Have I done the right thing? (aspergers)

[Swiddle]

I saw the GP today, to get a referral for ds1 (AS, 9) for some sort of counselling / therapy to address his anxiety, meltdowns, unhappiness, feelings of difference, etc.
When I mentioned to ds why we were going, he said "but I'm fine" and "I don't feel that way".
I saw the GP on my own to explain things, then called ds in from the waiting room so that the GP could explain the next steps, i.e. trying to find someone with good suggestions for when things get too much for him.
Ds just seemed so mortified by the whole thing. It was the first time I've seen him embarrassed.
I'm now thinking that I should leave the whole thing be, and just let him muddle along, rather than have his head picked over by the professionals. He is so self aware and astute about his difficulties, it just seemed doubly painful to have them discussed.
We're being referred to the local child mental health team for a family appointment, followed by counselling.
Has anyone gone down this route?
Do you think it would be worthwhile to pursue it?

Dd3 used to be dead set against any kind of appointments to do with her quirks, We were referred to CAMHS a while ago and she has been much better with the people there, they are really good with her and talk to her about the way things can be upsetting.

She is happy to go and has looked forward to her one to one sessions with the mental health nurse.

If you get a good team then it could be really helpful for your Ds, he might overcome his embarressment if they talk to him in a knowledgable way iyswim.

Good luck and hope you don't have to wait to long.

Ineedalife has hit the nail on the head. If you get a good team it could be helpful.
We did the same thing. The family counselling was rubbish. However the school ASD specialist has helped him no end.
All you can do is turn up and see how you feel about it at the time.

Many thanks for this - I guess time will tell....

Hello Swiddle,

We were referred to CAMHS too. I agree with the previous posters that it can be a lottery, I hope you're are one of the lucky ones and get a good team. The person we saw was so out of her depth.....

Is there an ASD club or a SEN club near you?

My son (AS,10), like yours, was/is incredibly aware of his difficulties and differences. In the last couple years we have discovered a SEN club and an ASD club: Ds seemed to fit right in. The anxieties, the feelings of difference all seemed to dissipate in an atmosphere where social constrictions and etiquettes are removed or not applicable and our children are understood by peers and adults alike. He (ds) is now more confident and starting to venture out a bit more and he is now joining other types of clubs.

Mine got his dx at 9nas well. We both saw it as a key to unlocking some of the difficulties and issues he had, a way of plotting the logical sequences of things.
It helped enormously that we were no longer just muddling along, things got a lot trickier for him between 10 and 13, then steadily improved.
Without the discussion and unpicking of what was actually happening, I doubt that we'd have had the upturn.

DS life was so ruled by his anxieties that I put it in terms of getting him some help to deal with his "scares" as he called them.

As we got further down the process I explained that the reason there were so many things he was scared of was because he had ASD and that we were continuing with the help.

He also found attending an ASD support group helpful for a short while.