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types of treatment | |
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types of MH professionals |
In addition to having the qualifications to treat your problems, a therapist must also be someone you're comfortable with.
If your child is going to receive treatment, it's important that both you and your child feel comfortable with the therapist.
Different people are comfortable with different styles. It is important to choose a therapist whose style of working matches your own.
A well-trained, professional therapist will treat you in a respectful, courteous manner. Here are some of the things you can expect in the course of mental health treatment:
The
first few sessions will be used
to get to know
you and
your history, and
to evaluate the
problems you are facing.
The
therapist will discuss the evalu-
ation with you and
present his or her
opinions on the
problems you are facing,
what
treatments are recommended and
how long
they are likely to take.
If
you decide to pursue the treatment
recommended,
your therapist will work
with you
to set goals for treatment and
to plan
specific therapies to reach those
goals.
For some problems, medication
therapy
may be recommended in addition
to
talk therapies.
If your
therapist is not a psychiatrist,
you will
be referred to a psychiatrist
for medication
therapy. Your therapist
will
work with
the psychiatrist to coordinate
your treatment.
For some problems, such as
depression,
a combination of talk therapy
and
medication therapy is often the most
effective
treatment.
You
may be asked to fill out, review
andsign
forms that describe the problems
you are
dealing with and the treatments planned
to deal
with them. You may find it helpful to
have
a copy of these forms to follow your
progress.
Your
therapist will discuss guidelines
regarding
fees, using your health insurance,
policies
on cancelled or missed appointments,
telephone
calls between meetings, confiden-
tiality,
vacation coverage and emergencies.
A
therapist must provide quick access
to help for
you when you have a crisis or a
problem
with medication.
"Hope is necessary in every condition."
Samuel Johnson
1709-1784
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