abuses this feature, they'll be blocked from using it (and from posting). Likewise, if someone's blocked from posting, they'll be blocked from using babblemail. My plan isn't to monitor babblemail directly, but to ask recipients to contact me if they feel it's been abused. I guess if it comes to that, the usual civilityguidelines will apply. To be able to verify that specific babblemails were sent, my idea is to keep a log of who babblemails whom, when, and "fingerprints", but not actual copies, of messages."
Just FYI. :-)
Posted by laima on July 19, 2006, at 13:37:27
In reply to Re: about babblemail » laima, posted by 10derHeart on July 19, 2006, at 13:32:06
Oh, thank you. Perfect. I'll take a look.> Adrift's explanation was great, and here's Dr. Bob's from the FAQ page:
>
> "This site lets members send messages ("babblemail") directly to each other using just posting names. The messages are sent as email, but by the server, so the sender doesn't need to know the recipient's (and the recipient doesn't find out the sender's) email address. To give it a try, go to the babblemail form. If you want, test it out by sending a message to yourself. Babblemail is turned off by default. To turn it on, update your registration and check the "accept babblemail" box.
>
> If someone abuses this feature, they'll be blocked from using it (and from posting). Likewise, if someone's blocked from posting, they'll be blocked from using babblemail. My plan isn't to monitor babblemail directly, but to ask recipients to contact me if they feel it's been abused. I guess if it comes to that, the usual civilityguidelines will apply. To be able to verify that specific babblemails were sent, my idea is to keep a log of who babblemails whom, when, and "fingerprints", but not actual copies, of messages."
>
> Just FYI. :-)
>
>
Posted by Dr. Bob on July 19, 2006, at 23:20:41
In reply to is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapists?, posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 9:46:46
> I was trying to figure out if asking for names of therapists people have found to be especially helpful ... would be in accordance to board rules and general ethics
IMO, it's fine to ask for names of good therapists. It's asking for names of bad therapists that could be a problem! :-)
Bob
Posted by laima on July 20, 2006, at 9:16:59
In reply to Re: NAMES of good therapists, posted by Dr. Bob on July 19, 2006, at 23:20:41
Dr. Bob,Thank you for a definitive answer. I figured it would be common sense that asking about "bad" therapists would be an ethical problem, but just wanted to be sure if asking for any names at all-even good ones- wouldn't be a privacy blunder. I really appreciate your response. I'll see how it goes now!
> > I was trying to figure out if asking for names of therapists people have found to be especially helpful ... would be in accordance to board rules and general ethics
>
> IMO, it's fine to ask for names of good therapists. It's asking for names of bad therapists that could be a problem! :-)
>
> Bob
Posted by Jakeman on July 25, 2006, at 23:22:11
In reply to is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapists?, posted by laima on July 18, 2006, at 9:46:46
Laima,
This is a major problem. I've been there. I am amazed that within the vast reach of the internet it is still not possible get a handle on a good therapist that may meet one's needs. There are online data-bases for heart doctors, dentists, thyriod specialists, etc. Many of these sites include reviews by patients, and I don't see a problem with that, we are the consumers, it's our money.
But I've found very little substanive info for mental health providers.
You may want to check out this site:
http://www.healthcentral.com/common/frame.html?url=http://www.locateadoc.comgood luck, Jake
> I was trying to figure out if asking for names of therapists people have found to be especially helpful (in my city) would be in accordance to board rules and general ethics- just because it is an internet forum, after all. I'm still a little unsure if this would be appropriate- any thoughts?
Posted by laima on July 26, 2006, at 9:52:20
In reply to Re: is it ethical to ask for NAMES of good therapists? » laima, posted by Jakeman on July 25, 2006, at 23:22:11
Thank you, Jake. I'll take a look, even though I'm still feeling pessimistic about being able to make a good selection based on an internet profile. But I'll try to anyway.> Laima,
>
> This is a major problem. I've been there. I am amazed that within the vast reach of the internet it is still not possible get a handle on a good therapist that may meet one's needs. There are online data-bases for heart doctors, dentists, thyriod specialists, etc. Many of these sites include reviews by patients, and I don't see a problem with that, we are the consumers, it's our money.
>
> But I've found very little substanive info for mental health providers.
>
> You may want to check out this site:
> http://www.healthcentral.com/common/frame.html?url=http://www.locateadoc.com
>
> good luck, Jake
>
>
> > I was trying to figure out if asking for names of therapists people have found to be especially helpful (in my city) would be in accordance to board rules and general ethics- just because it is an internet forum, after all. I'm still a little unsure if this would be appropriate- any thoughts?
>
>
This is the end of the thread.
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