Deciding which therapy resources are the best really depends on the individual need for therapy, and also on a variety of other factors. One single therapist is not a good choice for everyone because people will have different requirements. People may also be faced with longs lists of potential therapists (mental or physical therapy) that they might choose, or they might only have a few names. There are some ways to narrow down choice and decide what needs a therapist or therapy center must fill to be of most help.
First, if people have insurance or things like Medicaid or Medicare, they will be limited as to choice by the people who contract with their plan. This could mean having a lot of choice or very little depending on area and company. Most people can use things like their health insurance websites to search all specialty providers of a certain type like psychologists, therapists or physical therapists, and this is a good way to generate a working list. Do be aware people end contracts with insurance companies frequently, and a name on a list doesn’t necessarily guarantee a person is a provider.
Determining the purpose of therapy is another aspect of choosing therapy resources. For psychotherapy, they could be looking for individual therapy, family therapy, couples counseling or other things. They might want to work with people who practice a certain kind of therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy or psychoanalysis. Deciding on specific requirements helps people to look at their list of therapy resources and them begin to make a list of questions to ask each therapist or group about the type of practice they have.
This is usually easily accomplished by making some phone calls. Call and ask about insurance coverage if applicable and areas of experience or specialization. It gets fairly easy to eliminate names. Some people might only work with kids, have a full practice, not be interested in the areas needed, or may just a strike a wrong note. By eliminating anyone who didn’t appear to fit requirements, lists can get narrowed down. After speaking with most therapists, many people will have a good sense of whether they’ve found the right therapy resources, but they should continue to test their feeling of comfort and faith in a therapist as time continues.
On occasion, a beginning list is already extremely narrow, and no one appears to have the focus required for a person’s care. In these instances, there are few ways to attack the problem. People can find a few therapy resources or specialists that are skilled in the areas needed. It may be possible, especially in small town, to make a strong case to an insurance company that they need to give a waiver to see a specialist because no one else is available. Another option can be to pay out of pocket for therapy resources; some groups have sliding scale fee options if payment will be difficult.
In certain instances, when people ask questions about therapy resources, they are really asking which types of therapists they should choose. In places like the US, people seeking talk therapy have several options. They can see licensed psychiatrists, licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers. Any of these specialists can provide counseling but at present only psychiatrists can prescribe medications. If people have begun this search because they believe they may need psychiatric medication, they should really stick to psychiatrists at first, though some people utilize the resources of both a psychiatrist and other therapist to get total mental health care.
