Seeking a Therapist

Q: Dear Mrs. Bottstein, My son was recently evaluated in school and found to have some emotional problems. He is getting counseling in school, but it was also recommended that I seek a therapist outside of school to deal with family issues. I was given a list of referrals and I noticed that some were psychologists and some were social workers. How do I decide? Seeking a therapist A: Dear seeking a therapist: I appreciate you taking the time to write. Both licensed psychologists and licensed social workers are trained therapists. Psychologists have training in, and can administer psychological evaluations, however, it sounds as if this was completed in your son’s school. Therefore, you must look for a good “match” for your child-someone whom your son and you feel comfortable with. You should check out credentials- making sure that the therapist is licensed and experienced with children and/or teenagers (you didn’t mention how old your son is). You should also find out if the therapist is comfortable with actual family counseling- meeting with you and your son on occasion (and any other family members as deemed necessary). As the recommendation for counseling in your son’s case is to “deal with family issues” it would make sense to me that the therapist would eventually, if not right away, bring you into the sessions as well. The therapist should also be willing to communicate with your school’s psychologist or counselor, to coordinate any treatment plans that may be necessary, or simply to get a full picture of what’s happening in school as well as out of school. Finally, but certainly not least, you and your son should feel comfortable with the therapist. Sometimes it takes a few sessions to determine whether or not you want to continue with the therapist. Do not be afraid, however, to make another appointment, with another therapist, if things are not as comfortable with you as you feel they should be, or if things just don’t seem to be progressing. Thank you for reading, Carol Bottstein