Choosing and Evaluating Mental Health Professionals
College students are usually in a good position to find convenient, affordable mental health care. Larger schools typically have health services that employ psychiatrists and psychologists as well as counseling centers staffed by professionals and peer counselors. Resources in the community may include a school of medicine, a hospital, and a variety of professionals who work independently. It’s a good idea to get recommendations from physicians, friends who have been in therapy, or community agencies, rather than to pick a counselor or therapist at random.
Financial considerations are also important. Find out the cost of different services and what your health insurance will cover. If you’re not adequately covered by a health plan, don’t let that stop you from getting help; investigate low-cost alternatives on campus and in your community. The cost of treatment is linked to how many therapy sessions will be needed, which in turn depends on the type of therapy and the nature of the problem. Psychological therapies focusing on specific problems may require 8 or 10 sessions at weekly intervals. Therapies aiming for psychological awareness and personality change can last months or years.
Deciding whether a therapist is right for you requires meeting the therapist in person. Before or during your first meeting, find out about the therapist’s background and training:
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• Does she or he have a degree from an appropriate professional school and a state license to practice?
• Has she or he had experience treating people with problems similar to yours?
• How much will therapy cost?
You have a right to know the answers to these questions and should not hesitate to ask’ them. After your initial meeting, evaluate your impressions:
• Does the therapist seem like a warm, intelligent person who would be able to help you and is interested in doing so?
• Are you comfortable with the personality, values, and beliefs of the therapist?
• Is the therapist willing to talk about the techniques he or she will use? Do these techniques make sense to you?
If you answer yes to these questions, this therapist may be satisfactory for you. If you feel uncomfortable and if you are not in need of emergency care it’s worthwhile to set up one-time consultations with one or two others before you make up your mind. Take the time to find someone who feels right for you. Later in your treatment, evaluate your progress:
• Are you being helped by the treatment?
• If you are displeased, is it because you aren’t making progress or because therapy is raising difficult, painful issues you don’t want to deal with?
• Can you express dissatisfaction to your therapist? Such feedback can improve your treatment.
If you’re convinced your therapy isn’t working or is harmful, thank your therapist for her or his efforts and find another.
If you are severely depressed or know someone who is, expert help from a mental health professional is essential. Most communities and many colleges have hotlines and/or health services and counseling centers that can provide help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK. Treatments for depression and many other psychological disorders are highly effective.
Visualize a relaxing, peaceful place and imagine yourself experiencing it as vividly as possible. Stay there as long as you can.
Do some stretching exercises.
Get out your datebook and schedule what you’ll be doing the rest of today and tomorrow. Pencil in a short walk and a conversation with a friend.
IN THE FUTURE YOU CAN
Take a class or workshop, such as one in assertiveness training or time management, that can help you overcome a source of stress.
Find a way to build relaxing time into every day. Just
15 minutes of meditation, stretching, or deep breathing can induce the relaxation response.
