GI Psychologists / GI therapy

[u/jacketstheclown]

My GI doctor referred me to a GI Psychologist to seek mental health support around my celiac diagnosis and all of the mental and social hurdles I’m struggling with. On the discovery call they told me it was $400 for the initial intake and then $300+ per 45 minute session after that. They recommend between 9-13 sessions and a lot of what they shared about the treatment plan sounded like something I’d really benefit from… changing your mind’s response to panic, social isolation, grief and hypnotherapy.

I’m wondering if anyone has had success with their GI psychologist? It just feels so expensive but I’m kind of at a loss and feel the average mental health care practitioner (therapist) just really doesn’t get it in the same way these gut-brain-emotion informed therapists seem to be.

[u/EnthusiasticlyWordy]

Edit: GI psychology is a real psychology field. But there is absolutely no reason a person should be paying this much for cognitive behaviorial therapy that is a widely available.

I would drop that "GI psychologist" immediately and find a counselor that takes your insurance. This seriously sounds like a scam or your GI doctor is getting a kick back for referrals.

Look for a licensed counselor or therapist that does EMDR or Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

This is a great place to start: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

[u/Ambitious-Quiet-4653]

I’ve never heard of a GI psychologist. How interesting! If you can afford it, do it.
I’ve spent a lot of time in therapy for Eating Disorders. And then I was diagnosed with Celiac. Therapists with experience with eating disorders can be very helpful with a lot of the challenges that come with celiacs also. That being said a good ED therapist is hard to find.

[u/Weary_Bell_5401]

I met with a great nutritionist who helped me learn how to eat again to gain back much needed muscle and weight. I learned about what I could about labels, navigating restaurants, cooking for family gatherings once I lear ed how to eat again..

[u/ExactSuggestion3428 → u/Weary_Bell_5401]

Agree, though I'll add you want to look for a registered dietitian! Nutritionist isn't a regulated term, which means anybody can use it, even me. I do not have any formal nutrition education beyond what is covered incidentally in bio/health sci courses. A lot of dietitians do market themselves as nutritionists, so that may be what you're talking about, but I just want to clarify since there are a lot of sketchy self-educated nutritionists giving bad advice!

[u/GameofCheese]

Is there anyway to find one that insurance will cover? (Are you in the US?)

I'm sure a lot of eating disorder psychologists could help too, simply because they understand everything that comes with meal plans, anxiety around food, needing to follow a nutritionist, etc.

ED therapists know a LOT about the physiology of the gut, and should be able to easily understand any of the medical issues you have.

Combine it with someone trained in medical stress, and you have pretty much the same help. They would understand you don't have an ED. They would just have to be able to accept you in their clinic even if you don't have an ED, and are able to bill without it.

Call the care coordinator of ED clinics in your area and find out if they help treat medical eating issues, such as celiac disease.

I think you might find someone that can care for you almost as well as a dedicated celiac one, but perhaps you can get full coverage if the one recommended to you doesn't take your insurance.

If you have the means to pay out of pocket for a specialist in celiac disease though, that might be preferable. But I do think you could get great care by a psychologist that is trained in food issues in general. There tends to be an overlap sadly, so a lot of them are probably treating celiacs already.

[u/ExactSuggestion3428]

While I don't think it's a bad idea per se, is this something you're actually struggling with? At that cost, it better be!

A celiac diagnosis is tough mentally on some level for all people, but most people manage to cope without formal mental health support from a practitioner. By this, I mean learning about the condition yourself, peer support either online or in-person from other celiacs, and support from family/friends.

For some people, there can be other things going on that make it so that informal supports are not enough. Often these are folks with pre-existing psychological issues like eating disorders, OCD etc. or people who are neurodivergent for whom a big change might be difficult. That's not to say that nobody else could benefit, but I'd say for someone who has decent mental health coming in, who has solid support systems in their life, and who has good self-efficacy, extensive therapy is likely unnecessary.

I think if you are thinking you might benefit from some therapy but not at that price, a general mental health professional should be ok as long as they are well-versed in patients with chronic illnesses/disability.

Dietitians can also be sneaky helpful. While they are not mental health experts, a lot of what many find difficult about celiac is coping with the food/diet change itself. This is especially so if you're someone coming in without a lot of cooking skills/experience or generalized food literacy. Having a dietitian come up with a plan that works with your life/skills and is appealing to you is helpful. They can also advise on technical aspects like CC management.

[u/dizzymatter96]

Can you get insurance to cover it???

[u/Fearless_Impress_842]

!!!!! that is a lotta $$$!! maybe a support group would be better?

[u/skrizzzy]

I see a GI psychologist that my GI doctor works with. It’s for my Ulcerative Colitis, not my Celiac, but I find her extremely helpful. She also recommended an app called Nerva that I think addresses a lot of what you described. I bought it but haven’t used it much because it’s not helpful for my primary concerns right now. She was able to get a discount code for me.

[u/Powerful_Answer_4288]

A clinical health psychologist who specializes in adjustment to chronic health conditions is likely also a good fit & probably easier to find!