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I’m so tired of seeing therapists tell other therapists to refer out all the time. Do y’all not know how hard it is for clients to find therapists? We don’t have to specialize in every single thing a client is coming in with.
Too often I see a therapist looking for resources on a diagnosis or topic, and the comments are filled with “refer out” or a link to some training or consultant that requires money they likely don’t have.
We don’t need specialized training on everything in order to work with it. We can’t *afford* specialized training on everything. Humans are complex, with multifaceted struggles, and access to care is often limited by things like insurance and location.
So while, yes, ideally people would have access to a therapist who has the exact experience and specialization needed for all of their struggles....it’s often not possible. There are a lot of good therapists who could do good work if we could just connect them with resources.
And no, I’m not saying therapists should just see whoever—practice in your scope, obviously. But also, just because we don’t have specific experience or training on something doesn’t mean we have to abandon that client. You can learn.
If there is someone you can refer to who has openings, who they can afford, and who is a good fit—by all means go for it. But let’s not contribute to how hard it is to get care by recommending people be referred the second they bring something up you don’t specialize in.
And let’s encourage therapists to ask for help and resources so that they can better serve the people they work with, and so we can have even more therapists who are knowledgeable in that thing.
Cause honestly if I had to find a therapist who has training/specialization in every single thing *I* struggle with? I wouldn’t have a therapist. 
Also, it’s disheartening to see this as a new therapist. I don’t have a lot of experience yet, and I don’t have the money to spend on trainings and consultants, so it feels like I’m just supposed to refer everyone based on these posts I see. It’s not helpful. 
