How do I find a therapist who understands issues of extremely gifted kids? Our therapist (whom we've met twice) is very nice but seemed rather overwhelmed with our son's issues, his very lopsided assessment, etc., and doesn't really seem to have a plan beyond getting my son to be able to self-monitor his anger. I read an article by Barbara Probst which seems to really pinpoint his issues--perfectionism, inflexibility, sensitivity--but she's in NYC and we're in Boston. She's willing to consult by phone but I'm not sure how that would work. Any ideas? Trying to get a portfolio together to apply to the young scholars program meanwhile . . .

What if you shared the article with your therapist and used that as a jumping off place to discuss those issues?

DS' therapist specialized in children, but not specifically in gifted kids. We found her at our local clinic. She did meet with me (alone) to get an idea of how I was seeing DS' issues, and I mentioned perfectionism, intensity and sensitivity, anxiety, and talked about how those are interrelated. We talked about how DS uses anger as a cover for anxiety.

Thanks, Cathy. I was thinking of that and may try it out.

We have found it VERY useful to have a therapist familiar with gifted kids and their characteristics. For one, they don't pathologize what can be normal gifted quirks.

There are a couple of good articles about how to find one, and how to interview them before starting on the SENG website. Webb's book (A Parents' Guide to Gifted Children) also talks about it.

Some random ideas: local gifted school (private), or referral from somebody from the gifted program at the public schools, regional gifted association or groups, local SENG group, etc.

Mam, those are great suggestions! I've followed your advice and found a list on a local gifted school website. Yes, one of the reasons I thought to look for someone knowledgeable about giftedness is that I've already had someone suggest that the fluctuation in his attention span--incredibly long for things of interest, very short for boring things, could be indicative of bipolarity, whereas I know this to be a characteristic of highly gifted kids. I don't want someone suggesting lithium for the poor kid!

This helped our family -

http://www.sengifted.org/resources/SelectingAMentalHealthProfessional.pdf

I think that there is a fair amount of overlap in some bipolar characteristics and those common in HG kids. I am glad you are finding more ways to move forward. That artcile Wyatt linked above is one of the list I mentioned.

You could still look at a book such as the Bipolar Child (Papolos). Knowing more about bipolar and HG kids might help you navigate these issues with the therapists better. For Anger issues, many people find the Explosive Child book approach useful.