Finding The Right Provider Of Counseling Services For You
Admitting the need for help can be challenging, but with over 41.4 million US adults seeing a therapist yearly, reaching out to a mental health professional is courageous. If you're considering finding the right therapist, factors such as specific licensed therapists, the therapy approach, the patient-provider therapeutic alliance, and the type of mental health services offered should be considered.
Consider the different forms of counseling services
In modern psychology, there are many therapists practicing various therapy modalities, including individual, couples, family, or group therapy sessions. You may want to explore options offered by community counseling and mental health clinics to make the most appropriate decision for your care. You might also research the staff qualifications, specialized training licenses, health services offered, and hours of operation that the facility or program has.
Deciding on therapy or counseling: Assess your emotional and mental health
When deciding on a type of therapy, consider your emotional health or mental health condition, symptoms, prior diagnoses, goals for treatment, approach to talk therapy, and how easily you can contact the therapist for additional support. Research therapy methods and discuss them with potential mental health professionals like clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, or a licensed professional counselor.
Whether it’s adolescent counseling, adult therapy, or other forms, therapy may help people improve their emotional health, well-being, and overall quality of life.
Common types of counseling services to consider
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
- Interpersonal counseling (IPC)
- Grief therapy
- Art therapy
- Equine or animal-assisted therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO-DBT)
- Gestalt therapy
- Support groups
At your initial appointment, a good therapist may ask you about your goals, symptoms, and concerns for treatment. Inquire about their treatment approach, experience, training, and licensing. Discuss your insurance company and insurance plan to determine your coverage for counseling services.
If you're uncomfortable with a particular form of therapy, let them know and consider asking about another. You might find a therapist specializing in a specific type of therapy by searching mental health services, health support, and news events from mental health organizations or psychology department listings in your area.
Therapy and counseling: Think about your ideal therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist
Before starting your search, come up with a list of traits you'd like your ideal counselor to have.
Questions to ask when searching for a psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor
- Are you looking for a "tough love" approach, or a compassionate, validation-based therapist?
- What therapy modalities are you interested in trying?
- Do you prefer a therapist of a specific gender?
- Do you prefer a therapist of a certain race?
- Do you prefer a therapist of a particular LGBTQ+ identity?
- Do you prefer a therapist of a specific religious or spiritual background?
- Would you prefer a long-term or short-term form of treatment?
- Do you want to meet in person or remotely?
- Are you looking for a specific specialization?
- What are your goals for therapy, and how might a therapist meet them?
It may also be valuable to note whether you'd like to attend individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, or family therapy. In individual therapy, a therapist can focus on you, your family systems, interpersonal relationships, past experiences, and current situations. Couples therapy might focus more on how you and your partner interact and how your personalities come together.
Understanding therapy modalities for your mental health
Below are further descriptions of popular therapy modalities a therapist might use. Keeping these in mind can help you make your decision when searching for a potential therapist.
Psychoanalysis
One of the most historical forms of treatment is psychoanalysis, a process of individual treatment focusing on uncovering unconscious thoughts or feelings that may be affecting an individual. The therapist may prompt the client to discuss anything that comes to mind and offer advice or analysis based on what is said. These techniques are often based on the premise that what you think, feel, and experience are interrelated. Thus, interventions may be made to help you change these processes. Often, psychoanalysis and other types of therapy provide an empathetic, client-centered relationship and a process that facilitates your overall improvement.
Short-term treatment
If you are feeling overwhelmed by counseling services or are looking for short-term treatment, you may benefit from a type of therapy like CBT or a structured form of therapy like DBT. Busy professionals, or those starting therapy for the first time, may prefer short-term therapy for immediate concerns. Long-term treatment may involve a dedicated effort to achieve more profound and lasting results. Once you enter therapy, evaluate the process as you go. You can let your therapist know if you want to change their chosen approach or prefer to stay for more sessions.
The right person for support and guidance: Finding a counselor
Once you understand the type of therapy you want to try, the type of counselor you'd like to meet, and your availability, consider starting a search with your health insurance provider. They may offer you a list of life counseling services covered and any approved counselors you can contact under your plan.
You may also get a referral from a primary care provider or doctor. Additionally, you could perform a broad online search to discover various programs community resources, addiction treatment centers, and national associations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Often, people use the internet to find resources, and websites that list therapists within their area. Many websites also provide educational workshops and resources to help individuals understand therapy better.
Alternative counseling options
Although you may be able to find a counselor in your area, if you face barriers to treatment or specific concerns about the process, you might feel hesitant to meet with a provider.
Finding support and guidance from online therapy
In these cases, online therapy could be a cost-effective, flexible, and reachable option. Often, online therapy offers users the option to meet with a therapist through phone, video, or live chat sessions. Additionally, you can meet with a counselor from home, cutting out your commute time or costs for travel.
One study on internet-based CBT (I-CBT) found that short-term CBT sessions with clients experiencing anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and long-term stress were effective in reducing prolonged stress-related symptoms and increasing quality of life. You might also see a reduction in stress by cutting out the barriers to in-person treatment that many individuals experience.
If you're interested in talking to a counselor on a personal device, from any location with an internet connection, consider signing up for a platform like BetterHelp, which offers a wide variety of professional counselors specializing in various treatment modalities and areas of focus.
