#9: Finding a Therapist

Many of the students in the relationship improvement class have asked me about how to find a counselor or therapist that can further assist them in the processes of making their lives and relationships better. My answer to such inquiries is that the process of finding a counselor will vary according to each individual's situation. However, there are some questions that each person can ask himself/herself in order to determine which route would be best for him/her; there are also resources for these individuals to use to find a counselor in their local area that matches what they are looking for after having answered these questions. Here are some of the questions to consider and some resources to help you find the counselor that is right for you.

Questions

1) The first question to ask yourself is, "What kind of counseling do I want (individual, group, couple, family, etc.)?"

2) After having answered this question, you will probably want to ask something like, "What kind of background, specialty, and/or credentials do I want my therapist to have?"

In the counseling profession as it currently stands, there are basically 5 major counseling disciplines/professional licenses: Psychiatry, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, and Professional Counseling. A good description of the general requirements for licensure in each of these areas can be found by clicking here (go to the pulldown menu at the top of the page under "Wasatch Mental Health," scroll down, and click on the "Guide to Selecting a Therapist" option). Note that the requirements listed are the minimum necessary to obtain a license, and that these requirements may vary a bit from state to state. It is possible that a given practitioner could have more than the minimum required credentials. In fact, the disciplines of Clinical Social Work and Marriage and Family Therapy have specialized doctoral degrees (DSW and DMFT) that therapists can pursue in addition to the required Master's degree and supervised experience. A Professional Counselor might also have a Ph.D or an Ed.D in addition to the requisite Master's degree and supervised experience.

3) On the same webpage given above (follow the same directions), there is a good list of preliminary questions to consider when choosing a therapist. It includes things like financial concerns, time commitments, etc. I would advise you to take a look at these and answer them; also note the follow-up questions to ask yourself after the first visit.

4) If money is a primary concern for you, you would be wise to inquire about the possibility of a sliding fee scale based on a patient's income, whether or not a particular provider accepts Medicaid, the possibility of financial assistance, etc.

Finding a Therapist

Each of the mental health disciplines has its own professional organization(s). If you visit the websites of these organizations, you can find tools to locate a therapist in your local area that meets the credentialing standards of the particular organization in question. Below is a list of links to these various "Therapist Finder" tools.

Psychology - American Psychological Association Psychologist Locator

Marriage and Family Therapy - AAMFT Therapist Locator

Clinical Social Work - National Association of Social Workers Help Starts Here

Professional Counseling - American Mental Health Counselors Association Find-A-Counselor

Notes/Additional Information

You may want to search your state's resources for each of these disciplines as well. To get started, try using Google to search, for example, "Michigan Association for Marriage and Family Therapy" or "Nevada Psychological Association" - just use your state's name and the name of the particular mental health discipline you want to search.

There are also many different kinds of facilities such as hospitals and large mental health facilities that employ various kinds of counseling professionals and offer a variety of different options. You may want to do a Google search for such facilities in your area.

If you desire counseling from a practitioner or group that has religious ties and/or specializes in serving a particular religious population, you can either contact your ecclesiastical leader (pastor, etc.), go to your congregation's own website, or do a Google search of such services in your area.

I hope that you find these resources and suggestions useful; I wish you the best in finding a counselor that can help you as you progress along the path toward achieving your individual and relationship goals.