What Kind of Therapy is Best for Me?
Peak Psychological Services / Sillon Wellness
Don't Just Feel Better, Get Better!
Who can provide therapy? Are there different types of therapy?
Before we can talk about the different types of therapy, we need to talk about the different types of therapists. Similar to the military, there are different “branches” of psychology: Social Workers, Psychologists, Professional Counselors, and Marriage & Family Therapists. There are also Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners. However, more often than not, Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners tend to focus on providing medication management rather than therapy.
On the most basic level, all of these different “branches” of psychology work with you to improve your emotional and mental health. All of these mental health professionals will have a vast knowledge of principles and mental processes, and as a general rule, should be able to provide a diagnosis of your specific issues. They will serve as active listeners while also meeting with you regularly to provide personalized guidance and treatment that focuses on your goals in order to help you understand and overcome your mental, emotional, relational, and behavioral struggles.
Additionally, all therapists should hold a current license and be in good standing with your state board/regulatory body. To become licensed, all therapists are required to complete several thousand hours of training as a student, intern, or associate.
Therapists & Types of Therapy
Social Workers were one of the first groups within the 1920s public health movement to start focusing on mental health. 1 Social Workers are trained to perform individualtherapy on adults, group therapy, and crisis intervention, with a particular emphasis on connecting people with their community and the support services available to them. 2 Social Workers can have a bachelor’s degree (LBSW), but to provide clinical services such as therapy, they must have a master’s degree (LMSW or LCSW).
Social Workers usually focus on providing these types of therapy:
Psychologists focus on all aspects of human behavior, with an emphasis on research and scientific methods. A Psychologist may choose to work with children or adults in therapy. In the United States, Psychologists complete a doctorate in psychology and receive training in clinical settings. The educational requirements to work in clinical psychology are quite rigorous, and most psychologists spend between four to six years in graduate school after earning a bachelor's degree and master’s degree. After completing their doctoral degree requirements, they graduate with either a PhD, PsyD, or EdD.
Psychologists usually focus on providing these types of therapy:
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Professional Counselors provide therapy for adults, families, and groups,treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders with a specific emphasis on gaining a deeper understanding of human growth and development. Most Professional Counselors also have training in providing trauma therapy. The educational requirements for Professional Counselors include completing a master’s level degree in Counseling and intense clinical training oriented toward a truly client-centered, and not primarily illness-centered, approach to therapy. 4 The licensure they commonly hold is an LPC or LCPC.
Professional Counselors usually focus on providing these types of therapy:
Marriage & Family Therapists focus on family dynamics, family patterns, and family members to assess and address problems within children, adults, couples, and families. Marriage & Family Therapists are master’s level mental health professionals and are licensed (MFT or LMFT) to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of individuals, couples, and family systems. They treat the interpersonal and relational aspects of human behavior, as well as the social contexts in which problems occur and often use a goal-oriented therapy approach to help clients recognize how their beliefs and feelings affect their actions and relationships.
Marriage & Family Therapists usually focus on providing these types of therapy:
A Note About Life Coaches While some people may place the social occupation of a Life Coach under another “branch” of psychology, Life Coaches are not governed by any federal or state board and do not require licensing. At this time, there is no widely accepted minimum educational requirement to become a Life Coach, although advanced degrees in life coaching or human services are available. Life Coaches can help you with specific problems like setting long-range objectives for personal improvement, learning organizational skills, or setting specific goals for your career advancement. However, they are not qualified to diagnose mental health disorders or provide mental health care services such as therapy.
How Do I Choose?
As you can see, most licensed therapists undergo similar education and training. If you’re looking for a therapist to help you make positive changes in your life, try to look beyond baseline credentials. Focus instead on understanding what you want and don’t want in a therapist. Research shows that the mostimportant aspect of great therapy is if you and your therapist are a good fit for one another. Additionally, a good therapist-client match is an important predictor of successful therapy
Take time to research therapists in your area. Oftentimes, therapists will undergo additional training and create an expertise or treatment focus beyond their required education and training. For example, therapists may obtain training in EMDR or Play Therapy. You want to feel comfortable with your therapist’s years of experience and area of expertise, and also with their personality, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, office surroundings, and scheduling availability. Therapy is a highly individualized and personal service, and we want to help you feel that you are sharing your mental and emotional health concerns with the right therapist. A consideration we recommend is that you assess how comfortable you feel being open and vulnerable with your chosen therapist after three sessions. Again, the most important thing to remember when choosing a therapist is that you find one who meets your unique needs. We hope you find the healing and validation you deserve as you continue on your therapy journey. If you would like to visit with one of the skilled therapists at Peak Psychological Services, we would be honored to work with you by listening to your story and creating personalized goals for you. There is a bridge that crosses over from where you are now to where you want to be and we would be honored to help you find it.
Written by: Amanda Riddle, LMFT