How to Hire a Mental-Health Professional

If you've just experienced a traumatic event--the death of a loved one, loss of a job--or are at a transition point, you want a trusted professional with whom to talk through your feelings. Here are some ways to help you find the right therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Find out if your insurance policy covers mental-health providers. If so, find out what kind of provider and how many sessions are covered. Ask if you must see a doctor to be reimbursed.
2. Verify that the provider is licensed, which indicates they've undergone rigorous, standardized training. For more information, contact the National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers (see Resources).
3. Book a consultation. Ask the provider to explain his or her predominant theoretical orientation and discuss favored methods. Expect to talk frankly about any issues and how they affect your ability to work, sleep, eat, concentrate, relate to family and so on. Establishing a good rapport is essential to effective therapy.
4. Ask the provider to explain any proposed treatment.

Demystifying the Credentials

5. For psychotherapist you should make sure that they are licensed before you pay for a session because anyone can claim to be one. Many are well trained and highly skilled, but there's no way to identify them by the title alone.
6. Make sure the professional you hire has the proper credentials under his or her belt. Licensed clinical social workers(LCSWs) and certified social workers(ACSWs) generally have a master's degree plus 2 years of supervised experience, and has passed a state exam.
7. Ask if your Marriage, Family and Child Therapists(MFTC) is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. These are people who specialize in helping clients deal with major life changes or transitions, such as marriage, divorce, job change and death in the family. Can also help when communication is an issue for families, couples or individuals. In most states, a license signals a professional with similar training to that of a CSW.

What to Look For:

• Insurance coverage
• Professional credentials, license
• Appropriate therapy method
• Comfort, trust
• Insurance coverage
• Professional credentials, license
• Appropriate therapy method
• Comfort, trust

Tips & Warnings

• Counselor is another catch all label. They often have a master's degree, but not always. If your state has licensed counselors, training level is similar to that of social worker. They often treat substance abuse, short-term crises and stress-related disorders. Not normally chosen for more serious disorders.
• Clinical Psychologists specializes in testing and assessing mental-health problems. They are licensed professionals, generally with a doctorate or master's degree plus at least 2 years of supervised clinical experience and advanced specialized training. Does all of what an MFTC does and more.
• Psychiatrist are MDs trained in diagnosing and treating severe mental illness with 1 to 2 years of additional training in psychiatry. They can write prescriptions for antidepressants, antianxiety drugs and other psychiatric medications.
• Find out if your state considers mental-health care to be medical care. If so, therapy should be covered by your insurance policy.
• See How to Hire a Child Therapist.
• Find out if your state considers mental-health care to be medical care. If so, therapy should be covered by your insurance policy.
• See How to Hire a Child Therapist.