Therapist, counselor, psychiatrist or pyschogist?

Old 02-07-2013, 08:49 PM
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Therapist, counselor, psychiatrist or pyschogist?

I would like to go and see a professional to talk about what I've been going through with my RAS. Can anyone here speak about what type of professional....therapist, counselor works best for them and what I should be looking for? Thank you!
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Old 02-07-2013, 09:09 PM
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Ive have worked with two since my husband started rehab; but never used one before this. The first was a psychiatrist that was assigned to me from his rehab. She was also a specialist in addiction medicine, but she worked mostly with family members at the rehab because she said it was an area that was not given enough focus. She helped me find another Dr close to where we lived after he came home & she too is a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction medicine. I still feel more comfortable with the Dr from the rehab though & I know that I can still talk with her if I need to. She was amazing.

I dont know if there is a big difference in psychiatrist vs psychologist except their schooling, and licensing with ability to prescribe meds. Some have different views based on their background. Someone with experience in addiction is what I would recommend. It was helpful to me because she was able to explain everything on the medical side, how the drugs affect the body, etc. All about drug treatments for addiction, and then she also knew about all the things family go through - enabling, codependency, all the feelings that go along, what it takes to work on restoring your relationship when someone is recovering, etc. Broad scope I guess is what I mean.
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Old 02-07-2013, 10:18 PM
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A psychologist is someone trained to treat you in therapy sessions through exploring your issues with you. They don't have medical training. A psychiatrist is a doctor who specialises in psychiatry. The ones I came across only talk to you to be able to make a diagnosis to prescribe medicine.

Allforcnm, I am surprised that you saw a psychiatrist. Maybe things are different where you live?

I personally would see a psychologist first if I were you. If you have gone for therapy for a while and are still not feeling ok, then medicine may be in order.

I think medicine are way overprescribed. In my son's class, every one of his friends are on medication for either depression or adhd. These are 16-year olds. I don't know why our society has moved to medication in stead of learning coping skills.

I posted recently about my son who was very depressed. After his first visit the psychologist wanted to refer him to a psychiatrist for anti-depressants. I asked her to give therapy a chance first. After only two sessions there is a marked improvement in my son. I doubt that anti-depressants will be necessary after all.

I was very depressed for two years after my brother's suicide and finally went to see a psychologist. After working through my feelings for three months, the depression was gone.

I am not saying medicine does not have a place or trying to make anyone feel guilty who went that route, I am just saying there are other options one can explore first that does not have the side-effects medication has.
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Old 02-07-2013, 10:49 PM
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my son went to a psychiatrist for his autism and all he wanted to do was medicate him. I told him my concerns because addiction runs rampant in the family in various manifestations, so he referred me to a psychologist and a behavioral specialist. He is thriving now, without any medication. My mother developed a bad habit from the psychiatrists office, so I am a bit wary of them now, except of course to treat things like epilepsy and bi polar disorder. But IMHO, I go to a psychologist for my emotional issues in my own life as well as a counsellor to help me find my footing, I felt like the psychiatrist just wanted to give me meds to bandaid the problem.
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Old 02-07-2013, 11:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Sunshine2 View Post

Allforcnm, I am surprised that you saw a psychiatrist. Maybe things are different where you live?
I don’t think it has anything to do with where we live, Sunshine.. I think if anything, it might have something to do with the fact that the Dr. at the rehab specialized in addiction medicine & was trained to work with patients, she knew all about how addiction affects the body/mind, she could do talk therapy with the patients also, and could prescribe meds. Psychiatrist are also able to request labwork and link medical issues to mental/emotional symptoms. I think they also have more power in having people committed for treatment/observation or something like that. (Im sure she was tempted to have me committed, but she never did - LOL) But seriously, her knowledge of the medical side was very helpful to family members. She also had a specific interest in working with family like I mentioned, so that is what she did. I know there is a different path of training for each, but psychiatrists are qualified to do talk therapy if they choose. ( I think many don’t, because they typically fetch a higher price being medical doctors; the turnaround for patients is also greater, so they make more $$ just dealing with medical side and getting people in/out of the office…it takes longer appointments to do psychotherapy ).

Also, the Dr at the rehab found me the local psychiatrist; and we talked as a group a couple times before I transitioned over, so I guess she picked a like-kind of doctor to herself. I have never been prescribed any medication.

That’s a good point actually, if you don’t like the psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist – look for another one. If you have a good relationship with them, its helpful I think.
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Old 02-08-2013, 12:20 AM
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I suspect the talk therapy may be a short part of their training and not their main focus? A psychologist will train for 7 years (two years prac) with all the focus on the talk side of things. A psychiatrist trains as a medical doctor and specializes in mental disorder. You were probably lucky to find someone who placed a lot of emphasis on the talk therapy side.

My AS went to a psychiatrist whilst in the throes of addiction. In his first session he was diagnosed as bipolar and prescribed some strong medicine with fairly harsh side effects. His follow-up sessions consisted of a 10 minute visit to find out how the medicine works. No therapy as such.

As I said, my youngest son would have seen the psychiatrist for anti-depressant prescriptions and continued with his talk therapy with the psychologist.

I know a lot of people refer to psychologists as psychiatrists in error (not saying it is the case with you).

Where I have a say, I would always go for a psychologist first.
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Old 02-08-2013, 06:02 AM
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I have seen several counselors, therapists that specialized in addiction, even a psychologist who was quite good and probably the one who did me the most good.

