Mental Health Counseling
Mental health counseling can help you!
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, chances are you have already been recommended for counseling as the primary means of treatment. Mental health counseling differs from one patient to the next and depends on your individual needs, the condition that you suffer from, your background, your own emotional status and a variety of other factors. Counseling can take place in a number of different ways including:
- Individual counseling one-on-one with a mental health specialist
- Couples counseling between your spouse, yourself and a therapist
- Family counseling which includes you, your family and loved ones and a counselor
- Group counseling which includes others who have similar needs as well as a counselor
- Support groups which focus on building a supportive environment for those in recovery
Types of Counselors
The professionals that provide mental health treatment services, primarily counseling and therapy, include psychiatrists, psychologists and a number of other specialty professions. Each counselor differs in the type of education they have received and their level of expertise in scope of a particular condition or disorder. Some counselors will specialist in mood disorders, behavioral therapy or substance abuse while others may specialize in psychiatric care or family grief counseling.
The most common types of counselors include:
- Psychiatrists that specialize in mental health care and can prescribe medications
- Psychologists who provide psychotherapy and are trained in the diagnosis and assessment of psychiatric conditions
- Clinical Social Workers who provide psychotherapy and social work
- Psychiatric Nurses who provide minimal psychotherapy and have some prescribing rights
- Marriage Counselors who work with individuals and their spouses to work out marital problems
- Family Counselors who work with children, families and loved ones
Which Counseling is Right for Me?
Choosing the right type of counseling for yourself or someone you know who has been diagnosed with a mental illness can be challenging as there are so many options to consider. Often times, you’ll find that the right type of counseling consists of more than just a one-size-fits-all approach to care. Most people who suffer from a mental health disorder will require help with rebuilding their relationships (family counseling), they will require help with their behaviors (behavioral therapists), they may need help finding a job (social workers) and they may need medications in order to control symptoms (psychiatrist). As you can see, it often takes more than one type of counselor to provide quality, effective treatment and care for an individual suffering from mental illness.
The right type of counseling will likely include a combination of individual counseling and therapy, family counseling, and group counseling or support. Many patients will respond well to medication but counseling can help to reduce symptoms even further and prevent additional behavioral outbursts or problems from occurring. If you’re ready to get help, consider how beneficial counseling can be and take the steps to recovery today by calling our helpline at 1-877-883-2855.