Maybe it's better advice than you think. For that one hour take everything he gives you for advice with an open mind.. You're paying him for his advice anyways! Unless you're paying him to listen to your problems? If you fully focus on building this bridge it may be a breather from your problems

"Now, I want you to close your eyes and simultaneously try to lick your elbow and bite your ear. Faster. Faster...*giggle* OK, that will be $120 for today's session."

There are various schools within psychology. You are probably looking for someone more behavior or feedback orientated. The point of the exercise is to learn to break something down into steps. You will probably start then applying that to breaking your problems into steps and building solutions.

Well for starters, you need to specify what your issues are for them to truly help you. If you don't open up, they don't know how to help other than stereotypical methods such as that. Then last, you need to find a psychiatrist who you feel like you can talk to and remember that therapy takes time. Start out by telling them the gist of your issues and slowly move deeper into your feelings about them and why you aren't moving past them with in the course of a few sessions. You aren't going to be magically cured of your problems in one session, it doesn't work that way.

I'm fairly certain that was not his only advice. What did he tell you to build a bridge for (meaning, what incidents were you supposed to be connecting)? Maybe if you were more open to his help, you wouldn't be so quick to throw out his techniques. YDI for having a closed mind.

I assure you: Your problems can certainly not be solved in one sitting. A psychiatrist isn't a "magical dude" who makes your problems go away. You should see him as some sort of advisor. Because that's what he does. He gives you advice based on what you tell him what your problems are. The magic behind this is: YOU need to come up with a solution for your problems, the docs mission is to just give you a slight push in the right direction. So, next time when you go meet him...be a little more open-minded, talk about your problems, do those little "games" and sooner or later you'll realize... ;) Regards, a guy working at a psychiatric hospital.

Well that's why you have issues OP you're always thinking negative.

OP is just pointing out the suckishness of being told to build a bridge. It doesn't mean they have a closed mind or are dissing the psych's methods. It's one but from a whole session highlighted. For all we know OP found the therapy helpful. Stop judging.

Just build the most awesome bridge ever. Then you can drive your new Ferrari over it!

you are aware this was your first session, right? it was probably just an exercise to help familiarise you with the concept of imagery. give it time and you'll start to see results