When faced with an emotional crisis it is often a daunting task to seek help from a professional. Just picking up the phone to call someone you don’t know can be an excruciating task for someone who is distressed. Trying to decide where to call is another difficulty for someone who has never reached out for help before. Who should I see? A psychiatrist? Psychologist? Social worker? Mental health counselor? What are the differences between all these professions?! How do I choose who or what agency to call? Hopefully this article will answer some of these questions and be helpful to anyone considering accessing care for emotional distress.

For a person who is unfamiliar with the array of service providers to choose from, here are very brief descriptions of the licensed providers who are commonly available locally.

¯ Psychiatrist: This is a medical doctor who can diagnose, treat and prescribe medications for mental health disorders.

¯ Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner: These are licensed practitioners who can also prescribe medication and diagnose mental health disorders. They work under the supervision of a licensed physician.

¯ Psychologist: There are Ph.D.’s, Psy.D.’s who have doctoral degrees (have the title of Dr.) but they cannot (currently) prescribe medications. They can provide psychotherapy/counseling and some will also do specific psychological testing and assessments.

¯ Social Worker: This practitioner is licensed either as LMSW or LCSW. The LMSW can provide counseling under the supervision of an approved LCSW. An LCSW can also diagnose mental health disorders as well as provide treatment.

¯ Mental Health Counselor: In New York State a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) can provide counseling but cannot diagnose a mental disorder.

A good place to start when seeking services is actually to contact your insurance provider to find out the specific agencies or providers who are going to accept your insurance. That can sometimes narrow the options down for you. You can also check with your employer if you have or to see if you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which provides you with a certain number of free sessions under your EAP benefits. An EAP referral will link you to qualified providers in that network or provide referral resource information. Family Service of the Chautauqua Region provides EAP contracted services to many companies in the area. (Our EAP services include much more than just counseling sessions too.)

You can also ask your primary care physician for recommendations and to make a referral for you. You can seek “word of mouth” referrals from everyone you are comfortable asking. You could also ask the counseling staff working in your school district (especially if you are seeking help for your child). They are very familiar with a wide variety of counselors and agencies. You can also do searches on the internet and the old fashioned yellow pages.

When doing online searches be wary of review sites. They are not actually fact checking those reviews. Just like any product reviews anywhere, there may be “fake” positive reviews to encourage more business and “fake” negative reviews to try to reduce the competition. Sadly, even in a profession built upon the development of a trusted relationship, these things are happening.

The best way to determine if a counselor is a “good fit” for you is to either speak with the person directly by phone before making an appointment or if you are being seen at an agency where you are given a first appointment available, you can make a decision after your meet. Important questions you may want to ask are: “How can I contact you outside of office hours if I need help?” “Does someone cover for you if you are on vacation?” “What experience do you have treating issues like mine?” “Do you have a professional license?” The most important thing to indicate a good therapeutic relationship is your comfort level while talking with the provider. Do you feel understood? Are you at ease sharing your personal information with this person? Do you feel supported? Are your concerns being taken seriously?

Not all providers will be a “good fit”. Even if someone is recommended highly but you just don’t feel comfortable or understood, this may not be the best person for you. Everyone is different and what works for another person may not be what works best for you. Providers do understand this. If you feel things are not right for you, it is perfectly okay to let the provider know your concerns. Some agencies may be able to accommodate a transfer to another therapist within the agency and others may not. If they are unable perhaps you will be able to work together on making progress by communicating openly. If that is not possible you certainly can choose to transfer your care to another agency/provider.

Research has shown that after about 6 sessions you should be beginning to make some progress and at least feel that you are getting the support you need if managing a chronic stressor. Many therapists do a check in with you at the end of the session to ask you what you found helpful and what you did not so they are making a point of providing treatment that is tailored to your specific needs. If you are not asked, feel free to let the provider know these things anyway!

At Family Service of the Chautauqua Region, callers are asked routine triage questions and treatment preferences. The information may be reviewed by the Clinical Director to recommend an appropriate provider. If we do not have the right person available, we will refer the caller to other recommended providers to choose from.

If you are ever in need of services do not hesitate to contact our office at 488-1971. Our agency mission is to strengthen the mental health and well-being of individuals, families and our community. Therefore, we want to link people with the right services to accomplish that mission!