Primary Care And Health Care Needs: How To Find Specialists In Mental Health

Mental health is an important aspect of overall well-being and quality of life. Even though outwardly people don't see you struggling, that doesn't make it any less real. Mental illness of any kind should be treated. Many people choose a combination of therapy and other treatment options. Some do self-help through support groups. Others choose pastoral counseling through a church. There is no "wrong way" to get the help you need, but there will be a most effective way for you personally. But how do you find out what that is? Googling "find specialists in mental health near me" can only take you so far. With the many different avenues you can go down, it's better to have a game plan.

Steps on how to find specialists in mental health

Below are things to do when you’re trying to find a mental health professional to address your primary care and mental health needs.

 Step 1: Figure out what help you need from a primary care professional

Mental health is a very broad topic with symptoms and diagnoses that are diverse. Before you even start to look for a therapist or group, your first step is to do a self-evaluation. What are your symptoms? How often do you feel bad? Are you anxious, sad, angry, restless? Is it affecting your life or keeping you from the things you love? Are the people around you noticing? If you can say "yes" to any of these, make a note of them and make an appointment with your primary care doctor. Though primary care is not specifically for mental health, they are a good resource to use if you don't know where to start. They can help rule out any physical problems that might be causing your issues, and they also will have some recommendations for your next step. Make sure you tell them everything, even if you think it's embarrassing. Your doctor can only help if they have the full picture. 

 Step 2: Research specialists in mental health based on your needs

After seeing your primary care doctor, you may be given a list of referrals from their office. These specialists will have either a working relationship with your doctor or mentioned to them before. This is a great start. Many health insurance plans cover therapy and psychiatry visits, but you have to be careful to stay in-network to get the insurance's full benefit.

If you don't get a list, or you would like more options, call your insurance company. Many insurance companies also have a search feature for finding providers online when you make an account. You can also ask your insurance company if you need a referral for therapy visits or if you can make appointments on your own. Having all of the insurance facts upfront will make it easier when you finally make an appointment and will streamline the claims process.

With this list from your insurance or your doctor, Google, the providers. See if they have a website or testimonials from clients. Also, ask around in your community to see if you know anyone who has used them. Friends, family, and coworkers may also have additional providers you can add to your list (though these need to be verified for your insurance).

Step 3: Make appointments with mental health professionals

Having all of the necessary information in front of you, now you can decide which providers you are interested in seeing. Pick a couple to start with and contact their scheduling department to make an appointment. Keep in mind that not every provider will be available right away, so if you want to see someone sooner rather than later, use that as a way to narrow down your list.

It's okay to set up appointments with different providers. Some insurances have a limit on how many visits you can have in a month or year, but as long as you consider that, you can try out each provider you have an interest in.

Step 4: Go to an appointment

Once you've made appointments, you need to follow through and go to them. It can be scary to see a mental health specialist for the first time but remember they are there to help you. If you need to, ask a friend or relative to accompany you to your appointments. They can sit in the waiting room or even join you at the appointment. Having a support system in place may make it easier to get started.

Notice how you get along with the primary care specialist

At the appointment, notice how you get along with the specialist. Are they friendly? Do they listen? Do you feel comfortable talking with them even if the topics are hard? Could you see yourself coming back? These are very important questions to ask yourself because seeing a mental health specialist is not a one-and-done deal. You want to build a relationship with this person and see them as a confidant and helper during the hard times.

Step 5: Decide the type of therapy that's right for you and your health care needs

Many different mental health specialists may be listed in your referral list from friends, family, doctors, and your insurance. Like doctors specialize in different medicine, counselors, and therapists can also specialize in different therapies, disorders, and even age groups. You may see a couple of mental health specialists who vary in training and technique, so now is the time to pick which one fits you best.

Different mental health professionals

Some of the different mental health specialists are psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and mental health counselors. Psychiatrists are the only mental health counselors that can prescribe medication. They are considered to be medical doctors. Psychologists also have a doctoral degree, but it's in psychology. They can diagnose mental health conditions but cannot prescribe medications. Social workers and counselors all have master's degrees in their field. They can diagnose mental health conditions like psychologists but don't have doctoral training. If schooling and years of training are important to you, you may go with a psychologist or psychiatrist, though some psychiatrists do not do counseling when prescribing medication. Clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and mental health counselors are all very good options and aren't seen as lesser than psychologists. The biggest difference is in the years of school.

Consider the kind of treatment suited for your health care needs

When seeing specialists in mental health, you will also consider what kind of treatment fits best for you. Depending on what you respond to and your needs, there are different therapy options for you. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that helps you develop healthy beliefs about yourself and enables you to take healthy actions to make changes. Interpersonal therapy focuses on your relationships with others, while family therapy focuses on family dynamics. Art therapy helps you heal through the arts, whether that's painting, drawing, dancing, singing, or whatever you like. There is also talk therapy, where you work through your issues by talking them through with your specialist.

 Step 6: Keep going back to your mental health professional for return appointments

Once you've chosen the specialist in mental health that you are most comfortable with, make return appointments. Hopefully, you will build a relationship with them and get the help you need to succeed in this world. Counseling is nothing to be ashamed of. You will find that once you've found the right specialist, you'll often tell others how much they've helped you.

 One more thing

The steps laid out are for traditional therapy sessions. But what if you aren't sure that's what you want and you also can't rely on the results for "mental health counselor near me" when you randomly searched online? For some, sitting in a room with a stranger to talk about their feelings brings up more anxiety than it's worth. There's good news for you: there are other options.

Therapy options with a mental health professional

If it's the one-on-one part that bothers you, there are group therapy and self-help support groups. Being around like-minded individuals may help you to open up about what's going on with you. It also takes the spotlight off of you and puts it onto the group as a whole.

If you don't want to talk at all in person, some specialists do phone sessions or video sessions. There's also chat therapy. Chat therapy gives you the option to speak with a counselor 100% online through text. You never have to see your counselor's face, but they will advise you through a chat forum.

This type of therapy is available for individuals and couples. Individuals who start and want to add a partner later can do so if they are interested after the sessions have begun. If this sounds like something that might interest you, go to  www.regain.us/start to learn more information.

Takeaway

We hope this has made it easier for you to find a specialist in mental health. You deserve to live a full and joyful life.