He finally decided he wants to consult a psychologist, psychiatrist or other mental health professional, but how to go about choosing which to meet their needs unique? There are at least 5 different types of providers of mental health treatment to choose.

Do not just consider the professional level to choose a counselor or therapist. Do you want a male or female?

You want one who is an expert in couples therapy? Individual counseling? Substance abuse treatment? You want a therapist who prescribed the drug?

How about one that can X-ray of his personality through the use of evidence? One who can manage hypnosis? Electroshock?

A good first step would be to consult with a healthcare professional who knows the answers to these questions. Call the department of psychiatry or psychology or university.

Talk to a professor of psychology at a local community college or contact the behavioral health unit at your local hospital line or community crisis.

It is important to be familiar with the formation, training and treatment philosophy of the different types professionals, and then match what is preferred so that a particular treatment provider, has to offer.

Also, talk with the representative for an organization that deals with issues like marriage, that is yours, anxiety, depression, etc. Your opinions are very valuable because they are in contact patients with many different treatment providers that are related to the same issues as you and have a firsthand knowledge of the characteristics and qualities of different types of counselors and therapists.

Your top 5 choices of providers of mental health treatment are: The marriage and family counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, professional mental health counselor and clinical social worker.

The marriage and family counselor has from one to two years postgraduate training in counseling with troubled marriages and family problems. He or she will have a master's degree and is likely to have made a internship.

The advantage of using these professionals is that you are working with someone who has an intense training in this area of counseling. The disadvantage is that some insurance companies may not cover their services.

The psychologist has a doctorate in psychology. Some consider him or her as the most highly trained mental health professionals. The psychologist is around 6 years of university training in the psychological sciences, 2 years upper division in college and 3 to 4 years post-graduate school.

A psychologist is trained to do counseling, psychotherapy, mental research and X-rays, known as psychological tests. That the practice of marriage and family therapy to eliminate anxiety, depression well as the full range of psychological disorders.

The advantages of using a psychologist who is the most highly trained in psychological practice is an expert in providing cutting edge treatment for various problems and psychological tests used to provide revealing information about how his mind.

Moreover, in many cases, he or she is training the mental health researcher, ie in this case, the psychologist is not qualified for practice only psychology but also to contribute to it through research.

Another advantage is that their services are covered by almost all insurance companies that offer mental health coverage.

The clinical social worker and professional counselor to provide counseling to eliminate family issues and problems stemming from depression, anxiety, agitation and other emotional disorders. They have one to two years of post-training at university counseling and mental health.

The social worker has a master's in social work, while the professional counselor holds one in counseling. They should do an internship and pass a comprehensive exam to practice independently.

Psychiatrists have most of their training in medicine, chemistry and life sciences. Its central training in psychiatry and mental health tends to be received in the 3-year residency in psychiatry.

Hold a doctorate in medicine or osteopathy and receive no training background in counseling, family therapy, couple therapy or psychological tests.

They are mainly used to administer medication and occasional electroshock treatments. Their services are covered by all health insurance companies.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of professionals available to treat emotional problems. The crucial ingredient, however, is the quality of the relationship you have with your supplier.

It is important to educational credentials, experience and history of disciplinary action by the State Council. But even after all these check out, make sure the trust and have an excellent relationship with your therapist, or you might have to start all over again!

About the Author:

Dr Shery is in Cary, IL, near Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Marengo and Lake-in-the-Hills. He’s an expert psychologist. Call 1 847 516 0899 and make an appt orlearn more about counseling at: http://www.carypsychology.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Counselor? Which Mental Health Professional should I Choose? From Cary

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