Bad counselling session

Bad Therapy Experience? Causes and What to Do

Medically reviewed by Scientific Advisory Board — By Margarita Tartakovsky, MS on May 17, 2016

It takes courage to seek therapy. Therapy is a vulnerable act, as you entrust a stranger with your innermost thoughts and feelings. So it can be especially disappointing and distressing when you have a bad experience. It might even taint your view on the entire process and system.

“Just one bad experience can shut a person down, turn them off to a new therapist, and leave them disinterested and even disgusted by the entire mental health system,” said clinical psychologist Deborah Serani, PsyD.

But exploring your bad experience — pinpointing why it was so negative — can help. Below, clinicians reveal common reasons behind bad experiences, along with insights into navigating therapy in the future.

Common Reasons for a Bad Experience

Ethics. Every profession has bad eggs, said Serani, author of the books Living with Depression and Depression and Your Child. Therapy is no exception. According to clinical psychologist Ryan Howes, Ph.D, clinicians may behave unethically and harm their clients by: “having a sexual relationship, breaching confidentiality, extorting money, practicing outside their area of competence, giving poor advice, or responding based on their issues instead of their clients.”

Expectations. Inaccurate expectations can lead to a bad experience. For instance, if you expected therapy to be like a visit to the doctor, you might’ve been disappointed to learn that therapy requires an active role, said Howes, who practices in Pasadena, Calif. If you expected therapy to be like a friendship, you might’ve been disappointed that it’s not a reciprocal relationship; therapy is focused only on you and your issues, he said.

Howes likened therapy to personal training: “the therapist provides guidance and support, but you do the work.”

Fit. Sometimes a bad experience is the result of a bad fit between clinician and client. “Being in therapy is unlike any other kind of professional relationship in that connection between patient and therapist needs to ‘click,’” Serani said. And this connection might’ve been missing from the start, she said.

Psychologist Christina Hibbert, PsyD, also underscored that “just because someone is a ‘good therapist’ doesn’t mean they’re necessarily good for you.”

Therapy type. There are many different types of therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy, Serani said. You might’ve had a bad experience because the type of therapy wasn’t right for you. For instance, if you’re struggling with obsessive/compulsive anxiety, you may need treatment that focuses on changing behavior, not on gaining insight, she said.

Change. Sometimes, a person simply isn’t ready to change, said Jeffrey Sumber, MA, LCPC, a psychotherapist, author and teacher.

“This is perfectly reasonable and the person is not bad or wrong for stating as much to themselves and the clinician…I am a firm believer in all of us taking ‘breaks’ from treatment. ”

Therapist’s readiness. Sometimes a client is ready, but the therapist isn’t. The therapist hasn’t traversed the psychological terrain the client wants to explore, Sumber said. For instance, a client is considering leaving a career they feel stuck in, while the therapist has been avoiding his or her own disconnect with the profession, he said.

Time. “On rare occasion, I find that the timing of therapy doesn’t work for a client,” said John Duffy, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and author of The Available Parent: Expert Advice for Raising Successful, Resilient and Connected Teens and Tweens. For instance, a year ago, he worked with a young man who was swamped with his career. Just scheduling their sessions stressed him out, and he missed or canceled several. He recently came back and his work with Duffy has been productive.

Overwhelm. As clients see their problems, they might become overwhelmed and leave before they feel relief or receive answers, Howes said. With a good therapist, clients can expect both within several weeks, he said.

Unethical Experiences

According to Serani, “When you’ve been traumatized by an experience that’s supposed to be healing, it’s an enormous loss. And the field of psychotherapy takes this very seriously.”

If your bad experience sparked a serious trauma, you can file a complaint, she said. There are two ways to file a complaint, which involve leaving identifying information such as your name and address.

State level: Leave a complaint with the State Licensing Department Bureau. For instance, this is the site for New York.
Organization level: If the therapist belongs to an organization such as The American Psychological Association or the American Medical Association, file a complaint with them.

Creating A Better Experience in the Future

Explore your role. Consider how your behavior might’ve contributed to your experience. For instance, consider if you were open and clear in communicating with your therapist, Duffy said. “Consider whether you felt listened to and understood.”

Consider, too, if you were ready for therapy. “You may want it in ‘theory’ but maybe not in “practice,’” Serani said. Again, “remember that there’s no shame or blame if you aren’t ready.”

