Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Finding a Therapist

Well today I tried to take the first step to get a therapist, as described in this post. So I went onto my insurance website to find some in-network options. I immediately got stuck. I know nothing about this whole thing, so I'm hoping some of my new blogger friends can help me out!

First - there were a ton of different options for even which kind of therapist I could select.  There were selections for:

  • Licensed Mental Health Counselor 
  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Psychologist
  • Mental Health Clinic
  • Psychiatry
Which to select?? 

Then, I selected all five and got a bajillion results. How do you decide who to see? Do I need some kind of referral? 

So I googled "Infertility therapists near [my zip code]" and a ton more came up... I'm overwhelmed already!

So I pose the question to the blog world: How on earth do you find a therapist? Help!

7 comments:

  1. My RE's office had in their initial packet a paper with therapist that they recommend, maybe start there?

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  2. We see a licensed marriage and family therapist. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor (what my guy is working towards) or social worker would also be appropriate for you.

    LMHC's have a masters level of education and hundreds to thousands of hours of supervised internship requirements.

    A mental health clinic will tend to be for individuals who meet certain diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders (think bipolar, schizoaffective disorder, etc).

    Psychologist and pyschiatrist are doctor level therapists (i.e, cost more). Psycholigists often started out studying as mental health counselors and went on to get a Doctorate is Psychology. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, so they can prescribe medication.

    You are lucky that your search yielded results for "infertility therapists." There are NONE in our area of the country. I think you should look through those names. Go to their websites and read their bios. There are numerous treatment philosophies and you want to make sure that the individual you choose takes an approach to treatment that is appropriate for you.

    Happy to answer more questions!

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  3. I was working at a University when I saw a therapist, so I just went to their center, but a good way is to ask around. If you don't feel comfortable asking friends (which I totally understand) give your RE or your PCP a call. Your PCP should definitely have someone that they refer to. I think it matters more that they are a good fit, than what degree they have. They should all be able to refer you to a psychiatrist if necessary.

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  4. I would say Mental Health Counselor or Psychologist. I've used both in the past and they were MORE than competent. Hopefully you can narrow down your search for "infertility therapists" by the letters following their name and then what CzechPlease suggested. Good luck! :-)

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  5. Thanks for the advice everyone! My goal is to have an appointment scheduled by the end of the week.

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  6. I may be too late to weigh in here, but I agree with some of the above comments about starting with your RE office. See if they can recommend anyone that specializes in infertility, and if they also deal with marital issues, that's always a plus:) I'd stay away from seeing an MD (Psychiatrist) unless you want to be put on meds. And mental health professionals, social workers, and pscychologists can all do therapy, but I'd check their websites to see what they specialize in. Best rule of thumb when searching for a good therapist is to get a recommendation... someone who is known to be good at dealing with the issues you want to address. And don't give up if it's not a good fit the first time! Once you find the right one, you will be amazed at how much they can help!

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  7. I have been worried about finding a new therapist if and when I decide to continue therapy. These are good questions to ask if I can get the courage to do so. Great post and helpful!
    Find A Therapist

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