How do I find a Mental Health Counselor?
1. Call your insurance provider. They will be able to find a local counselor and tell you whether they accept insurance and are in your network! Don’t forget to ask your employer about your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) too. This is a free service offered by most employers and it’s best suited for short term counseling. Most EAP’s will provide anywhere from 3-6 initial sessions and if more are needed you can call. After they are used, you can continue with your counselor, if needed, by using insurance or converting to self-pay.
2. Ask someone you know. Chances are you may know someone in counseling already would be able to recommend their counselor. This option requires that you are comfortable talking about your concerns and needs – but I think you’d be surprised how many people around you are in counseling and may know someone.
3. Check out a mental health resource website as they often have listings of local providers in your area. Examples are using American Counseling Association (APA) or Psychology Today.
4. Try an online platform to search for counselors who provide telehealth and who you might feel you fit with. Examples are Amwell, Betterhelp and Teladoc.
What should I look for in a Mental Health Counselor?
- Licensing – You will want to look for a counselor who is licensed in the state you are in. We cannot provide services cross country as our licenses are not portable, yet! (Fingers crossed). Look for those who are either registered or licensed as both are graduates of a Master’s Program and practicing on their own. Registered counselors practice with supervision – meaning once a month they meet as a group in their practice and discuss cases. PII is NOT shared in these sessions (names, any identifiable remarks, etc) – it is strictly to talk about ideas for issues we need ideas on.
- Specialty - Look for areas they tend to concentrate – children, grief, veteran issues and so on. You wouldn’t want to take a family to a counselor who mainly provides play therapy for children. You also wouldn’t want to work on trauma with a counselor who didn’t have some knowledge or background in CBT, EMDR, or Veteran experience for example. So be sure to read their profiles and if you are in doubt, ask these questions prior to booking an appointment.
- Insurance – Be sure to check if they take insurance if that’s the route you want to go. Some counselors do not accept insurance, for various reasons. Also be sure to ask if they take Medicare/Medicaid as some counselors do not.
What should I look for in my first few sessions?
As a counselor I even stress this with my clients. Therapy is beneficial when you can be comfortable and open with your counselor. If you are feeling “off” or “disconnected” from them, chances are therapy isn’t going to give you much success. Sadly, most people who experience this in the first few sessions, leave thinking that therapy is a joke and never get the services they need, when really what they needed was a different therapist. Some things to think about …
- Do they listen and validate how you feel? Are they patient and understanding?
- Are they constantly late or rescheduling on you?
- Do they give you advice? Or advice based upon “what they would do”? – Therapy is about helping YOU find the answers you need for yourself and meeting you where you are at. While some theories do rely on some advice or guidance, a therapist should never say “If I were you, I would…”. No. Not good.
- Does their energy help you relax and open up? This may sound silly but we are trained to help make you feel good in session. Depending on what your goals are I change my energy in session to assist. For example, if a person feels on edge and constantly fidgety, I will relax my energy more to help you relax. If you are feeling down and need motivation, I will raise my energy to assist.
- If you are doing play therapy for children – does the counselor update you on their progress (generally of course – due to confidentiality)? Do they provide you with feedback/ideas on ways to bridge therapy with home and school?
- Judgmental – I think this goes without saying, I would be leery of any counselor who is judgmental about what you do or feel. Our job is to remain objective and focused on the treatment goals.
So, what if we aren’t a good match?
Say something! I encourage my clients to tell me if they don’t feel I am a good fit and I’d be happy to recommend someone based on what they are looking for. We can’t be everything or everyone and it’s okay. As a person who cares about your mental health – I mean that’s why I do this right? – I would much rather you be with someone you feel is going to help you and helping you means sometimes I have to find you someone else. We are not offended by this – we often recommend other counselors in our practice and we are professional about it. Again at the end of the day – we just want YOU to be happy and moving forward in your growth – whatever that might look like for you 😊
***Side note – there are differences in what a therapist/counselor does vs what a psychiatrist, social worker and psychologist do. Here is a quick rundown:
Therapist/Counselor: Hold a master’s or doctorate degree. Typically participate in Talk Therapy and diagnosing/treating mental health conditions.
Psychiatrist: Holds either an MD or DO degree. Board certified and completed a 4-year residency. They diagnose and treat mental health conditions by prescribing medication, performing tests and a mental health exam.
Psychologist: Hold a doctorate degree and typically have completed a 1-year residency while in school and a 1-year residency post graduate school. They are required to sit for a national exam.
Social Worker: You can find quite a few social workers working in private practice (we have a few in ours), but they also found in hospitals, schools, and mental health facilities. They hold a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) and completed 2 years of supervision post graduate school. They are licensed just as counselors are.
Kommentarer