Trouble in Paradise
scooter028
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
What should one look for when looking for a therapist?
I'd like to talk to a therapist about my marriage before possibly trying marriage counseling together. Should I look for a clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, clinical social worker, msw, psyd, ma, mssw, etc?
Thanks for any advice!
Re: What should one look for when looking for a therapist?
I am partial to social workers. Most are trained in a biopsychosocial model which is helpful for psychoanalysis. If you decide to go the social worker route, I would recommend the highest level of certification. It is different from state to state.
The most important thing is to find someone that you can connect with. It may take "shopping around" a bit.
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I agree that it is best when you are able to connect with your therapist. Sometimes it takes meeting with 4 or 5 before you find the right one, but dont give up because the reward is worth it. I would personally look for a counselor or a psychologist. Behavior therapy can work really well for marriages, so I would not exclude someone you like because of that. Also make sure to ask how many sessions you can have before you meet with someone. You dont want to get settled with a counselor just to find out you are only allowed 8 sessions..
Good luck with your search!
I prefer psychologists myself, but there are good counselors in all those areas.
I would recommend against using your personal therapist as a marriage counselor.
Oh, this. Times a million. A good therapist would never do this to begin with but you shouldn't even ask. If a therapist forms a rapport with you, they will not be able to be unbiased for marriage counseling when it comes time to bring your H into the mix. If you both need counseling then you should each get your own, plus a third to just do the marriage counseling.
3/12 5 mi -- 49:22 Pace: 9:52
5/1 Half Marathon -- 2:11:22 Pace: 10:01
5/22 10k -- 56:29 Pace: 9:00
5/24 3.6 -- 29:03 Pace: 8:18
7/10 15k -- 1:44:46 injured Pace: 11:14
10/29 5k -- 28:24 Pace: 9:04
I'm actually a therapist who holds a Master's in Mental Health Counseling. Currently I see individuals, couples, and families and have been trained in all areas. Like PP's have said any therapist who would see you for individual and couples concurrently is probably not one you want to continue seeing. However, at times if you live in a very small community it may be rather difficult to find several trained professionals. I have lots of respect for LMSW's and LISW's, however, if it is anything like my state then the requirements for LMSW's is a bit more lax than the strict requirements for LMHC's (or Temporary LMHC's in my case as I'm under supervision). The best thing you can do is become informed on the specialties in your area and finding a therapist that you feel a connection with. Even great therapist's don't always connect with everyone and it's not a bad thing. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!
This.
I am not as of yet licensed by will finish my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 5 weeks; so this may or may not mean I know a darn thing (i make no promises). I agree with all of what is said in this post. I also would urge the original poster to not put all of your eggs into the suggested theoretical baskets as it will be up to you which approach works best for you. While there are a number of evidence based theories for marriage counseling you mentioned you will initially seek individual counseling (which I applaud you on!) and therefore I suggest finding a counselor who fits you best and not focusing on the theoretical orientation just yet. Look for a counselor that fits, not a theory.
And when I say counselor I mean counselor,psychologist, social worker, etc. They will all be able to guide you in a helpful direction.
I work in Mental Health and I've worked with couples, individuals, kids, families - pretty much the gamut. The most important thing you can (and should) look for is the accreditation. Check your state to see your requirements (usually something like Board of Behavioral Health of something like that). Next, don't worry about "interviewing" people - it's important to have chemistry and a feeling that you "get" one another. Depending on the state, some LCSW/Social Work people are more trained in policy than therapy per se (which would be the MFT/MFCC professionals), so again, it depends on your state and what you're looking for, exactly.
Maybe your current therapist can recommend someone. But if your therapist suggests taking you both on as a couple, run for the hills - that's just triangulation waiting to happen.
Good luck!