r/Celiac • u/jacketstheclown • 1d ago
Discussion GI Psychologists / GI therapy
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.
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u/ExactSuggestion3428 16h ago
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.