So I’m actively looking to get into some form of much needed therapy for myself. I’ve come across a directory for local therapists in my area, but there’s Therapists, Counselors, Psychologists, and Clinical Social Workers, to name a few.. What’s the difference?
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It depends on your location. Many countries require people to have specific qualifications before they can use certain professional titles. For example, in the UK, this applies to “psychiatrist”, “clinical psychologist”, “arts therapist”, and “occupational therapist”, but not “counsellor”, “therapist”, “psychotherapist”, or “psychologist”. This doesn’t mean that the former group of professionals are *better*: it just means that there are some minimum standards they are required to meet, whereas basically anyone is allowed to sell services as a “therapist”. But professional titles like this often mean drastically different things in different countries.
Beyond that, there are often professional organisations that represent therapists and the like. They hand out “accredited by …” badges to anyone who meets certain requirements. Some of these professional organisations have high standards and are considered trustworthy; others are not.
Your healthcare service may provide advice about how to find a good counsellor, and there are often trusted mental health charities that provide advice about this kind of thing too. If there is a well-known, highly regarded mental health charity in your country, try looking at their website.
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