Learn about therapy. Empower yourself by learning about psychotherapy and the different types of treatments, Serani said. Doing so gives you a better grasp of what you need and where you might find a positive experience, she said.

Ask questions. “Too many clients are afraid to speak up and ask about what they’re signing up for. It’s OK, and even necessary, to ask,” said Hibbert, author of This is How We Grow. She suggested asking the therapist questions about everything from their background and experience in dealing with your issue to how they work and what they expect from you.

Talk about your bad experience. All the clinicians stressed the importance of sharing your experiences with your next therapist. Sumber asks every client about what went right and wrong. “This has been an excellent guide for me in offering a different experience for clients than what they previously encountered.” For Serani, it, too, heightens her awareness to what clients want and need.

Howes suggested clients and clinicians collaborate on a plan for navigating the same issues, if they arise.

Duffy suggested talking about your role. For instance, if you didn’t communicate well, letting your therapist know helps them (and you) hold you accountable in changing your ways.

“I often find that, if you relate a certain way with a therapist, you may well act in a similar, perhaps non-productive manner in other relationships. Attention to this issue can shift from a problem to a therapy issue that can be managed.”

Request a treatment plan. A treatment plan gives clients “a bird’s-eye view of what will be happening over the course of time, what skills will be learned, what goals are going to be achieved,” Serani said. This creates a more positive experience.

Try a trial run. “I encourage clients to tell their new therapist that they would like to try them out for three to six sessions to see if there is a better rapport and whether they feel safe and simultaneously challenged in the new relationship,” Sumber said.

Discuss concerns. Because many bad experiences happen because of miscommunication and misunderstanding, Howes suggested having a direct conversation about any issue.

He shared this example: “In our last session you said something I didn’t understand (or sounded hurtful, or confused me, or didn’t sit well with me), could we talk about that?” Confronting your therapist also helps you become comfortable with confronting other people in your life, he said.

(Howes noted that if talking to your therapist doesn’t resolve the issue, consider talking to their supervisor, if they have one. If this doesn’t work either, it might be time to try a new therapist. )

Reflect on therapy. Journaling or using apps to examine how therapy is going deepens your awareness of the experience, Serani said. If concerns come up, again, raise them with your therapist. “In this way, you can be proactive about your therapy, catching experiences before they become bad or negative.”

It’s understandable how a bad experience may completely turn you off from therapy. But clinicians stressed the importance of keeping an open mind and not letting one negative experience poison your feelings about the entire process.

“Therapy works, and can be effective for most anybody,” Duffy said. Even if it didn’t help with one issue — such as saving your marriage, it may help with others, such as treating your depression, Hibbert said.

“[B]ad experiences are the exception, not the rule, and most people enter this profession with a genuine desire to help people, not to do harm,” Howes said.

What to Do With Bad Therapy — The Counseling Hub

Sooo….

You decided that you were going to do it. You were going to go out on a limb and try this therapy thing that everyone has been saying is so great. It might be a little strange during the first session with your therapist taking an active lead and asking what seem like random questions. But this is normal, right? Well, mostly, yes.

But what if it wasn’t? How would you know that your session was bad?

It might be shocking to read (and hard to admit), but there are some therapists that won’t be a good fit for you or the right counselor for what you need. There might even be some therapist who you think do “bad therapy!”

(*cue the audience’s gasps of outrage and terror*)

What exactly is “bad therapy”?

In order to know what to do about bad therapy, you must first recognize what it is. Realizing that you’re having bad therapy can be obvious, as in your counselor tells you what you should or should not do; or it can be as subtle, as in you continuously leaving the office feeling kind of icky and like you were judged. Occasionally leaving worse than when you came is sort of standard (i.e. some sessions are hard and leave you with more questions), but you should never feel judged by your therapist and you should not consistently be leaving feeling worse.

Recognizing that you’re not getting the most out of your session might be a horrible feeling. We know how hard it was to seek help and that it can be humiliating and defeating to get your hopes up for some good therapy and then have it turn out poorly.

How else might you recognize “bad therapy,” you ask? Easy. Here are some ways to recognize if you’re having bad therapy.

1. Your therapist told you how you should feel about your situation. You are in control of how you feel. Your therapist shouldn’t tell you how to feel about a situation. Instead, they should ask you to go “deeper” in that emotion. In other words, allow you to have that emotion and explore why it’s there. If your therapist is telling you how to feel, then you may be experiencing bad therapy.