Takeaway
What are the different types of counseling?
There are many different approaches to counseling used by mental health professionals. Many, if not most, professionals use an integrative approach, which combines different theoretical models of psychotherapy to create the best treatment method based on a person’s needs. While an integrative approach is popular, many conditions and concerns might also respond well to treatments based on one theoretical domain, which may include:
Psychodynamic counseling
Psychodynamic therapy relies on uncovering unconscious meaning and motivations behind thought processes. It is one of the oldest forms of psychotherapy, with early versions practiced by Sigmund Freud and his contemporaries.Behavioral counseling
This approach is based on the principles of behaviorism, such as classical or operant conditioning. Behavioral approaches target a person’s actions rather than their thought processes.- Cognitive counseling
Cognitive therapy emphasizes what people think rather than what they do. The combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy led to the rise of cognitive-behavioral therapy, a therapeutic method that is considered highly robust. - Humanistic counseling
This theoretical orientation emphasizes a person’s capability to develop to their maximum potential. Client-centered therapy and positive psychology both fall within this domain.
What are the different types of counseling?
In mental health care, counseling services generally refer to working with a trained mental health professional to address a mental health concern, solve practical problems, or achieve personal goals. Counseling can take place individually, with couples, or in group settings. In domains other than mental health, counseling generally refers to receiving advice or guidance from a person knowledgeable in that domain. For example, a financial counselor might help someone make decisions about their money, and a career counselor might help someone take proactive steps to improve their professional life.
What is the difference between therapy and counseling?
In mental health, there are virtually no differences between therapy and counseling. Both terms typically refer to psychotherapeutic services provided by behavioral health professionals. However, those who are licensed to provide psychotherapy almost always have at least a master’s degree and thousands of hours of supervised experience before they can practice independently. In contrast, there are some areas of health care where the term “counselor” may refer to someone with experience in mental health but who is not licensed to provide psychotherapy, such as some drug and alcohol counselors.
What happens in a counseling session?
A typical counseling relationship begins when the client and therapist meet to discuss the client’s concerns or goals. The first session, or first several, may be referred to as “intake” sessions and are used to orient the therapist to the client’s needs and determine a direction for treatment. Subsequent sessions typically focus on addressing the client’s concerns using the most beneficial method. The client is often “in charge” of the counseling process and can choose what to discuss during each session. In other cases, the client receives directive therapy and may follow a pre-determined course that aligns with a specific psychotherapeutic treatment.
Are counselors the same as therapists?
In practice, “counselor” and “therapist” are almost always interchangeable when referring to mental health professionals. Both are trained to administer psychotherapy, have a graduate-level education, and have received thousands of hours of supervision before practicing independently. The only significant exception is when referring to drug and alcohol counselors or substance abuse counselors. While some of those practitioners are licensed mental health professionals who can administer psychotherapy, many have only a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree and can only administer techniques specific to those with substance use disorders.
What do counselors usually do?
In the mental health field, counselors are typically highly trained, licensed professionals who are qualified to administer psychotherapeutic techniques. They often assess, treat, and help clients manage mental health conditions. They might also help their clients achieve personal goals, move toward self-improvement, or solve practical problems in their lives. They might conduct structured treatments, offer mental health resources, and provide encouragement to their clients. Counselors are trained in various therapeutic approaches, but many choose to specialize their skill set and work with specific populations, conditions, or treatment modalities.
Who needs counseling the most?
Almost anyone can benefit from counseling. However, it is impossible to determine who needs it the most because of substantial differences in individual needs, resilience, and mental health thresholds, with one important exception. Generally, anyone who is at risk of harming themselves or others is considered to have the highest need of mental health support. It’s important to note that a person does not need to be in crisis to receive counseling services, and obtaining counseling as soon as a concern appears is likely to provide the most benefit.
How do I know if I need counseling?
If you think you could benefit from meeting with a counselor, it may be worthwhile to schedule an appointment. You don’t need to be in crisis or experiencing a crisis to meet with a mental health professional.
Beyond a general desire for counseling, experts recommend asking yourself two questions to determine if therapy is necessary:
- Does your concern cause distress or reduce your quality of life?
- Does your concern interfere with some aspect of your life?
A “yes” to either question generally means you could benefit from therapy. However, even if your concern hasn’t yet caused you distress or interfered with your life, a counselor may still be able to help. They may be able to help prevent your concern from adversely impacting you or help you identify underlying causes that can be addressed before your concern becomes overwhelming.
How does counseling help anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are considered highly treatable, and many therapists specialize in helping people manage feelings related to anxiety and stress. Two psychotherapies are considered particularly effective for treating anxiety: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). CBT targets the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, helping clients leverage one domain to produce change in another. ACT relies on strategies such as mindfulness and goal setting to help reduce the adverse impact of anxiety.
Is counseling expensive?
The cost of counseling changes based on location, the type of provider, insurance coverage, and, in some cases, individual financial circumstances. If health insurance does not cover counseling, it may be possible to find a practitioner who offers services on a sliding fee scale to help their clients pay what they can afford. The practitioner may require you to give your personal finances to ensure that those with the greatest need receive the most financial support. You may also want to consider online therapy, which takes place remotely via a computer or phone. In many cases, online therapy can be considerably cheaper than in-person services.
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