What I found was that they took a long time identifying what I already knew...I had deep codependency issued stemming back to my childhood and newly triggered by my son's addiction. Once they identified that, they really didn't seem to know what to do about it except to teach me to relax, detach and medicate for anxiety attacks.

Others may have better luck, but the truth is that I didn't find anything helpful until I began attending live meetings, going to several, and learning from those who had been where I was.

We are all different and what works for one is not what works for another. But my experience is that the people who truly understand and know how to get through it and past it are the people who have been where I was.

What is important is to try...to not isolate in the darkness but to reach out for help from many places and then find what helps you and stick with it.

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Old 02-08-2013, 06:46 AM
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Any professional in the field can be good or not. I've been to a therapist and a psychologist. My brother is a therapist as well and we've talked about this very topic. His biggest concern about psychiatrists is the medication issue. In his opinion, they are a bit trigger happy on the meds. I value his opinion because he's been in the field for 40 years and has had more exposure to psychiatrists, therapists, and psychologists than most normal people would. When they (my brother owns a therapy practice which employs several therapists and psychologists) encounter someone who they believe would benefit from medication, they refer them to a psychiatrist.

If someone is dealing with deep clinical depression or serious mental illness, I would think a psychiatrist would be a good choice. If a person needs talk therapy, behavior modification or coping skills to deal with life's difficult times, a therapist or psychologist may be a better choice.

With all of that being said, just like any profession, there are good ones and not so good ones. One may not work well for you, and the next one may be a great fit. Your comfort level with the individual is what is most important regardless of whether they are a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

That's my two cents.....take it for what it's worth.......which is about....well......two cents.

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Old 02-08-2013, 07:53 AM
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I currently see a CAC III, certified addictions counselor with the highest designation. Not sure if that license is something every state has or just some.

I got lucky and stumbled on her really. Her profile stated she specialized in addictions and family members of addicts and utilized cognitive behavior therapy and other techniques to help you make changes. I have been to therapists before that just listen but never gave me any tools to make changes, wasn't looking for that.

She called me before we had an appt and was pretty straightforward about her practice and that she would put me to work and if I just wanted someone to talk to only she wasn't it.

She had me pegged within a visit and we went to work right away. She also outlined exactly what path my AB brother would follow, and unfortunately he has been right on track. The thing I like about her, she has been treating addicts in various settings for so long that she doesn't take BS from anyone, codependents included. I needed to be called out, she did it, and I return every week to make sure I don't need to be yanked back in line. I have done better in this setting then the nar anon meetings so far.

So if you can find the addictions counselor designations in your area that would greatly help.
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Old 02-08-2013, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Kindeyes View Post
Any professional in the field can be good or not. I've been to a therapist and a psychologist. My brother is a therapist as well and we've talked about this very topic. His biggest concern about psychiatrists is the medication issue. In his opinion, they are a bit trigger happy on the meds. I value his opinion because he's been in the field for 40 years and has had more exposure to psychiatrists, therapists, and psychologists than most normal people would. When they (my brother owns a therapy practice which employs several therapists and psychologists) encounter someone who they believe would benefit from medication, they refer them to a psychiatrist.

If someone is dealing with deep clinical depression or serious mental illness, I would think a psychiatrist would be a good choice. If a person needs talk therapy, behavior modification or coping skills to deal with life's difficult times, a therapist or psychologist may be a better choice.

With all of that being said, just like any profession, there are good ones and not so good ones. One may not work well for you, and the next one may be a great fit. Your comfort level with the individual is what is most important regardless of whether they are a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

That's my two cents.....take it for what it's worth.......which is about....well......two cents.

gentle hugs
ke
I absolutely agree with this assessment. IMO, Psychiatrist seem to be very trigger happy about prescribing meds and not getting to the route of the problem for most people.
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Old 02-11-2013, 05:44 PM
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I apologize to everyone who responded to my post for taking so long to say thank you. I'm not looking to get on any medications but more to have a one on one conversation with someone who is knowledgeable about addictiction and can understand what I've been going through. Sounds like from all of your posts a therapist with addiction specialty might be what I need. Among other things, I think this person might be helpful in advising me how to talk to my son. There's so many things I would like to talk to him about but feel hesitant as his recovery is 10 months and still in the early stages . Thank you all for Sharon with me.
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Old 02-11-2013, 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted by allthatsgood View Post
I would like to go and see a professional to talk about what I've been going through with my RAS. Can anyone here speak about what type of professional....therapist, counselor works best for them and what I should be looking for? Thank you!
A psychiatrist's main function these days are the prescription and management of medication. If you're depressed and having a hard time functioning, I would recommend you seeing one. That being said, I would not recommend you going on medication unless it's really, really necessary.

I would recommend you find a clinician to discuss everything that's going on with you. A licensed, clinical social worker (LICSW) is preferable, and it may be good if that person had a background in addictions. We all need someone in our corner who is in our corner but will provide solid, objective counsel when we need it. You have to feel comfortable with that person.

Good luck,
ZoSo
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Old 02-11-2013, 06:04 PM
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Zoso- thank you for your post. I really am not interested in medication, I'm doing okay just feel sad about all that has happened. Just want some one on one conversation with someone who is knowledgeable in the field of addiction. Looking through my insurance website is a nightmare. You have to know what you are looking for in order to narrow down the field of specialists.
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