Therapist: “No, you shouldn’t feel bad! You tried your best/you were right/maybe they didn’t mean what they said?” <- WRONG

2. You may be having bad therapy if your therapist is not listening to what you have to say. This may look like your therapist interrupting you when you speak, or it may take the form of the therapist being totally off base over and over. Not feeling heard is a terrible feeling and therapists are trained to be good listeners. Also, you may not be feeling heard if you are leaving session feeling like you were misunderstood, frustrated, or shamed.

You: Talking about your dog suddenly dying in the past week.

Therapist: “Well, at least you have a cat, still!” Or, “I’m sure your dog wouldn’t want you to be upset. Why don’t we go back to talking about why you came in for counseling in the first place?”

You came into therapy (hopefully) to explore your life and become a better you. I don’t know about you, but I would not be able to focus on myself if I just lost my cat or dog. Instead, your therapist should let you explore why you’re sad and how much your pet means to you.

3. You may be having bad therapy if your therapist is telling you what you should do. Giving advice is not your therapist’s job. Their job is to listen, build a relationship with you, help you understand yourself and your situation enough so that you can figure out the perfect decision (or options) for you, and then support you in deciding what do to. As we have said before, your therapist is not your friend who says whatever they feel like.

Therapist: “You should just break up with him. He sounds like a douchebag.” #IfIHadEightEyesTheyWouldAllBeRolling

4. You leave more often than not thinking to yourself, “What did I get out of this?” If you feel like you get nowhere in your sessions, you may be having a case of bad therapitis. Now, you may not feel like you have made enormous amounts of progress in every session, but you shouldn’t feel like you wasted your time on a consistent basis. Your time in therapy should be reflective and thought provoking (more often than not).

Therapist: “We really covered a lot of ground, Stanley the Manley! Same time next week, chump – I mean, champ?!”
You: “Uh, sure.” (thinking in your head: “What ground did we cover?!”)

5. You feel really distant and disconnected from your therapist after more than a handful of sessions. If you’ve been seeing your therapist for a month or so and you still don’t feel connected to your therapist, you’re probably having bad therapy. Again, therapists are trained to build rapport. Sometimes, we’re just not the right fit (and now I bet you’re wondering how to tell if a therapist is a good fit), but other times, if you feel uncomfortable, distant, or disconnected, you might be having bad therapy.

When do these situations happen?

Keep in mind that any of these situations can happen at any point of the therapy process. But if any of these situations are happening to you consistently, we’re sorry. That really stinks. We love good therapy and do our best to make sure that we’re doing the best we can, but we also recognize that some counselor-client fits are better than others.

What do I do when it does go bad?

Therapy can be the most enlightening and empowering experience you’ve ever known, but it can also be a flop. Before you completely give up hope on your therapist, there are some things you can do to try and improve the relationship without quitting cold turkey (although there are times when quitting cold turkey is the right move).

Reflect

It might be helpful to set aside some time to think about what went wrong. Reflect on questions or feelings you had during and after the session. Were you not feeling heard? Was your therapist not interesting? Did they remind you of someone you didn’t like? Were they too pushy? Many things can lead to an unpleasant experience, unfortunately. It’s important to understand why you didn’t have a good experience. If you understand what went wrong, then maybe you and your therapist can do something to fix it.

Ask questions

If you are new to therapy (or returning from taking a break) then you may have many questions. It may feel like the way your therapist interacts with you is indifferent or strange. It maybe helpful to ask questions about the therapy process. Clarifying what is happening and the purpose may make the process feel less anxiety provoking and strange. It may normalize your experience and realign your expectations. Some questions could include what is the purpose of your (therapist) questions? Why are we not talking about what I want to talk about in the intake? Is it wrong to joke during session?

Give it some time

Give therapy three sessions (at least) before you make a decision to stop or continue. Therapy’s foundation is built upon a relationship. Although the therapeutic relationship is unlike any other relationship, there is one common thing between the therapeutic relationship and all others: time for the relationship to develop. Allowing your therapist time to get to know you will also allow the relationship to deepen. Maybe the feeling of dissatisfaction is because your and your therapist have not had enough time to get to know each other. Also, therapy is not an over-night process. Sometimes we want things fixed right away (I mean all the time!) but it may take a while for you to see or feel the results. Hang with it, it will work.

