C206 PLT HAD AN NMAC WITH A HIGH WING ACFT IN D10 CLASS E AIRSPACE.

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I AM AN INST PLT WITH LESS THAN 20 HRS IN IMC WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR. IT WAS MY FIRST TIME FLYING FROM UNDER CLASS B AIRSPACE WITH A SID. I RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC AND HAD SWITCHED FROM CTAF TO DEP FREQ. THE FREQ WAS VERY BUSY; SO HAD TO WAIT 10-20 SECONDS FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. DEP ASKED IF I WAS ON FREQ. I REPLIED 'YES;' AND RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED. DURING CLBOUT I WAS GIVEN THE JOE POOL 9 DEP WITH BILLEE TRANSITION TO COGAR 1 ARR TO DWH. I HAD THE PAGES MARKED AND THE TERMINAL PROC BOOK OPEN. I WAS APCHING THE CLOUD DECK. (IT WAS SCATTERED TO BROKEN IN THE AREA TO THE S.) I WAS LOOKING FOR THE BILLEE TRANSITION AND GLANCED UP AND SAW A HIGH WING AIRPLANE COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT CLOSE RANGE. STARTLED; I PUSHED ON THE YOKE AND LOST ABOUT 200 FT. THE PLANE PASSED OVERHEAD AND TO THE R. I CONTINUED THE CLBOUT AND ENTERED THE CLOUDS. ATC MADE NO MENTION OF THE OTHER ACFT. AT FIRST; I THOUGHT THE SURPRISE MADE ME ESTIMATE THE DISTANCE TO SEEM CLOSER THAN IT WAS. AFTER I HAD CLBED OUT OF THE CLOUDS; I THOUGHT IT WAS BOUT 500 FT OR SO. ON APR/THU-FRI/02; I WAS TRAINED IN FORMATION FLYING AT FBO BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM FORMATION PLTS. I NOW BELIEVE THE DISTANCE OF THE NEAR MISS WAS 200-300 FT VERT AND 50-100 FT TO THE R. EVEN THOUGH I WAS PREPARED; LEADING AND LOOKING AT THE SID; I WAS NOT ABLE TO KEEP FOCUS OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT. THE OTHER PLANE WAS UNDER THE CLOUD DECK MAKING IT HARDER TO SEE.