This Month's Info

How to go to Therapy

Most people wait for a long time before they decide to seek counseling. Some postpone it because of the expense; others because they think consulting a psychotherapist means they are “crazy.” Some statistics say the typical married couple has been unhappy for about five years before making that call! That’s a lot of days of experience in being bitter and resentful before enlisting help to solve the problem.
While there is no “right” answer that fits everyone, here are some signs it may be time to seek professional help:
· a change in mood has lasted more than two weeks and seems to be stuck, or getting worse.
· There are changes in your weight that are not due to deliberate actions. You’re either stress eating or not hungry.
· Your sleep is suffering, or you can’t seem to get enough sleep.
· You are eating, drinking, smoking, watching television, playing video games, gambling, or doing anything else much more than usual and feel as if it has become too important, or is taking too much of your time.
· Someone whose opinion you really value suggests you might need to sort things out with a professional.
· You have had a major life change and it is very difficult to figure out how to manage your life around this change. That change could be anything: graduating from college, retiring, losing a job, losing a loved one, or being diagnosed with a major, chronic health condition.

What kind of professional do you need? Psychiatrists are physicians; either MDs or D.O.s. They can prescribe medication. Few of them provide regular psychotherapy sessions, although they have extensive training Some psychiatrists provide counseling. Clinical Psychologists have Ph.D. or Psy.D. degrees in psychology. They often provide testing, assessment, and psychotherapy/counseling services. Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers have master’s or doctoral degrees. They are licensed to provide psychotherapy/counseling services. Often their education has been specialized: for example, Marriage & Family Therapists spend more time studying family dynamics and methods of working with couples and families.

Whom do you pick? If you plan to use insurance, which generally only covers individual (not couple/marriage) counseling, you usually must select a therapist off the panel of professionals with whom your insurance company has a contract. It’s of little use to read lots of websites and spend a lot of time consulting with people, only to discover they are not contracted with your insurance company. While many prospective clients ask if we “take” their insurance, it’s really a matter of whether or not we have a pre-existing contract with the particular insurance company. Health insurance involves contracted agreements, and is not handled like cash or checks. If the therapist does not have a contract s/he will not be able to work with the insurance company. You should be able to speak to the therapist for ten or fifteen minutes by phone prior to the appointment. This is a time for the therapist, and you, to determine if the two of you can work together and if the therapist has the particular training suited to your needs.

- Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT