How does your cpn help?

[captaincake]

I am finding having a cpn completely unhelpful. She is very nice and it's nothing personal against her. I have asked my private therapist about what she could do to help instead of hinder and he suggested she could talk to me about how I'm getting on doing my 'work' between sessions and be able to remind me of the things I have to help me when I am low. I can't even get any therapy out of them, this is why I have eventually given up and and am paying a small fortune for it privately.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what they talk to their cpn about and how they help you?

Basically I find she comes over every few weeks which I find totally useless as I find it hard to cope on a day to day basis so what is once every few weeks supposed to do? She talks about things like mindfulness and acting opposite and none of it makes any sense at all to me and it makes me feel worse. She reminds me that I can't trust anyone in the NHS. I feel very anxious about her coming over and when she has left I collapse into panicked crying and feel suicidal at the thought of coping without any help again for several weeks even though I don't find it help

I feel discharge would be the best option but I need to get off the antidepressants as I have put on over 2 stone and it's unbearable and I am very concerned about that as I haven't been on them very long and I've not even made it to stable enough to consider counting the 6 months before starting to reduce yet. I don't think I will I can't see that they are working for me.

[mypip]

hi ccaptaincake, i had a nice but not too helpful CPN, i had dreadful mornings and she told me to 'break the pattern' and plan making a nice breakfast for myself. i think she was genuine but like yourself it didn't make any sense. i was discharged because she have way to my psychology appts that were about to start. i have had a brilliant CPN, not technically so, but caring/ responsive and very experienced: if i phoned him in the early morning he would say: now have you had your breakfast? just to have one, not break a so called pattern. can your GP make a written request to the MH team to change the CPN? or can you request this from the MH team manager? good luck.

[MaccaPaccaismyNemesis]

Having worked in a cmht I think sometimes you are a better fit with some people than others. It may be that no CPN can help you if you are struggling so much day to day. It may also be that if you have a personality disorder you may struggle to connect with any CPN. I'm only guessing that is why she is suggesting mindfulness and apologies if this is incorrect.