[PsychoactivE]

Hi everybody. Dont' know if you remember be, some time ago I came here for help for my girlfriend, which frequently has depressions, and feels miserable very often.

Finally she seems to have got the courage to find professional help, the problem now is where to find it. We don't know anyone who can indicate us a good psychologist, so she called a psychologist from an advertisement we got in the mail. The ad says the problems she can treat, which I think were pretty much everything (including depression), for people of all ages. The prices were 65€ (about 80$ US) for the first consultation, and 35€ (43$) for the other ones, and 75€ (94$) for an evaluation of the degree of the problem (I'm not sure what that is).

Just from a look at this information, does everything seem alright? I did find the prices pretty expensive, but does more expensive usually mean better? Any other ideias for help (not in the US, I'm from Portugal)?

I'll really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

[bptoo]

Hi PsychoactivE,

Welcome back and I hope everything is well with you. Courage was the perfect word to use to describe your girlfriend's decision to get professional help. For a lot of us, the hardest thing can be reaching out to others.

I'm not sure how I feel about this psychologist. I have a therapist, and I've only had one. I'm very lucky in that respect. I have heard of people going to see a psychologist or a therapist for free on the first consultation, but I've never heard of anyone being charged so much. The $43 for the other visits is a lot more reasonable, especially if you don't have insurance. But what got the lights flashing and the bells ringing for me was the $94 for the evaluation of the degree of the problem. If I'm reading that right, it's just a simple determination of what type of disorder she has, and how severe it is. There shouldn't be an increase in the rates just to be given a diagnosis

I'm one of the most trusting people you'll ever meet, but an alarm goes off inside me when I think that something is a scam. And I feel that way about this. I hope I'm wrong, but if I was you, I would shop around a bit. Talk to some other Mental Health care professionals, find out what they charge, and what services they offer. It could be so devastating to your girlfriend to get involved with this person only to find out that they just wanted her money and could care less about her.

Remember, I could be totally wrong. I'm just going with a gut feeling here. I hope everything works out for the best for both of you. Please keep in touch?

bp

"When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."

[kvinneakt]

my guess is the first session is twice as long, hence twice the price.

I thought Portugal had socialized medicine.

<font color=blue>[b] Wherever you go, there you are[b]<font color=blue>

[PsychoactivE]

Thanks everbody I guess I'll try to contact other professionals to see which one seems best, maybe I'll look in the yellow pages. ozzie, no, it is not very typical to get this kind of advertisement in the mail, first time I remember getting one.

Sorry for my ignorance but, what to you mean by socializing medicine? And what's the difference between a psychologist and a therapist?

[Rapunzel]

Those rates sound a little bit lower than what I would expect around here, but the most important thing is how you (or she) feel about the therapist and whether you feel like you can trust them and they use approaches that work for you. I'd be a little suspicious of getting an advertisement for that in the mail, and would make sure to check around.

A psychologist can be a therapist, but not all are. A therapist is someone who does therapy. Psychologists can also work in other positions. And therapists might be anyone who does therapy, including people who got their degrees in social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, or other things. The liscensure requirements to be a therapist probably vary from country to country, so it might not mean exactly the same thing where you are as it does here either.

I wish you well in finding someone who will be good for her. Sometimes it takes more than one try, so if any therapist is not working out, remember it is an option to find someone else instead.

<font color=green>"Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible" Carl Jung</font color=green>

[inkblot]

Personally and speaking for my area, I'd be more cautious of doctors who advertise by mail. I suggest looking up names with you local licensing board, word of mouth, and also to contact the psych unit of a local hospital or two and ask the staff there. Nurses can be of tremendous value and should be thought of as a great resource for someone looking for a doctor of any kind. Who better than to ask for a referral from that someone who really knows what the doctor is like personally, and what the patients think of the doctor! Hope this helps, and good for your girlfriend in seeking therapy. She must be very special. You are obviously care alot about and are a true friend to her.

[(JD)]

Don't initial consultations take longer like 1 to 1 & 1/2 times longer than regular sessions? Maybe also fee for any testing used... Just a thot

[yokus]

My psychologist charges $100 an hour and the psychologist I had before charged the same. Luckily, I have insurance that covers all but $15. I've never heard of getting something like that through the mail and wouldn't trust it. Your primary care physician can also recommend someone and your hospital can usually refer you to someone who specializes in the area that you need. It's great that she's wanting to get help. I hope everything works out. I know from recent experience that it can be very nervewracking trying to find a new therapist.

[PsychoactivE]

Thanks everybody for your opinions, they are truly helpful.

I have been searching the internet and found another therepist from a portuguese psychology site, which seems a little more trustworthy to me, in this therapist's site, it shows that he had good grades when studyed, has already written a book on woman's depression, participated on a debate on tv, and some other things like that. The only thing I didn't like much is that he is still quite new, only finished studying a little more than a year ago, and is 24 years old, is this a bad thing? Maybe being new he probably cares more about his patients, but on the other hand has less experience.

I sent an e-mail to his clinic asking about the prices, they said that prices vary (might be consultation or psychotherapy), but for this situation it should be 51$ for psycotherapy per sessions of 45 minutes, and said something about the first session having a different price, although they didn't say what price it could be, I guess it depends...

Does this one seem better? When I get back from my "vacation" I'll try looking in the hospital.