Looking for a health professional is not easy, and finding the one you feel comfortable with is even harder. So I decided to write this article to help clients give some guidance form the inside of how to find the one who is perfect for you. Most clients come to therapy after a crisis, either in their marriage, family, or personal life and being in that kind of state of mind the mind can be blurry and not really know how to look, usually wanting help as soon as possible. To find someone to help them is such crucial moment in their life experience will determine their success.
Pages where you can find them:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
https://mentalhealthmatch.com/therapist
https://psyson.org/en/home (Christian counseling)
I have been a therapist for almost 16 years and I can tell you some secrets of our field that I hope will send you to the right person. Most people with a license to practice have either a Master’s or a PhD. They have been in school for 8- 10 years after high school.
In these programs they require us to do practicum which means face to face hours with clients. After you graduate depending on each State. For example, in Texas where I hold an LPC license they require 3000 hour of client contact under supervision. After supervision years you get your full License and you can either work for the private or state mental health services, (like hospitals, behavioral centers, substance abuse rehabs, children’s hospitals etc.) or open your own practice. When you get your license, you are required to make sure you have been taking further education every year.
After reading about our education, you might ask and how does that help? Because of the titles, that way you know what each facilitator focuses in. For example, you can find a Family and marriage license professional (MFT) license counselor (LPC) or psychologists (PhD) who have higher education and can also do besides therapy, testing, assessments, differential diagnoses. So when you call a facility make sure to ask what title the therapist has and how many years of experience. Many of them today do online counseling, so no matter where you are you can have access to them.
Other important questions depending on why you are coming for are:
- Do they have experience treating clients with depression, anxiety, stress management, anger issues, self-esteem etc.?
- If you are coming for Marriage problems, make sure to ask if this person does marital counseling and ask how many years of experience they have in this field. Ask if they have any certifications to do this kind of therapy? (Certification are courses you take to specialized in certain issues)
As a counselor I know It’s important to understand our limitations, and I try to know what we need more training on. I also know that not all clients that come to me will like me or will be a good fit for me for counseling, either because of my experience is limited, the hour of the day, what kind of expectations they have etc. I must admit that sometimes after our first session I know I need to make a referral. The truth is that not everybody is an expert in every field of mental health. It would be unfair to my clients to tell them I am in some areas.
Therefor “One size does not fit all” and now I would like to recommend you some of my colleagues here who specialize in other areas and are my favorites:
- Debora Ramirez who is bilingual (Spanish) and a very knowledgeable and specializes on how spiritual issues affect our mental health, trauma, neurobiology of love and relationships, woman issues, abuse, conflict. She has 3 master’s degrees and is an international speaker. Her page is https://vivelaexperiencia.mx/
- Emilio who is bilingual (Spanish) and Certified IMAGO therapist who specializes in addiction issues to address or recover from them while also managing your relationships with friends, families, and significant others. He also provides yearly workshops for couples. My husband and I attended a course like this one and we were highly blessed. His page: https://www.spanishcounselor.com
- Michelle Bohls Certified Imago Therapist, she is currently my trainer and is amazing Imago professional facilitator, Advance Imago Therapist, Workshop presenter, Consultant and supervisor Faculty. https://michellebohls.com
- Linda Lewter, she is also my current trainer and listening to her gives you a sense of peace, she also provides comprehensive therapy services to help you find relief from grief, anxiety, stress, and more. Linda Lewter specializes in IMAGO workshop, intensive, and training. https://www.lindalewterassociates.com/
- Carrie Bobenhausen was my school friend and we did our Master’s together some years ago, she is also trained in techniques such as EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic work to help process trauma, reduce worry, stress, anxiety, and depression. Her webpage is https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/carrie-bobenhausen-lincoln-ne/386947
- Belinda Rojas former colleague specializes in children and adolescents. linkedin.com/in/belinda-rojas-02b582100
- Chasity Folkes who is the director of a center for sexual health and wellness. https://centerforsexualhealthandwellness.com/
- Dr Tiffany C. Anderson who is an Educator and a counselor https://www.miraclecounselingservices.com/
- Elsa Smith who is bilingual (Spanish) and is an energetic and caring counselor who does marital and individual counseling you can reach her at elsajulissa@nubeginningcenter.com
- Alysha Malik who is professional life coach and is training with me to become an IMAGO counselor. She specializes in couple’s counseling and dating/relationships. She speaks English and Urdu. You can reach her at : https://www.alyshamalik.com If you are in Europe time zone I highly recommend:
- Caroline Bernhart-Lainer who specializes seeing clients with relationships problems, premarital, family, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and does assessments, she also does workshops for couples, premarital workshops and workshops around intimacy and sex. Her webpage: https://imagocenterdc.com/therapists/caroline-bernhardt-lanier.
I wish that in the path of life you will find the right guidance so you can become a better person, friend husband, wife, mother, son or daughter, a healthier human being that embraces life with happiness. This is the reason people like me see counseling as a ministry, a space of growth, understanding, empathy and compassion. I really hope in this time of need you will find the right person with your “right size.”