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INDEX In an Emergency Terms and Agreements About Our Public Service Therapist Degrees Titles and Comparisons ADVICE ON HOW TO CALL and Interview for The Right Therapist Your Feedback about Therapists and Comments on our Public Service Back to Top of Page _______________________________________________________________________________________ IN AN EMERGENCY Immediately call 911 or a mental health hotline that may be listed at the beginning of your phone book, or go directly to a hospital emergency room. Back to INDEX Back to Top of Page _______________________________________________________________________________________ TERMS AND AGREEMENTS Your use of this public service including the resource links to APA American Psychological Association or AAMFT American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy affirms your understanding and acceptance of the following: ATA provides this free service in good faith. Due to the complex nature of client-therapist dynamics, the counseling psychotherapy process and providing public services in general, it is reasonable that ATA cannot be certain about the results of utilizing therapy or other services provided by member therapists or using this public service in general and that the Executive Director, Associate Directors, Assistants, Staff, Consultants or Webmaster cannot be held legally responsible for what transpires before, during or after the course of such utilization or utilization related to the resources referenced above. Back to INDEX Back to Top of Page _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABOUT OUR PUBLIC SERVICE Choosing a therapist is too important to be left to chance. So ATA is dedicated to providing all the information you need to make an informed choice. We provide this free public service to help you be knowledgeable and confident in finding an outstanding therapist for personal couple sex marital family child group testing counseling psychotherapy. In the next sections, we provide information on Therapist Degrees Titles and Comparisons and Advice on How To Call and Interview for The Right Therapist. Back to INDEX Back to Top of Page _______________________________________________________________________________________ THERAPIST DEGREES Titles and Comparisons Before making your choice, it's important to understand the similarities and differences between psychological health practitioners. Doctoral Degree Therapists are known by the following title and initials: Psychologist, PhD, PsyD, EdD. Medical Doctor Therapists are known by the following title and initials: Psychiatrist, MD. Masters Degree Therapists are known by the following titles and initials: Marriage And Family Therapist, MFT; Clinical Social Worker, MSW; Professional Counselor, MA, MS, MSN, MEd. Since Masters Therapists have expertise in psychological problems as well as relationship issues, they are generally described as Psychotherapists. Though all the above practitioners can similarly be called therapists psychotherapists counselors, Psychologists tend to be more disorder/ relationship oriented; Psychiatrists are more disorder/medication oriented; Masters Therapists are more life problem/relationship oriented. If medication is considered, Psychologists and Masters Therapists continue as your therapist and refer you to their consulting Psychiatrist for a medication evaluation. Only Psychiatrists and other MDs can prescribe medication. Psychological testing is an expertise provided by many Psychologists. Back to INDEX Back to Top of Page _______________________________________________________________________________________ ADVICE ON HOW TO CALL and Interview for The Right Therapist Click to find Connecticut Therapists for your review. We advise you to select two or more therapists and call them for a brief interview. Therapists frequently receive inquiries and are pleased to give you a few minutes of their time on the phone. Be sure to talk directly with the therapist. If they are busy, they should soon return your call. Talking with their receptionist, instead, will not give you the intuitive sense you need to make the right choice. And in the unlikely event a therapist is not responsive, trust your intuition and move on to reviewing other therapists. We have designed for you an interview that is brief and comfortable while highly informative. Asking SOME or ALL of the questions can help you effectively choose The Right Therapist. TO BEGIN THE INTERVIEW - simply say something like "I heard about you through the American Therapy Association website, and I'd like to ask a few brief questions about your services." 1 - What is your fee per session? Most therapists charge $100 to $150 per session no matter how many people attend with you. Psychiatrists having medical and medication expertise tend to charge higher. If you qualify under financial hardship, ask the therapist whether they can help you on a sliding fee scale. If you have insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, ask if the therapist accepts them. 2 - How many minutes is your session? Most therapists provide 45, 50, 55 or 60 minutes per session. 3 - Is your therapy office located in an office building or in your home? Be sure you feel comfortable with the location. 4 - Ask any questions about personal requirements. For example, Does your office have wheelchair access? 5 - What areas do you specialize in? Get a sense whether the therapist has the appropriate expertise to effectively help you with your issues. 6 - How long have you been in private practice? Of course the more experience a therapist has, the more effective they may be. But also consider related experience prior to their private practice. 7 - Do you focus more on connections with the past and the family, or on present thoughts, feelings and behaviors? Get a sense whether their therapy approach can effectively help you with your issues. 8 - Do you provide any training or techniques to achieve specific goals? Get a sense whether the therapist can help you learn to improve specific life skills, for example, how to handle stress, anger or communication. 9 - Do you tend to listen and offer careful insights, or be more interactive through frequent feedback, or directive by challenging and confronting more? Get a sense whether their therapy style can work effectively with you. 10 - What hours do you have openings? Upon choosing a therapist, be sure to reserve an opening within a week or two. Though it may not be on the day or time you prefer, the therapist will accommodate you as soon as possible. WE THANK YOU in advance for remembering to tell the therapist how you heard about them through the American Therapy Association website. TO END THE INTERVIEW - simply say something like "I appreciate your time, and when my research is complete I may call you to schedule an appointment." IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS - trust your intuition. The therapist you feel the most comfortable with and who sounds the most competent is the one we would recommend as the right choice. And in the unlikely event, after one or more visits you believe the therapist is not the right choice, feel free to discontinue. You can always review more therapists until you are satisfied with your choice. OUR BEST WISHES TO YOU in carefully choosing The Right Therapist. Back to INDEX Back to Top of Page _______________________________________________________________________________________ CONTACT US YOUR FEEDBACK about Therapists and Comments on our Public Service After you have talked by phone or met with a therapist from our approved selection, feel free to present us your feedback. Feedback is voluntary and handled with confidentiality and the utmost sensitivity. Feedback helps ATA promote consumer protection, professional accountability, ethical business practice, effective therapy research and quality satisfaction. Email: feedback@americantherapyassociationATA.org Back to INDEX Back to Top of Page _________________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2003-2011 American Therapy Association ATA Registered Trademark ® |
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