Therapy

What is therapy?

According to the article, What is Therapy, therapy is the process of meeting with a trained licensed mental health practitioner or a psychologist to address and resolve interpersonal and intrapersonal issues such as unhelpful behaviors, relationship issues, and even somatic responses (sensations in the body). Choosing to speak about your issues can be scary but it can also be a transformative step in processing obstacles and issues.

Should You see a therapist or a psychologist?

When deciding whether you need to see a therapist or a psychologist, there are a couple of things to note. Both therapists and psychologists perform similar tasks when it comes to providing clinical therapy to clients and patients. The differences between the two lies in the length of schooling and focus.

Therapists

Therapists will typically work a broader scope of individuals. Many of their clients will include families and couples with relationship issues, patients with chronic pain issues, and individuals with OCD. Many providers use a wide variety of treatment modalities and holistic approaches in order to help provide treatment and clarity.

Many of the issues therapists will work with the following issues:

  • ADHD
  • Adoption
  • Alcohol Use
  • Anger Management
  • Anxiety
  • Asperger’s Syndrome
  • Autism
  • Behavioral Issues
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Career Counseling
  • Child
  • Chronic Impulsivity
  • Chronic Pain
  • Chronic Relapse
  • Codependency
  • Coping Skills
  • Depression
  • Developmental Disorders
  • Divorce
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Domestic Violence
  • Drug Abuse
  • Dual Diagnosis
  • Emotional Disturbance
  • Family Conflict
  • Gambling
  • Grief
  • Infidelity
  • Life Coaching
  • Life Transitions
  • Marital and Premarital
  • Peer Relationships
  • Relationship Issues
  • Stress
  • Substance Use
  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Trauma and PTSD
  • Women’s Issues

Psychologists

Psychologists typically will work more complex and nuanced cases.  Psychologists may also choose to specialize in one or more topics during their schooling. Some of the specializations include:

  • Clinical Psychology.
    • The focus is typically on assessing, diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.
  • Forensic Psychology.
    • The focus is typically involved with legal matters such as custody disputes, insurance claims, and lawsuits.
  • School Psychology.
    • The focus is typically involves working with children in regard to developmental disabilities, behavioral issues, crises issues, substance use issues, and academic issues.
  • Geriatric Psychology
    • The focus is on aiding the geriatric population with the unique challenges they may face such as reduced quality of life, cognition changes, grief, and adapting to various life situations.

Information regarding additional specialties can be found here.

Finding a Provider

There are many types of therapy as well as ways to receive services. Many providers have been able to expand the way patients receive services. Along with the traditional in-person therapy, patients are now able to see providers using a phone and electronic communications.

A good resource that allows individuals looking for therapy is Psychology Today. The site allows individuals to customize their search on a wide variety of factors. When looking for a therapist, it is important to consider insurance, age demographic, and issues that the provider is knowledgeable about.

Find A Therapist