How to get difficult child to understand what I am trying to get through to him

FlowerGarden

Active Member
difficult child is going to a psychiatrist for his drug abuse and bipolar condition. He is now taking medications for the drug abuse and bipolar. I have been trying to get him to go to a drug counselor. So far, he has not been able to find one that will take someone on medications other than a therapist that didn't know much about drug abuse. difficult child has been doing very well over the past few months with staying away from drugs and becoming more of a easy child.

He does have an issue with spending money like crazy, which is a part of bipolar. I cannot get him to understand that he needs therapy for that as well. He keeps coming out with remarks like...what is the therapist going to do, take my money and bank it? I tried to explain it is a behavioral issue that the therapist can help him work on. difficult child hears "behavioral" and thinks of behavioral as raging, etc.

He also thinks a drug counselor wouldn't be able to help with anything but drugs. How do I explain it in difficult child terms?
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
You're the MOM. He needs another trusted adult in his life who can help him learn to become more mature, balanced, and "successful" (not as in "rich", but as in, independent/self-sufficient/etc.) It's not about help for specific "problems", it's about developing another, outside source of help. The two of them can then figure out what to work on.
 

exhausted

Active Member
To me its about another line of support. I would recommend he look for a psychologist-they tend to have better backgrounds in behavioral models of therapy-CBT, DBT etc.. Maybe finding someone with good background in bipolar and then using a 12 step support group for staying clean might work?
 

keista

New Member
Saturday nights on CNBC there's a show called "Til Debt Do us Part" there was also a spinoff called "The Princess" It's a reality show with a financial guru showing couples (sometimes single folks) how to set up budgets and stop spending and get financial reality checks. It's very eye opening. Start watching and invite difficult child to watch with you. If he won't actively watch, record the shows and have them on in the background whenever he's around.

You can also have him visit a credit counselor to learn about finances. When a credit counselor tells him to find a therapist to figure out why he spends so recklessly, then maybe it will sink in that a therapist CAN help with such issues.
 
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