Allow for mistakes

Your therapist attempts to understand you and your whole life in a matter of an hour each time you see them. There are bound to be misunderstandings and mistakes. Therapists are human and make mistakes too. If your therapist makes a mistake, give them the chance to apologize. If they are unaware of a mistake they made, then you may have to let them know. Mistakes occur in all relationships including the therapeutic one. When you clarify the mistake, this allows your therapist to know you want to keep working! It also gives you the chance to feel better about working with your therapist.

Negotiate the relationship

Sometimes therapy is not what you expected. When you enter therapy it’s for you- not what the therapist wants. If your therapist is not structuring the therapy sessions the way that feels most beneficial, you may want to negotiate how to spend the time. For instance, if your therapist spends a lot of time talking about how you felt as a child and you think that the here-and-now is more important. You may need to tell them that your childhood experiences don’t feel so important and you would like to spend the time talking about what is happening right now. Again, the therapy is for you. You are putting in the hard work and no one knows you better than you.

Talk to your therapist.

One common factor in all these hints is that you have to talk to your therapist. Talking to your therapist sounds obvious, right? But it can be very uncomfortable to say that you are not happy with their service. Therapy is supposed to be a time where you can be completely open and honest with yourself. It’s hard to be open and honest if you are uncomfortable with the other person in the room. There may be many barriers as to why you don’t want to talk to your therapist about your bad experience. Maybe you want them to like you. Maybe you are worried they will be angry at you. Perhaps you think that they should already know. You may not even be able to say what it is that is dissatisfying about the encounters. Whatever it is, you need to communicate that with your therapist. The reality is, although your therapist may feel like a mind-reader at times, they can’t read your mind. If your therapist is unaware that you’re not getting the most of your session, they can’t help you fix it. Tell your therapist that you need to check in with them to let them know how therapy is going.

Time to find something different

If you have taken these steps and you are still not feelin’ it, it may be time to find something different. Ask your therapist for a referral. Different clinicians are trained differently. Not only are different clinicians trained differently, there are hundreds of different theoretical orientations clinicians can choose to operate from. It is good to keep in mind that just because one therapist does therapy one way doesn’t mean that all therapy will be the same. What is important for you to do when trying to work with someone else is tell your new therapist what you did and didn’t like about your last therapist. This will let your new therapist know how they can best help you.

In summary, there are many things you can do if your therapy sessions are not going how you’d hoped. Spending time reflecting and talking to your therapist are going to be the most helpful. As in any relationship, time and forgiveness of mistakes are needed in order to build a solid foundation. If you and your therapist have tried these suggestions, then maybe it’s time to consider terminating the sessions. But don’t stop there! Ask your therapist for referrals. Not all therapy will look or sound the same. You are worth continuing your road to self-healing.

Molly Lyons- Intern

Molly is currently in her final year of the Master of Science in Clinical Counseling at Central Methodist University (CMU) and is a student intern at The Counseling Hub and Boone County Mental Health Coalition, where she will assess and provide mental health interventions and resources for individuals and groups in Boone County schools. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in General Psychology with a minor in Child Development from Central Methodist University directly before enrolling in the counseling program. Prior to pursuing her counseling degree, Molly received an Associates of Science in Early Childhood Education from Moberly Area Community College.

Molly has experience in the Counseling Center at MACC's Columbia campus, providing counseling services for students around the topics of identity crises, school-related stressors, depression issues, and coping with anxiety. Molly has co-facilitated Safe Zone trainings which introduce its members to the LGBTQ+ community terminology and basic information. Molly has also completed on online course in LGBTQ+ Counseling Competencies (College and Career Readiness) through the American Counseling Association (ACA). Molly is an active member of both the ACA and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD).

Molly enjoys working with diverse populations and seeks to always be open to new learning experiences. She works best with individuals who are trying to discover who they are and how they relate to their world, as well as others in their world. Molly believes that a person’s external factors can provide both barriers and resources towards growth and that one must discover these in order to thrive.

what parents need to know about her?

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How to raise a child?

"Bad company": what parents need to know about it?

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teenager

With the onset of adolescence, many parents are faced with the fact that they cannot understand why the behavior of their son or daughter has changed so dramatically. The door closed to the room, silence or rudeness in communication with elders, bad grades, walks until night and the smell of alcohol - unfortunately, many teenagers begin to grow up with this. “The child seems to be in bad company. How could this happen and what to do? ”, - with such questions, parents come to a meeting with a psychologist. “I am a parent” decided to dot the “i” and figure out why children go to the so-called “bad” company.

