How to Choose the Right Mental Health Professional |
Therapy is not always easy. It requires work and can sometimes be painful. But finding the right professional to help you in the process can make a world of difference. How do you find a professional you can trust and with whom you can talk comfortably? The following suggestions may help.
1. First visit your primary care physician to rule out a medical cause for your problems.
2. After you eliminate any medical causes, check with your health insurance to see what kind of mental health care it covers. Most private insurance companies cover visits with Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers only. If you do not have health insurance and cannot afford the normal office rates, contact your local community mental health agency for possible referrals to low-cost counseling services.
3. Search The Guide to Mental Health Care Professionals in Oklahoma to learn more about your available choices. You can read about educational and professional backgrounds, areas of expertise, years in practice, etc.
4. After making your selection,call to find out about appointment availability, location and fees. (It is very likely that you will need to leave a message and wait for the therapist or staff to call you back.)
You may want to ask if this professional accepts your health insurance or Medicaid/Medicare or offers a sliding-scale fee based on income. If you are satisfied with the responses you receive, make an appointment. Be sure to mention that you learned about them through The Guide.
5. During your first visit, take a deep breath and relax. Remember that the person in whom you are confiding is your partner in the healing process. He or she is ethically bound to keep what you say during your sessions confidential. (The only exception to this is when plans or threats to harm another person are voiced; in that case, therapists are bound by law to report this information.)
6. Describe those feelings and problems that motivated you to seek help. You will want to ask:
- What kind of therapy/treatment program he or she recommends
- Whether it has proven effective for dealing with problems such as yours What the benefits and side effects are
- How much therapy he or she recommends
Whether he or she is willing to coordinate your care with another practitioner if you are personally interested in exploring alternative therapies, such as acupuncture.
7. After your initial visit, take some time to evaluate the session and how you felt about the therapist. Although the role of a mental health care is not to be a friend, it is extremely important that you feel you can work with him or her. If you feel a sense of rapport with this professional, schedule another appointment and begin the process of working together to understand and overcome your problems. If you do not feel that you can work well with him or her, do not give up! Call another mental health professional from The Guide and schedule another new appointment.
