Therapist recommendations in Moorhead/Fargo area

May 5, 2011 6:40 PM

Looking for a good therapist in the Moorhead/Fargo area.

I'm asking for a friend, who's struggling with pretty bad depression. He's 21, male, and an atheist. The endless "how does that make you feel?" stuff has turned him off from therapy in the past. He says he needs someone who won't recommend religion or talk to him like he's a four-year-old with a boo boo on his knee. Does anyone have any recommendations?

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (3 answers total)

I think he'd have a wider range if he'd drive to Mpls/St. Paul. Is that possible?
posted by Ideefixe at 6:47 PM on May 5, 2011

I'm from the FM area, and unfortunately all I can say is stay out of Prairie.
posted by fake at 8:50 PM on May 5, 2011

Fargoan here, and over the years I and other family members have been to therapy at Southeast Human Services, which is part of North Dakota social services (if your friend is Minnesotan this might be an issue) for a variety of reasons from autism care to return-to-work therapy to regular counseling. The reason we go is that we can afford it due to sliding scales and such, even though we do have insurance. Our experience with the child therapy side is mixed, but Wifey is very pleased with the person she saw on the adult side. As it is a state-funded organization, your friend is unlikely to get religion pressure from the therapist...but therapy is going to be a lot of "how does that make you feel" any which way they go.

Also, "pretty bad depression" may be beyond a therapist's ability to help -- a psychiatrist and a prescription may do more help than just talking about feelings. Innovis/Essentia is my medical caretaker of preference when I can afford it; Merticare/Sanford has a pretty good psychiatric service, but I have only heard it second-hand. Prairie Psych is last-chance-before-something-horrible-happens level of care. Southeast does have psychiatrists on staff, but they're usually stretched pretty thin.

Also, even within one facility the quality of individual therapists varies, so if the first one assigned to your friend rubs them the wrong way they can ask to see somebody else. Encourage them to look beyond therapy, though, meds can be the critical difference between success and failure.
posted by AzraelBrown at 4:42 AM on May 6, 2011