Mental Health Professional Specialized in Scuba

[mafi]

Hi guys,

I am looking for recommendations for a Medical Health Professional for my girlfriend.

Earlier this year (January), she had a near miss on a liveaboard (Egypt) - current and waves pushing her under the boat as she tried to exit the water, triggering a full-blown panic attack.

It was a very traumatic experience for her, but she knew it would make her block even more if she would not go back, so we did 3 more dives in the following days. One of them we had to thumb early as she was growing more and more worried about climbing back to the boat, she was anxious and had tunnel vision. The second and third one went OK, she was able to finish and enjoy them.

But she is still afraid of diving from boats, even in benign conditions. Entering the water from the boat and going back gives her a lot of anxiety that takes a lot of enjoyment from her diving.

Shore diving, even in cold and murky water here in Denmark is no problem for her, though.

Any recommendations for (ideally Denmark/Europe-based) Medical Health Professional specialized in scuba or similar sport for counseling would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Martijn]

Not to be blunt, but would a normal (not specialized in scuba) therapist not be able to help with this? It's a traumatic experience, she needs to overcome, what that experience is shouldn't matter that much, therapy wise

 

[mafi]

You might be right - I have never looked into a similar issue before. I'd love to hear what others with more experience than me think, though.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I would also consider finding someone that is able to instruct her on boat safety, including getting on a boat in the water.

Knowledge is confidence

 

[Tippytoes12]

Great news that she likes shore diving. There are plenty of places to dive which don’t involve getting on and off a big boat to get her confidence back. Most of the boats in Bali and the Gilis and Sulawesi and Ambon are small and there is plenty of shore diving.

 

[Bubblesong]

The other side of this is maybe she’s CORRECT to be afraid of boat diving. If she doesn’t have the strength and skills for those types of conditions. I check the local conditions daily and only go out when they are mildest, because I have my own gear and dive in coves. I never face the financial pressure to go on boat reservation on a rough day.
Would you jump off boat if a great white Shark was circling it? No, because you can’t fight off a shark. Similarly, neither can weak SCUBA-swimmers fight off rough currents or high waves.

 

[CosbySweater]

I would also consider finding someone that is able to instruct her on boat safety, including getting on a boat in the water.

Knowledge is confidence

I second this. An instructed boat diving course with an instructor she trusts would be a great idea. I believe that the only way to overcome your fears are to confront them. A good instructor can help her confront her fears it in a safe and controlled setting while also teaching her the knowledge and skills to dive from a boat safely.

Her fear is legitimate. The boat is typically one of the most dangerous things in the water.

 

[Brett Hatch]

Folks, this isn't a "face your fears" situation, it's trauma. She's not afraid of boats, she's reminded of a traumatic experience that involved a boat. The solution to trauma is not necessarily to just jump in and do it again. I tend to concur with @Divehead -- start by looking for a local mental health professional who works with individuals with traumatic experiences. I don't think maritime or scuba expertise is really required from the therapist -- trauma is trauma.

As for the advice about training with an instructor, well, if there is really a skills or confidence deficiency, they can help to address that. If there is no skills gap, it was just a really rough day, then probably you and your girlfriend will already have learned what you needed to learn -- don't go out on a rough day.

Hope this helps, best of luck.

 

[skippy311]

I second this. An instructed boat diving course with an instructor she trusts would be a great idea. I believe that the only way to overcome your fears are to confront them. A good instructor can help her confront her fears it in a safe and controlled setting while also teaching her the knowledge and skills to dive from a boat safely.

Her fear is legitimate. The boat is typically one of the most dangerous things in the water.

That's the reason the Diver Down flag was created.

 

[CosbySweater]

Folks, this isn't a "face your fears" situation, it's trauma. She's not afraid of boats, she's reminded of a traumatic experience that involved a boat. The solution to trauma is not necessarily to just jump in and do it again. I tend to concur with @Divehead -- start by looking for a local mental health professional who works with individuals with traumatic experiences. I don't think maritime or scuba expertise is really required from the therapist -- trauma is trauma.

As for the advice about training with an instructor, well, if there is really a skills or confidence deficiency, they can help to address that. If there is no skills gap, it was just a really rough day, then probably you and your girlfriend will already have learned what you needed to learn -- don't go out on a rough day.

Hope this helps, best of luck.

Fair point. Without being disrespectful to the OP's girlfriend, addressing just the trauma is only treating the outcome of the incident - it does nothing to prevent the incident from reoccurring in the future. The traumatic experience may have been avoidable had she had additional (or more recent) training on how to board the boat in less than ideal conditions. Not all open water courses teach this skill in great detail, unfortunately, and the skill is perishable, especially in challenging conditions. Additional, focused training should help prevent it from reoccurring and should give her more confidence around the boat.