How can you tell if a child is in "bad company"?

First you need to determine which company should be considered bad. If your child's new friends walk around in ripped jeans, play the guitar in the yard until night and shock others with tunnels in their ears, this does not mean at all that they are “bad”. In adolescence, many children want to stand out, and this should not be afraid. The more you forbid a teenager, and the worse you speak about his friends, the more likely that he will actually contact dangerous people.

It is worth sounding the alarm when a teenager refuses to introduce you to his friends and invite them home, does not spend the night at home, returns with the smell of alcohol or signs of beatings; if things disappear from the house, and absenteeism begins at school; if the child becomes withdrawn and stops telling you about how his day went; if he starts lying. Unfortunately, these are all warning signs that parents should suspect that the child is in "bad company. "

Reasons why teenagers get into “bad company”

For adolescence, it is very important to solve two problems: to learn to live independently (freed from adult guardianship) and at the same time to find one's place in the team, the community of one's peers. In what way and in what environment the child will start solving the tasks, depends on the initial data.

The parental home or family is considered to be the initial data in living conditions. This is the foundation on which certain actions are performed or a decision is made.

The decision that "this company suits me and guys who drink beer on a bench and swear" is the result of a crack in the foundation of one's own family. It means that something went wrong and you need to dig right here.

What could have happened?

Acute lack of attention. Let's imagine a situation. A child of younger preschool age runs at mom and dad and swings a stick, and then starts hitting his parents with a stick and screaming with all his might. This behavior of the child is a clear example of the lack of attention from the parents. The father and mother cannot understand why the child threatens them, and the baby understands that this is the only way he can attract parental attention. Let him be scolded, they will shout at him in response, but attention will be received. Now imagine that the child has grown. He will not swing a stick at his parents and will begin to look for other ways to attract attention to himself. And if his internal questions and conflicts are of no interest to his parents, because “he goes to a school where he has friends, and we earn money and get very tired at work,” then the mechanism of beating parents with a stick works, which in adolescence looks like deliberate disobedience . Throw dirty socks in the middle of the room, turn on loud music, skip school and hear from your parents: “Well, how much can I tell you ...”, “Are you stupid and don’t understand the first time ...” ... Hearing this is not very flattering, but attention is received , albeit in that vein. "Bad company" is also a kind of stick with which a teenager tries to hit his parents.
Fight for your rights and point of view. Instructions, remarks and criticism that are poured out by parents with the best intentions to “educate” their child and “grow a good person out of him” do not work in adolescence. Each remark is perceived by a teenager as a restriction of his own rights, and he begins to feel worthlessness, the inability to have his own opinion and share it with his family. A similar situation also arises when a family council, which consists of a father and mother, gathers to solve the problems that have arisen, and the teenager is sent to the nursery so as not to interfere with communication with adults. Then the child is looking for another company where they will listen to him and where his opinion will be considered. Often such a company turns out to be the very “bad guys” who knock your child off the right path in life. Only the child does not understand this, it is important for him that in this company he is listened to and heard.
Resentment against a parent and desire for revenge. The meaning of bad behavior in this case can be expressed as follows: "You did me badly - let it be bad for you too!". This can happen when parents divorce, when one of the parents scolds the other in front of the child, setting him against it. Or when the parents love the younger child more. Leaving in bad company may be a response to frequent remarks or unfair punishment that the parent carried out without understanding the situation. At the same time, the teenager realizes that he is doing badly, but he does it out of spite, not fully realizing that he is harming not his parents, but first of all himself.
A shift of trouble from one sphere of life to another. Let's imagine that a teenager does not have a relationship with a girl in the class that he likes. The result may be a reluctance to go to school, poor academic performance, the development of complexes and a drop in self-esteem. External manifestations will be expressed in rude phrases: “Yes, I am stupid. Yes, I'm lazy. Yes, I'll be bad." And since in adolescence children are prone to maximalism, then being bad for them means fighting, smoking, swearing, perhaps even stealing ... And looking for support from those who are just as bad.

It turns out that the reasons why a child gets into bad company lie on the surface - parents' inattention, unwillingness to treat the child on an equal footing and respect his opinion, problems in relations with peers and internal complexes.

