(484) 840-3643
You’re feeling out-of-sorts
You haven’t been feeling like yourself. Your emotions seem to spill over at undesirable times and you can’t seem to put a finger on what’s wrong. You’ve been thinking about making some changes in your life; perhaps a new job or something else satisfying but you don’t know what that is. One of your friends mentioned having a hard time and seeking help from a therapist.
Therapy, really? Isn’t that just for crazy people?
Your initial reaction is defensive because you’re used to being able to handle just about anything that comes your way, but lately you’re tired of just “handling things.” You want more. Besides, you’ve actually recommended therapy to people. Perhaps you should take your own advice.
Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Social Worker?
How does one choose a therapist from the myriad of mental health professionals? It feels like you need a PhD just to figure out who to schedule an appointment with. Here are the basics:
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor qualified to help people with symptoms that are both psychological as well as biological, such as: severe depression, anxiety, paranoia or people with delusions. As physicians, psychiatrists can prescribe medication to alleviate distressing symptoms but generally prefer for their patients to seek psychotherapy as well. Some psychiatrists are also trained as psychotherapists, but most focus on the medical aspects of treatment.
Clinical Psychologists have PhD degrees and have spent several years studying human behavior and the brain. They are trained to do psychological testing for learning differences, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism or other neuro-biological diagnosis that cause problematic behaviors. Psychologists work in a variety of settings, including schools, clinics and private practice.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) have a master’s degree, plus thousands of hours of supervised experience working with clients. Like psychologists, they work in many different settings, often with individuals, groups and families. Social workers are trained to understand not only individual behavior, but the environmental context as well. Social workers often receive advanced training in particular psychotherapeutic modalities such as family, and group work, as well as different techniques.
Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) have a master’s degree and their training has focused exclusively on counseling skills. Their perspective is not as broad as social workers. They work in a variety of settings.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (MMFTs) have a master’s degree and are uniquely qualified to understand and work with family dynamics.
How do I know what I need?
Well, your primary care physician may be able to help you figure that out. Basically, if your symptoms are very severe to the point that they interfere with your daily life at work and at home, it may be best to consult a psychiatrist for a medication evaluation. Medication can be very helpful and is often an adjunct to psychotherapy.
As for therapists, a Consumer Reports study published back in 1995, found that most people benefited from therapy as opposed to those who chose not to have any therapy. In addition, the degrees of the therapists or techniques, didn’t seem to matter much.
How do I pick the right therapist for me?
The most important thing in finding a therapist for yourself is to find the right fit. If you need to use your insurance benefits for payment, then you can start by obtaining a list of providers, at a convenient location, and then you can cross reference them with a site like Psychology Today for additional information.
Think about what’s important to you. Things that matter to people might include the therapist’s gender, race, location, fee and training. But really the most important thing is the “fit.” In other words, will they work for you?
Making the initial call
The hardest part is to make the first call to a therapist. It’s perfectly normal to feel nervous, even anxious. For most of us, it’s not easy to ask for help. You might want to write down a few questions before you place the call.
Then, contact 2 or 3 therapists who meet your basic criteria. Identify a problem you would like to discuss in therapy. See how responsive the therapist is. How long do they take to get back to you? Will they speak to you for a little while or are they in a rush to get you to schedule an appointment? Will they answer your questions about fee, what they do, etc? Do they seem to understand the concern you have?
The answers to the questions above should be mostly positive. People generally want a therapist who gets back to them in a reasonable period of time (24-48 hours) and who will spend 10-15 minutes in a telephone consultation. You should feel like this person can understand you. In short, you should have some indication that this may be a good fit.
The first appointment
After the initial phone consultation, make an appointment with 1 or 2 therapists and see how they are in person. Do you still feel like they understand you? Have they given you some idea of what working with them will be like? Did the time pass quickly, or did it seem to go on forever? How did you feel when you left? Most people who become clients report feeling some initial relief after the initial visit.
It’s okay to tell the therapist that you are consulting with a couple of different people. We know how important it is to find the right fit. You should also feel comfortable not scheduling a second session, until you’ve met with the next therapist on your list, unless the connection was so good that there is no need to look further.
After seeing a couple of therapists, you should have a sense of which one seemed to understand you. You may not have felt entirely comfortable, but you were probably able to disclose more with at least one. If so, go ahead and schedule the next appointment; if not, keep looking.
Therapy is an investment in time and money, but most of all, it’s a way of getting the help you need.
It’s an investment in you!
