Psychotherapy is a very powerful and effective tool to address mental health conditions, symptoms or other persistent problems or concerns. Psychotherapy is an important and evidence-based intervention and is often a critical step towards improving your mental health and quality of life.
However, going to therapy or seeking out mental health treatment does not have to mean that something is “wrong” or that a mental health condition is present.
- Psychotherapy has the power to greatly improve your life and often results in increased self-awareness, acceptance, and personal growth
- Psychotherapy offers you protected time to learn about and work on yourself in order to achieve greater satisfaction and happiness
- While therapy is useful when something is wrong, you do not need to wait until you are really struggling or suffering. Therapy can also provide tremendous benefit in managing everyday challenges and stressors & making overall improvements in your life!
Education & Information
There are several mental health disciplines and different types of treatment that you might find helpful.
- Doctoral level mental health providers are signified by the presence of a medical degree (e.g. MD or DO) or a doctoral degree in psychology (e.g. PhD, PsyD) or another clinical discipline.
- Psychotherapy / behavioral health care providers include psychologists (e.g. PhD, PsyD), marriage and family therapists (e.g. MFT, LMFT), professional counselors (e.g. LPC), and social workers (e.g. MSW, LCSW).
- Psychiatric prescribers who provide psychopharmacology and medication management include psychiatrists (e.g. MD, DO) and psychiatric mental health nurses (e.g. PMH-APRN).
*These lists are not exhaustive and scope of practice may vary by state
Whichever pathway or discipline you choose:
- Ensure that you are seeing someone with formal education and training in mental health problems and treatment.
- Find a provider who is licensed and credentialed to provide the type of mental health service you are interested in (assessment, psychotherapy, medication). Professional licenses can be verified through state specific licensure verification portals (try googling “license verification” + “psychology” (or other discipline) + “state” as a starting point to locate the database).
- Look for terms and credentials that signify appropriate education and training (e.g. professional degree, license #).
Ready to seek therapy? Check out our mental health resources to get started.
Share this article...
Meet Drs. Jessica Lawson & Jennifer Doran
Jess and Jenn are clinical psychologists, working parents, colleagues and friends. We believe in the the power of psychology and in having a connected and supportive community – a village. Our Blog posts and videos are designed to be short in nature – something you can tune into for 5 minutes a day or less.
