[Wonderfalls]

I'm going to have to be looking for a new therapist. I've read all the things I can find about what traits to look for, checking if you click...But how do I untangle all the kinds of therapy qualifications? There are PhD, PsyD, LCP, NP, CBA, LCSW, and ARNP categories just in my insurance list.

I just want someone to check in with me every week or two and see how things are going and also to make sure I'm not missing early symptoms of mania or depression. I don't know, for example, that I should therefore look for someone who's more trained in BP or more experienced in dealing with it or who has just gotten to be able to read me better.

How did you all decide where to start when you picked your therapists?

[Lauliza]

The letters after the name don't really Illustrate qualifications as well as one might think. If medication is involved, then I might try the APRN. They can prescribe meds buy are also trained in therapy (more so than a psychiatrist). They will also see you more often than a psychiatrist will because of the therapy focus, which is nice.

If meds aren't an issue than any licensed Clinician can help, although if you are mainly interested in a check in for symptoms, a PhD or Psyd may be a good choice. They are often trained in a "medical" setting and tend to see mental illness from a biological perspective.

If actual therapy is what you want then whether they have a doctorate or a masters degree doesn't matter. PhDs do not receive more training in the technicalities of therapy, they just have more supervised training. So if you are considering a novice, this makes a difference. Once they've surpassed a certain number of years in experience, it levels out and doesn't make a much, if any, difference. An LCSW, LICSW, MFT and LMHC are all masters level clinicians and therapy is their focus. The defining difference will be the kind of experience each has. Where they they have been employed and what kind of population they work with is important. Also, you might notice that therapist profiles often have long lists of "specialties", which is misleading. A real specialist has a shorter list and more specific client base, which I think would be what you might prefer. Otherwise it just comes down to someone bring a good fit in terms of personality that you feel confortable opening up to. If they listen to you, are intelligent and focus on you an not only your diagnosis, they will be a decent T.

[therapyishelping777]

For me , I had read a book talking about relationships and psychodynamic and knew that is what I wanted and was missing in other therapies, I also had bad luck with lpc,and lsw, so I knew I wanted a psychologist, so I went with a psy.d . I asked him what to look for when looking for my daughter, he said the credentials don't matter as much as the "fit".. between two people. My "fit" with T didn't happen right away, but I knew the first time, he was good so I continued to give it a chance and super glad I did, because soon I knew he was the BEST! My lifecoach is also a lmft however, and is also excellent and a great fit,, we talk about more practical things, goals, etc, not delving into past but working towards future.. but there, different credentials but also good. I agree with my T.. a good fit is very important!!

[stopdog]

There are many articles out there on the differences. Here is one:
Differences: LCSW, MFT, PhD, PsyD, 'MFTI', 'Coaches' - Gay Therapy LA

[Victoria'smom]

I'd go with years of experience.

[dizzydoo]

Originally Posted by Miguel'smom

I'd go with years of experience.

I agree, experience is more valuable than qualifications.

although experienced therapists can become apathetic and burned out. I think it can be just luck getting a therapist who doesn't end up hurting you worse. Maybe contact a few on the phone or through email and see how it goes from there. See if there is someone you click with. Although I'm not really sure what "clicking" with onemeans, but people here talk about that a lot.

[thesnowqueen]

Originally Posted by puzzle_bug1987

although experienced therapists can become apathetic and burned out. I think it can be just luck getting a therapist who doesn't end up hurting you worse. Maybe contact a few on the phone or through email and see how it goes from there. See if there is someone you click with. Although I'm not really sure what "clicking" with onemeans, but people here talk about that a lot.

Well, I had my first T for about 5 years and she gave me some very necessary support. However, I reflected, at various points, on the fact that I would never befriend a person like her. Just something about her personality... In retrospect I think it was that she was often condescending; but there were other things - like she was not philosophically very adept and was quite low on a sense of humour. These are qualities that are important to me and I think I would have progressed faster if I had looked for someone that was more of a "fit".

[LonesomeTonight]

Agreed that it's not about their specific degree. I think it's more about whether you connect with them, which you can only find out if you try meeting with them.

To help narrow it down, you can search by location, specialties, type of therapy, etc. on here: https://therapists.psychologytoday.c...r=Hdr_SubBrand

[therapyishelping777]

psychology today IS a great source to start with , thats where I found mine..