How does therapy actually work, how do you find a good one, and what’s the difference between counseling/therapy/psychiatrists/psychologists/etc.?
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The psychiatry/psychology distinction is taken care of, so I’ll weigh in on therapy a little bit. Counselors typically have less formal training than psychologists, who carry doctoral degrees, but I’m not aware of conclusive research to suggest that one is necessarily always a better therapist than the other.
The most important aspect of therapy is feeling that you have a strong fit with your therapist. This person needs to understand you and see the big picture of your life. You may not find this fit with your first therapist, but I encourage you to give it a few sessions to figure that out. It’s also completely normal not to be able to explain why the fit is or isn’t there. A lot of that stuff is beyond words. Once you find a good fit, you can focus on what is of secondary importance, which is the type of therapy you do with the therapist. One type of therapy that I like a lot is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). You can look up “The happiness trap” on YouTube for some short videos that explain some of the core concepts. Again, therapy type (ACT or whatever else) is secondary to fit. Feel free to message me for more info or resources.
What each role does is answered elsewhere in the thread. The best way to get a mental health professional is to ask your general practitioner for a referral to either a psychiatrist or a therapist, whichever you feel you need more. They can help you find someone in-network and get in to see them within a month or two, instead of having to search for one who’s accepting new patients. If you don’t like them you can say you don’t think they’re a good fit for your needs and a good one will give you a referral to a different one.
Psychologists are people with degrees in psychology, while psychiatrists have medical degrees and thus the power to prescribe medicine. Finding the right therapy for you is a long process that might include a lot of trial and error, but a good place to start is with your general physician who should be able to refer you to the proper instances for your issues.
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