Hello All,
Pretty down lately and I’ve heard this term mentioned, but have no idea how to locate a psychologist who focuses on diabetes distress (ideally someone who treats remotely). Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks, Joanne
Hi Joanne,
Welcome! My name is Joanna so we share a similar name. I am a T1D mom of a 13 year old son. I am relatively new to the T1D roller coaster as our “di-versary” will be April 8th. While I don’t know any specific names that treat diabetes distress, I can certainly relate to the mental strain created by T1D. I think reaching out on this forum is a great place to start. Just having someone to talk to who can relate has been a great help for me! JDRF and The Diabetes Research Foundation both offer several support groups that meet via zoom so you might want to try checking their websites. Another suggestion I would have would be to ask your endocrinologist if they could give you some names of people who focus on diabetes distress. I try to think positive and encourage my son, and reassure him…but I have to admit sometimes it gets hard to do when inside I’m screaming how much I hate his faulty pancreas, or kicking myself for allowing him that sweet treat that shot his BG over 300, or being overwhelmed by the fear of this pandemic every time I take him to school (a.k.a. Germ Central)…sometimes it gets really hard to stay positive, and when that happens I take a few deep breaths, and remember my son needs me to be strong. I know he is learning how to cope largely by watching me. Sometimes it helps just to stop thinking about diabetes and focus on something else besides the numbers on his CGM. I came up with this idea on his “We survived 6 Months Day”…my son loves outdoorsy stuff…fishing, hunting, etc, our whole family does. We live in a rural area where we can target practice on our property, so I took some of our paper targets we use for practicing our aim. I wrote “T1D” on the target and we all took turns shooting it full of holes. Now I’m not sure what a psychologist would think of my idea, but we all had fun and for a little while got away from the numbers and needles.
I’m not sure why I included that in my reply…hopefully you got a little laugh. Hang in there and hope to hear from you again.
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I’ve been in therapy and, in my opinion, if the therapist has experience with chronic Illness and post traumatic stress disorder, then they will likely be a good candidate to help you. Looking for someone e with specific diabetes training might be difficult, but you could get lucky. My current therapist has Type1 which helps me a lot.
I vaguely recall from a T1D event that there are indeed therapists with diabetes distress training/specialization. But I don’t know how to find one.
Any therapist with a focus on treating those with serious, chronic illnesses could be sufficient, but how does one find them ?
Calling therapists randomly to ask would take forever.
Perhaps I could contact your therapist Joe-assuming he/she treats remotely ?
@Jophilly Are you in NJ? Her license is state based.
Oh I see, no I’m in Delaware (formerly Philly).
Good evening everyone,
I am just getting back into the forums and found this forum. It is of particular interest to me because I am a type 1 diabetic as well as a licensed professional counselor in NJ and PA. I have taken the training provided by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) so I can specialize in working with people with diabetes. For anyone looking for a licensed mental health professional, the ADA has a listserv of professionals that have been through their training and hopefully you can find someone that is in your state.
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Sorry to hear you are feeling that way. Have you asked your endo for a referral? Or maybe just talk to them a little, and see what they say.
Thank so much Troy ! I’ll look into this.
-Joanne
Hi Troy,
I’m a journalist really hoping to connect with people with diabetes to hear about the struggles, particularly related to the price of insulin. Is there any chance you’d be willing to talk sometime, or to connect me with someone who might be?
Thanks so much,
Alexa
Alexa,
I would be willing to discuss these topics with you as it relates to not only myself, but also my 18yo son who was diagnosed with type 1 9 years ago. However, as far as insulin goes, we have been very fortunate to not have to much trouble getting insulin with reasonable copayments. I just don’t want to waste your time.
Troy
Hi Troy,
Thank you so much for your willingness to speak. I would love to hear about your and your son’s experience, even if it doesn’t cover insulin costs. I’m new to the topic so I could use all the education I can get.
When works best for you, either this weekend or next week?
Looking forward to it,
Alexa
Alexa,
I guess my availability will depend upon what format we will use to meet.
Troy