Finding a Therapist

Hi, I see many people here talking about finding a therapist or a prescription doctor to talk to. I think I am young for that but maybe talking to someone can be helpful. How do I find a good doctor if I don't know anyone where I live?

Of course, I don't know where you live, or how mental health services are provided there. But where I live about all most psychiatrists do is to prescribe & monitor psych med's. Any-&-all discussion regarding a person's mental health concerns is left to mental health therapists. So in getting into this, one thing it may be important to be clear about is what you're looking for in terms of services & what type of mental health professional provides those services where you live.

Here are links to 6 articles, from Psych Central's archives, that talk about how to find a good therapist plus 1 on how to find a good psychiatrist:

How to Choose a Therapist and Other Questions about Psychotherapy

How Do You Find a Good Therapist? An Interview with Dr. John Grohol

10 Ways to Find a Good Therapist

More on How to Find a Good Therapist: First Contact

How to Find a Good Therapist

https://psychcentral.com/lib/your-fi...dium=popular17

https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-do...-psychiatrist/

How young are you, isotrope010? Perhaps your parents could help you with that. Have you tried to search some therapists near you on the Internet? Maybe that could help. Perhaps some members here could help you if you told them where you live. I hope you'll find what you're looking for. Therapy is important and can help a lot. Please don't give up. Feel free to PM me anytime. Let me know if I can do something to help you. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. Sending many hugs to you

One thing where I live that's typically the first recommendation is to go through your insurance provider's list. At least you can sift through first, who takes your insurance. Then start making phone calls to see who is currently accepting new clients.

Usually doctors can tell where to find the right help, even school nurses or work nurses can help at finding a therapist or at least find some phone number.

Im 16 and im a smart kid. Thats what my dad says but my not my teachers. i get in trouble at school. When anybody starts a fight with me I get detention and also I get held back all the time. Ive been held back three times and people think im dumb because of it. Im awesome at science but I am not aloud to “experiment” anymore because in science class I exploded a beaker trying to prove the textbook is written wrong. I didn’t do it on purpose, i mean I didn’t want to blow anything up, I was following directions like they were written. I told the teacher and then I fainted.

I went to the school nurse and she talked to the principal.

Okay, so 16 ought to be to your advantage in that this is the age in most jurisdictions that one can legally make their own decisions and be responsible for their own health. What this basically means is that you don't need to have your parents' permission to do things like make appointments, see doctor's, and seek treatment options. It also means that what goes on between you and health practitioners is private. Even if your parents were to demand information from your doctor for example, by law that doctor is not allowed to divulge anything.

So here is my opinion of what to do. You have options.

First of all find out if the age of 16 is in fact the age of medical responsibility.

Make an appointment then with your family doctor. They will evaluate you and make referrals if necessary to mental health professionals on your behalf. This may be to a psychiatrist, this may be to a psychologist (therapists for the most part).

Option 2. Talk to your school guidance counsellor. There are a number of things they can do for you - at your own discretion and authorisation. If you would like, they can talk to your parents on your behalf. They can also assist you with making appointments if you are unable to do so yourself. So too can they get the ball rolling when it comes to evaluations and find for you therapy. Most school boards these days have in house psychologists which your guidance counsellor can link you up with.

Option 3. Find some mental health organisation or group. There should be in your area an mental health association. Look too for youth support groups.

Option 4. You always have at your disposal hot lines to find someone to talk to about this.