Choosing the best psychological counseling services for you is important to ensure that you get the help you need. There are a number of factors you may need to keep in mind when making this decision. First, it is necessary to ensure that the psychologist you are looking at accepts your insurance, or fits within your budget with his or her hourly rate. Making sure the psychologist has all the proper credentials and licenses to practice is also important as well. Once this information has been determined, the most important consideration when choosing psychological counseling services is whether or not you feel comfortable talking and sharing with the person; if not, keep looking.
For many people, finances are an important factor when considering psychological counseling services. It is important to first determine what, if any, mental health coverage your insurance provides. Some will have a higher deductible, or only allow a certain amount of visits per month. In this case, you might want to look for a psychologist or group with more reasonable hourly rates, as there can be great variation among different practitioners. Certain regions may also offer low-cost or free services to those who qualify, based on financial need.
Ensuring that the psychologists are licensed is also very important when looking into psychological counseling services. In addition to a doctoral degree, most areas require therapists to be licensed to practice, which is an additional certification step to be sure they possess the knowledge required for the profession. It's important not to be shy about asking about credentials. Receiving a referral from another doctor is another good way to make sure that the psychological counseling services you choose are licensed to practice.
All of these considerations are important when selecting psychological counseling services, but all of these factors won't matter if you aren't comfortable with the person. Feel free to set up an appointment to meet the psychologist and ask him or her a few questions to see if you feel at ease discussing sensitive information. If you don't feel comfortable, or feel like you won't be able to open up to the person for whatever reason, it is fine to keep looking. You should be able to develop a good rapport with your therapist in order to accomplish your goals of therapy.
