Choosing the best therapist for you

SALT LAKE CITY — So you want to find a therapist.

The task of selecting someone in whom to confide can be daunting — so daunting that perhaps you decide it's just not worth navigating Google to try and find that perfect person.

But wait! Don't give up before you have even started. Here's a quick guide to choosing the best therapist for you.

To start, we will explore the five kinds of mental health licenses.

It's important to note that all mental health professionals are exposed to a large range of issues and treatment methods, and there is a lot of similarity between the professions. In fact, research demonstrates no difference between the mental health professions in effectiveness of treating issues.

The descriptions below are general examples of mental health training programs and do not encompass the extended training and supervised practice individual therapists may attain during and after graduation from their programs of study.

1. Psychiatrist: One who went through medical school and has a medical degree (MD or DO). He/she can prescribe medicine and often spends most of their time doing medication management as opposed to practicing talk therapy. To learn more about psychiatry visit the American Psychiatric Association website.
2. Psychologist: Generally educated to the doctoral level (PhD, PsyD or EdD) in mental/emotional functioning. Generally speaking, during their education psychologists tend to gain the most exposure to the major mental health diagnoses (such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia) compared to the other professions. To learn more about psychology, visit the American Psychological Association website.
3. Clinical Social Worker: Can be at times confusing for consumers because there are bachelor-level social workers and non-clinical master's-level social workers, both of which are not usually licensed to practice mental health therapy. While clinical social workers are generally master's-level clinicians (MSW), there are some who choose to get a doctorate (PhD or DSW) in social work. While clinical social workers are exposed to major mental health diagnoses, their training often focuses on human growth and development and the individual's interaction with the society and culture. To learn more about social work, visit the National Assocation of Social Workers website.
4. Marriage and Family Therapist: Most often educated to the master's level (MS, MA, MEd), but there are some who have chosen to get a doctorate in the practice of marriage and family therapy (PhD or DMFT). Marriage and family therapists, like clinical social workers, tend to be exposed to the major mental health diagnoses. However, their training generally focuses much more on human development and relationships within families, including couples, children and the larger family system in therapy. To learn more about marriage and family therapy, visit the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy website.
5. Professional Counselor: A professional counselor is someone who is trained to the master's level (MS or MA). Training as a professional counselor is often broad, encompassing individual and group, career, school and rehabilitation counseling as well as some training in the major mental health diagnoses. To learn more about professional counselors, visit the American Counseling Assocation website. Now that you are fully versed in the different types of therapists, let me clarify that the different titles don’t matter quite as much as the following key considerations in selecting a therapist.- Is the person licensed (see descriptions above)? It's not difficult to find out if someone is licensed to practice mental health counseling in the state of Utah. Remember the unlicensed "marriage counselor" that was in the news for taking advantage of his female clients? The Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing licenses all mental health professionals and maintains a list for consumers to check on the license of individuals practicing mental health therapy. Click here to view the list.

• Is the licensed professional experienced in the issues you want to work on in therapy? Do not hesitate to call and ask the potential therapist questions. Some examples might be: Do you treat __________? What experience do you have with __________?
• Is the therapist genuine? When talking to the therapist over the phone or in person, is the therapist willing to answer your questions without beating around the bush? Is the therapist at ease talking to you, and are you at ease talking to the therapist? Sure, you may have anxiety about just going to see a therapist, but when talking with the therapist you will probably benefit most from one that is down to earth and easy to relate to. Be careful if the therapist seems cold, distant or full of him/herself. These are signs of someone that is less likely to listen to you and more likely to focus on his/herself in therapy.
• Do the therapist's fees fit in your budget? This consideration includes those who have insurance. If so, you should find out if the therapist accepts your insurance and/or whether or not your insurance will reimburse for services provided by them. Therapists in general do not have a standard rate that every therapist must charge. The therapist should be open about their normal rate and if they do have the ability to be flexible with their rate. Some therapists are willing to carry a limited client load at a reduced rate to help people who would not otherwise be able to afford therapy. Also, if your budget is really tight, you might consider looking in to local universities. Most universities with counseling programs have reduced fee counseling where the students practice therapy. Don't worry, they are very carefully supervised by their professors.
• Do you feel connected to the therapist? Research has demonstrated that the most important aspect of therapy in creating change is not the therapist’s license type or his/her place of training, but the relationship that you and the therapist build together. While you may not be able to say after a five-minute conversation, “I feel completely connected to this therapist,” you should feel like the therapist is someone you can open up to and with whom you would not mind sharing the most intimate parts of your life. Basically, you should like the therapist as a person as well as a doctor.
• Is the therapist helping you? Therapy is not like a wireless phone contract. There is no minimum time that you must maintain the therapeutic relationship. You may end therapy at any time for any reason. If you feel like the therapist is not helping you, you have the right to stop the relationship and transfer to a therapist that you feel might be more helpful for you. Therapy is for anyone. It is for your good. It is not a waste of money or time, because it will help you accomplish your goals. Don't choose someone just because they are the cheapest, their website is the prettiest or because they are listed on Google. You need to be ready to tell this person about your life. So be selective and choose your therapist wisely.

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