How to act to get a child out of bad company

First of all, you should clearly understand for yourself that no one dragged a child into bad company. This is his conscious choice, which, most likely, occurred under the influence of the reasons indicated above. Bad company is a team in which the opinion of the child is respected, he takes his place there and feels like an adult. No prohibitions and repressions that belittle the importance of such a rapidly growing personality will not help to make another conscious choice in order to get out of the already familiar social circle.

The task of parents is to turn the child "to face him". Try to see the world through the eyes of a teenager. Let your child know that he is a full member of the family.

Follow his advice if you think it is fair, and if you do not agree, express your position on an equal footing with the teenager. If a teenager sees the possibility of an alternative, understands that in his family they hear and listen to him, then his own self-esteem will grow and the need to assert himself through unseemly acts will disappear by itself.

If your teenager still got involved with the bad guys and you can't get him back into the family, then you need to act decisively. A teenager cannot be pulled out of a bad company "nowhere". Help him find an alternative to backyard gatherings: a gym, a driving school, photography courses - all this will allow him to get into a new circle of friends, where the child will also feel like "their own", but at the same time will be busy with work. Remember that if a child got into a bad company, then he could not find a good one.

If this does not help, do not be afraid to seek help from psychologists: if a teenager is seriously "sucked" by dangerous connections, if he develops addictions (alcohol, drugs, gambling - any), you cannot do without expert advice.

Vlada Vorona

Your relationship with a teenager

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who it is, what symptoms and diseases you need to make an appointment with a doctor - articles about health

A hematologist is a doctor who deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs. This specialist works with children and adults and uses both traditional and modern methods in his practice. It can successfully detect even hidden pathologies that are not manifested by severe symptoms.

Hematologist: what does he treat?

These specialists provide treatment for the following diseases:

Anemia. This pathology is characterized by a decrease in erythrocyte and hemoglobin values. Anemia is not a separate disease! This is a symptom of mycosis, pyelonephritis, tuberculosis and other dangerous conditions. It is usually accompanied by weakness, general malaise, disturbances in appetite and sleep, shortness of breath even with moderate exertion, and poor concentration
Lymphatic leukemia. This disease is malignant and is characterized by the proliferation of atypical B-lymphocytes that accumulate in the bone marrow, spleen, liver, and lymph nodes. The predisposition to pathology is inherited, and its main symptoms include an increase in lymph nodes, increased sweating, weakness and sudden weight loss. As lymphocytic leukemia develops, enlargement of the spleen and liver, anemia, dizziness, spontaneous bleeding are detected
Multiple myeloma. This pathology is malignant and is characterized by the ability of tumor cells to synthesize homogeneous immunoglobulins or their fragments. The tumor is formed mainly in the bone marrow, it can be focal, diffuse and focal-diffuse
Myeloid leukemia. This form of leukemia is characterized by the rapid division of special cells in the bone marrow and their accumulation in the blood. Usually it is diagnosed only during a clinical analysis, since often the pathology does not manifest itself in any way. In some cases, patients complain of a slight increase in body temperature, decreased immunity and general malaise. It is also possible to detect anemia and enlargement of the spleen
Lymphomas. This pathology is characterized by enlarged lymph nodes. The primary focus of the tumor usually metastasizes and spreads throughout the body. There are several forms of lymphoma that differ in symptoms and degree of malignancy

Specialists are also involved in the treatment of other diseases.

Pediatric hematologist: who is it and what does it treat?

This specialist deals with the treatment and prevention of diseases that occur in both children and adults. Working with patients under 18, he takes into account all the features of their age and development.

These doctors are referred for suspicion of various forms of anemia, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), hemorrhagic vasculitis (inflammation of microvessels), hemophilia and other congenital hereditary disorders.

Important! If blood diseases are detected at an early age, the patient should be under medical supervision for as long as possible. It is very important not only to detect pathology, but also to control it. Only in this case it is possible to ensure the correct growth and development of the child.

Help of a hematologist during pregnancy

A large number of blood diseases are inherited, for this reason it is very important to visit a doctor when planning a child and in the process of bearing a fetus. The specialist will ensure that the necessary genetic tests are carried out and determine the likelihood of developing abnormalities. It is especially important to contact a hematologist if one or both future parents have pathologies.

In addition, it is very important for a pregnant woman to monitor all blood counts, since the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to the fetus largely depends on them. A doctor's consultation is required for various deviations from the norm. It is especially important to quickly seek medical help if iron deficiency anemia is suspected. This problem is one of the most common and needs to be corrected and monitored until the very birth.

