Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Setbacks,Twists and Progress

Last night was a HUGE setback. We have to set limits to monitor Bren's rituals, and showers are set for 15 minutes without discussion. We go in periodically and remind her of the time left. Last night The Hub went in and let her know that she had 10 minutes left. She yelled that she still had to shave. Fine, whatever, ten minutes. So then he goes in to let her know she has 5 min left and she starts freaking out that she hasn't washed her hair yet, and he starts asking her what she's been doing and things just don't sound right or add up so I go in and look into the shower and find her with dry hair and both hands FULL up to the elbows with soap suds. She had spent 10 minutes in the shower washing her hands. My heart split into.

Everything I'm reading says that we can't accommodate her rituals and fears and to set firm boundaries. But we're now in new territory because Bren has never ever lied or hidden anything from us. We're a very open family. And I know it is natural for teenagers to hide stuff and keep secrets, but like I said, this is new territory with her and we'll just have to adjust now that I understand that I can't rely on her being honest with me.

One good thing that happened is that we finally have our first appointment date with a behavioral therapist. We are moving forward with a treatment called EMDR. (I'll post more on this tonight)
It is frustrating though that we finally have amazing insurance only to find that most therapists do not accept insurance. Now I guess is a good time to rearrange the budget to help pay for the therapist.

Yesterday I was talking with a client at work and she mentioned that she was going to school to become a therapist. I asked her what she intends to specialize in and she said OCD and other disorders in teens. After some inquiry, I discovered that she suffered from OCD growing up. Our talk lifted my spirits as she is now a highly functioning adult and rarely has occurrence. Her last words to me were "don't worry, she'll be okay because you're being so proactive." I can only hope and pray that what we are doing is enough to ensure that she will indeed "be okay."

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