National Domestic Violence Awareness Project

Process This: Getting the Most Out of Therapy

hellyeahscarleteen:

hellyeahscarleteen:

We’ve got a shiny new article out designed to help you navigate therapy and find a set-up that fits your needs! The quote below is a sample, and you can read the rest of the piece here.

What does screening a therapist look like once you’re in the room with a therapist? Think of it like being on a first date with someone. You’re looking for information about their approach to mental health, and you’re also feeling out how compatible (or incompatible) you two are. Helpful questions to ask (which you can also ask via email or phone) include:

• What is their treatment philosophy and what methods of intervention do they prefer? There is more than one kind of therapy in the world, and most counselors have a preferred set of techniques they use with clients. They’re also going to have a framework from which they operate, one that influences what they think the causes (and solutions) of mental illness are, how they perceive trauma, and how savvy they are on issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation. You want to find out what that framework is because a mismatch between their philosophy and yours makes for a rocky relationship. You also want to use this meeting to see of the methods of intervention they use are ones that you can stand. Talk therapy, where you sit and tell the therapist your troubles and they nod sympathetically, is what most people picture when they hear the word therapy. For some people, it’s great, while for others talk therapy makes them want to flip a table in frustration. If you’re the table-flipping category and the therapist you meet with says they utilize talk therapy, you can ask them if there are other approaches the two of you could use. The therapist may know how to do those and, if not, should be able to help you find someone who uses alternative methods of counseling. If, in their answer to this question they use terms you don’t understand, you have every right to ask for clarification. The better you understand where they’re coming from in how they view mental health, the easier it will be to tell if they’re the right counselor for you.
• What will the timing of sessions be? Once a week? Once a month? If a therapist’s schedule only allows them to see you once every three weeks and you need support every week, that’s a sign that this may not be the best fit.
• What is their protocol in case of emergency? If you find yourself in a crisis and you’re five days away from seeing them, what is the therapist’s preferred plan of action? Some therapists are open to you contacting them while you’re in crisis, while others prefer to have you call a crisis hotline. Not only will this question tell you about how they view their role in your treatment and if it meshes with your view on their role, it’s also helpful to know the plan for a crisis well before a crisis comes.
• What is the payment plan? Find out from your potential therapist when they expect to be paid, both in terms of frequency (paying on each visit vs. paying for a months worth of visits) and in terms of when during the session you’re expected to pay. If money is scarce for you, ask them if they have options in place for clients who need to pay in small installments. If you’re using insurance to access therapy, you’ll want to ask them what happens if your insurance suddenly disappears. If their expectations around payment don’t align with your financial situation, then that eliminates them as a resource.

It’s #suicidepreventionweek, and we wanted to share our resource on finding a mental healthcare provider who fits your needs.