When to see a hematologist?

A doctor's consultation is required for the following signs of various disorders:

Swollen lymph nodes
Weakness and drowsiness
Increased body temperature (not due to colds and inflammatory processes)
Weight loss
Sleep disorders
Excessive sweating
Pale skin
Decreased appetite
Bruising on the body without objective causes
Dizziness

Help is required for patients who also complain of joint pain, itching, dry skin, tingling and numbness of the fingers. An appointment with a hematologist should be made with a hereditary predisposition to blood diseases and low hemoglobin, identified as part of a general diagnosis. Both therapists and gastroenterologists, neurologists and other doctors can refer to this narrow specialist.

Preparing for a consultation

No special preparation is required for a standard appointment. Some restrictions are imposed only if the patient must first pass tests.

Before testing, you must:

Try to stop drinking alcohol and smoking for a few days
Limit fluid intake (per day)
Refuse to eat (10-12 hours in advance)
Eliminate the use of drugs. If this is not possible, you should inform the doctor about what drugs are taken, on what schedule and in what dosages. This will allow you to correctly decipher the results of the diagnosis

Blood tests to be taken before the consultation

Before visiting a hematologist, you should take the following tests: This test will reveal the rate of production of red blood cells in the bone marrow

For HIV, hepatitis and other infections

For ferritin. Such a study will determine the content in the blood of a protein that stores iron in cells

Per percentage of transferrin saturation. This test detects a protein that binds to iron and distributes it throughout the body

The results of the tests will allow the specialist to quickly diagnose and prescribe the necessary treatment. Other tests will be recommended as needed.

Stages of a hematologist consultation

Conversation

It is aimed at taking an anamnesis. The patient is asked about the symptoms of the disease that have arisen. The doctor specifies the time of appearance of signs of pathologies, their intensity and other features. Also, the specialist finds out hereditary predisposition to various diseases.

Examination

The doctor evaluates the condition of the skin and mucous membranes. During the examination, such signs of disturbances in the hematopoietic system as pale skin, rashes, hematomas, cyanosis (bluish color) can be detected.

Diagnosis or additional examinations ordered

If a patient goes to a hematologist with the results of blood tests, the diagnosis can be made immediately. If studies have not been conducted, the doctor directs them. In some cases, not only laboratory, but also instrumental examinations are required. The doctor writes out directions for them.

Diagnosis

Blood diseases are characterized by a variety of manifestations that are similar to other pathological conditions. Therefore, a wide range of examination methods is used to identify them. The patient is required to take blood tests.

Also available:

Urinalysis
Coagulogram
Puncture of lymph nodes
Scintigraphy
CT and MRI (computed and magnetic resonance imaging)
Flat bone radiography
Ultrasound of the abdominal organs and lymph nodes
Bone marrow puncture, etc.

Comprehensive diagnostics makes it possible to detect even hidden pathologies that have not yet manifested themselves.

Treatment

The scheme and program of therapy are developed depending on the individual characteristics of the patient, the general current condition, the presence of concomitant diseases.

The main areas of treatment include:

Antibacterial. It is required for patients who suffer from a general decrease in immunity and are most susceptible to various infections
Transfusion. This therapy consists of transfusion of blood and its components
Support. It is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of the disease and improving the general well-being of the patient
Chemotherapy. It is prescribed for the purpose of disrupting the processes of growth and reproduction, as well as necrosis of malignant cells
Medical. Such treatment is carried out to compensate for the deficiency of various elements, correct the work of the blood coagulation system and accelerate metabolic processes
Radiation therapy. It is prescribed in combination with other manipulations to fight oncological pathologies

Doctors can also resort to hormonal treatment, bone marrow cell transplantation, and surgical interventions.

Important! As a rule, therapy is complex.

Benefits of visiting a hematologist at MEDSI

Experienced doctors. Our specialists have all the knowledge and skills necessary to treat pathologies, even in advanced cases. If necessary, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, etc. are involved in the work.
Comprehensive expert-level diagnostics. We have modern equipment to carry out any examination. Studies in the laboratory can be performed in Cito mode (urgent)
The use of modern methods of treatment of various identified diseases. This increases the patients' chances of a full recovery
The comfort of visiting a doctor. We have ensured the absence of queues and offer to sign up for a consultation at a convenient time

If you want to consult with a hematologist, just contact us in any convenient way.

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