There are a number of different professions that can offer counseling or therapy (also referred to as psychotherapy, but the terms are basically interchangeable) and medication management. The most common you will find are licensed professional counselors (LPC), clinical psychologists and counseling psychologists (PhD or PsyD), and clinical social workers (LCSW). Psychiatric nurse practitioners (PMHNP-BC), and psychiatrists (MD).

In general, these distinctions are unimportant for most clients. All of them can be helpful, and these differences are really just about level of education (PhD or MA). The biggest difference to know is that a psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioners are generally focused on providing medication, whereas all of the others offer mental health counseling and do not prescribe medication.

You’ll see therapists of all sorts describe the approach they take by saying which types of therapy they provide. Some common examples are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), interpersonal and relational therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and countless others. In general, these just indicate a difference in how much the person is going to focus on thoughts vs feelings vs behaviors, listening vs being active, and past vs present issues. Others will write about being “eclectic” or integrative. This basically means they will sample from a range of approaches and mix things together depending on who they are working with.

Just like the previous section, much of his stuff may not matter much for you, unless you are looking for a very specific type of therapist. It is important to note that research has shown over and over that none of these approaches is better than any others; basically all of them work. The effectiveness depends on other things like how much you actually like the therapist, how frequently you attend sessions, and how motivated you are to improve.

A generalist in mental health counseling is going to be someone that can work with a wide range of people, and it’s so common that most people don’t even refer to themselves that way. There are also many self-identified specialists that work with people that have depression, anxiety (like generalized anxiety disorder), substance use issues (alcohol, etc), relationship problems, communication, parenting, work and career development, OCD, anger, trauma, etc. Other therapists may say they specialize in certain populations like college students, small business owners, parenting, doctors, caregivers, etc.

Like many of the things above, this part likely doesn’t make a difference in outcomes for most people. If you are really looking for a certain type of specialist, it would also be worth seeing what demonstrates that, like extra training or a certification, rather than just a marketing component.

Sometimes this is called “online therapy” or “teletherapy”. The benefits are that you can do it from anywhere (as long as you are in the state of Mississippi), you don’t need to add extra time in your day for travel, and the number of providers available to people is higher since you can find anyone in your state to work with rather than just who is in driving distance. Traditional office visits are still the most common way people work with a counselor, but research shows that both are effective and that neither is better than the other.

Many people use insurance to pay for counseling. If using insurance, your copay is the amount you pay for each session, although it’s slightly more complicated than just that. Sometimes you may have a deductible that applies, which is an amount of money you have to pay first before the copay is allowed.

The benefits of self-pay are that you can operate outside of all of the restrictions and issues with insurance (or if you have an insurance provider Kaizen is out of network with), but for a lot of people the cost can be prohibitive.

The most common ways people find mental health counselors are either word of mouth, searching Google for terms like “counselor near me” or “mental health therapist in Oxford”, or using one of the major therapist databases like Psychology Today. We suggest using all of these tools to see who/what is available, since each of them may bring different results.

OK, so what actually matters? First off, it’s impossible to determine who is the “best therapist” in Oxford or Mississippi (or anywhere else) because it is totally an individual preference. Rather than looking for a specific therapy approach or credentials, we’d prioritize how much you are likely to have a positive experience with the therapist, regardless of the other stuff.

So as you do your search, we’d suggest reading the websites from a bunch of counselors, seeing who looks friendly or makes you feel hopeful (like they could understand you or your concerns), who you feel like you could trust and connect with, or who may have something to offer you. We’d also suggest not getting focused on just one specific person to start, but meet a few and pick the best fit after that. Research has shown over and over that the connection with the therapist is the most important variable for counseling success. After you get going, if you don’t feel like you’re progressing, please share your concerns with your counselor. And if things don’t get better after that, then find another person who can help.

We hope that a provider at our clinic may be that person for you, and if so, then contact us today so we can set up a time to meet as soon as possible. If not, we hope you find this helpful and wish you all the best in your search for help.