Which mental health professional is best?

April 22, 2013 3:19 PM

Trying to locate a psychologist for a family member and I am confused by all the types of psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors that are listed. Please help me understand which medical professional would be most appropriate.

Combing through my state (Oklahoma's) licensed professionals, I find:

- Psychologists, regulated by the Board of Examiners. Most licensed individuals are PhDs, and their fields are divided into:

-- clinical psychologists

-- counselor psychologists

- Licensed practicing counselors (LPC), regulated by the state dept of health, and appear to have BS or MS requirements.

- Psychiatrists.

The problem here is debilitating depression. I think we are past the point of seeing a LPC as one was seen for over a year, but brought mixed results. The depression is pretty debilitating and not only is the family member wanting talk therapy for a trauma that happened 20+ years ago but the meds probably need to be fine tuned also. So in addition to which way to go, what is the difference between a clinical and counselor psychologist? I don't even know where to begin looking. Thanks.

posted by crapmatic to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

what is the difference between a clinical and counselor psychologist

It's mostly relevant to the profession's history, not to prospective clients.

Psychiatrists have the authority to prescribe; psychologists don't. The stereotype is that psychiatrists think psychologists are all talk, and psychologists think psychiatrists are pill-pushers, but that's a bit harsh.

What you probably want is some kind of integrated mental health practice that offers both psychiatric and psychological services.
posted by holgate at 3:29 PM on April 22, 2013 [2 favorites]

For medications, your family member needs to see a psychiatrist; psychiatrists have MDs and can prescribe medication.

If the family member is also looking for a weekly talk therapist, I'd start with asking the psychiatrist for a recommendation.

Depression is often called "the common cold" of mental health issues -- that is, all practitioners, at whatever licensed level, should be competent at treating it. There are, however, crappy therapists at all licensed levels. You might want to focus on finding a licensed therapist (Ph.D. level psychologist or LPC) who has expertise in working with trauma survivors.

And, in general, clinical psychologists focus on research and counseling psychologists focus on providing therapy.
posted by jaguar at 3:32 PM on April 22, 2013

in general, clinical psychologists focus on research

It's complicated by the various professional tracks that mix different elements of research and practice, but clinical psychologists definitely provide treatment and assessments. Experimental psychologists focus on research.
posted by holgate at 3:44 PM on April 22, 2013

For medication, you want a psychiatrist.

As for talk therapy - that could be a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, social worker, pastoral counselor etc. it's very provider dependent - in each discipline there are people who are really good at what they do, but it isn't always easy to find them. It never hurts to ask around and see who people recommend.
posted by ladypants at 3:45 PM on April 22, 2013

Psychiatrists are a separate branch altogether. They go through medical school and a 4 year residency program (and in some cases a fellowship training program as well). They are MDs. They can help with the meds. They talk, too, of course, but like most physicians, insurance companies don't pay them much for the talking part - so they generally are more time-limited than counselors or psychologists.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 3:56 PM on April 22, 2013

If your family member has health insurance you might want to look at the kind of mental health services it will pay for, and the therapists who accept that health insurance. The health insurance company's website should provide a list of people within their network. I helped a friend with this recently and we selected a few providers who mentioned they specialized in treating (among other things) depression. Then my friend narrowed them down by location/convenience, and then called to see if they were taking new clients. There are different forms of therapy and some people are particularly qualified to treat people who have suffered through traumas, even traumas that happened a long time ago.
posted by mareli at 5:45 PM on April 22, 2013

I have SAD and during some parts of the year it can be debilitating. I see a psychiatrist because he can prescribe, but he also does a short, talky checkup with me. If I'm having problems, we see each other often. When I'm doing okay on my own, twice a year is plenty.
posted by byjingo! at 10:39 AM on April 23, 2013