I've been seeing a therapist for about a month now (4 sessions) with the main goal of learning to deal with panic attacks when I fly. During the sessions we've also discussed some other things, stuff which personally I don't find too major (a few behaviors my therapist said suggested mild OCD and some mild daily anxiety that comes and goes). This prompted her to suggest me seeing a psychiatrist to see if I  should be on a daily medication or if they could give me something to take as needed. At first I didn't make an appointment, but after they suggested it the second time I did.


I had the appointment with the psychiatrist this afternoon and I'm so confused now. I went in to the appointment not really knowing what to expect. I knew that since they were both in the same practice he would have notes from my therapist, so that was good. He asked me some questions, which I answered honestly, a bit more honestly than the therapist, and at one point he said I was probably going to be his easiest patient all year. And I thought great! He'll give me whatever I need and I'll be done. But then throughout the rest of the conversation, which was very light-hearted, though serious when it needed to be, he said how talk therapy wasn't going to work for me. And that the only way to get over it was to fly. I told him that pre-pandemic I flew a lot, but it only got worse.  (With the exception of my first two panic attacks, my panic attacks only happen on planes). 


He said that generally this is an issue you go to your PCP for to get a "tranquilizer" and he asked why I hadn't gone that route. And I explained how going that route was exactly how I ended up in front of him. 


The appointment ended with him advising me to take Xanax, which I already have from my PCP, though I have yet to take, and saying "Maybe I'm missing the point, in which case if I am when you come back from your trip we can start over." 



I'm just kind of at a loss. I didn't go in looking for a diagnosis, but I also didn't expect a doctor to tell me that he didn't need to see me again because it would just be a waste of money for me. 


I have a flight coming up very, very soon, and I had been starting to wonder if the therapy and the work I've been doing was even working, and now I'm wondering even more. Like are all the physical symptoms I feel in my head? Should I really be seeing a therapist?



So I ask, how did you know when therapy was working for you? Also, how did you know if your therapist was the right fit for you? Personality wise, I think it's a perfect match for me, but lately I've been wondering if my therapist is truly capable of helping me.