What do I do… Who do I see for help?
Well done! You’ve taken a great step in finding help that works for you. You may have heard that the most difficult part of getting help is admitting that you could use some help. It’s incredible that you have achieved this goal. The other difficult part is finding out what kind of help you is best for you. It can be daunting to see so many different titles of helping people – MSW, CCC, PhD, RP, RSW, RMFT – which is right for you? The good news? There are many choices for people to explore and in this article, you’ll be able to learn the differences between psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists and then use this new knowledge to find the help you feel is right for you.
When life stressors become overwhelming often times people find that counselling provides guidance, support and hope for the future. If this is what you’re looking for then a psychotherapist could be a great option for you.
What psychotherapists do:
• Assess and treat emotional, mental or behavioural issues.
• Treat issues such as depression, family stress, marital conflict, grief or a number of other issues.
• Can be found in both community organizations or private counselling practices.
What are the benefits?
• Able to treat people who are struggling and may or may not already have a diagnosis.
• You are able to self-refer which means you do not require a referral from your family doctor.
• Psychotherapists often have lower fees than psychologists.
• Psychotherapist fees may be covered by employer benefit plans – be sure to double check your plan!
• Wait times for first appointments are usually reasonable especially in private counselling practices.
• Psychotherapists are now regulated in Ontario which means you can have greater confidence that registered psychotherapists are qualified and competent.
• One more thing to note is that social workers, registered counsellors or therapists also have a similar description for how they practice, but a different title depending on what education they gained and professional college they are registered with. (http://www.talkingcanhelp.ca/en/faqs/)
If you don’t have a diagnosis of your mental health issues and would like one as well as counselling, then a psychologist might be right for you. Just a side note, diagnosis is not always necessary or helpful! There are great benefits to having a diagnosis – think: ‘Ah! What relief! I knew there was something amiss!’ As well as many clinical benefits too. However, there is also the debate that diagnostic labels can lead to over-diagnosis or misdiagnosis and create labels for people that are difficult to have as a part of their identity. As you are contacting people for help, feel free to discuss this with them or take some time to think for yourself – from your perspective would a diagnosis be a relief or a burden?(https://www.verywellmind.com/dsm-friend-or-foe-2671930)
What psychologists do:
• Depending on the psychologist and their position within the organization, they can provide assessment, psychological testing, diagnosis and treatment/counselling for mental health issues.
• They can also help with issues similar to what is listed above for psychotherapists.
• Can be found in community organizations, hospitals or private counselling practices.
What are the benefits?
• Can meet your needs for a diagnosis, psychological testing and counselling all within one practitioner.
• You can self-refer to a psychologist.
• Although fees can be much higher than a psychotherapist they too can be covered by employer benefit plans – remember to double check your plan! Consider if you don’t have coverage, but you’d like to get a diagnosis you can do that with a psychologist (or psychiatrist – see below) and then continue counselling/treatment with a psychotherapist/counsellor/social worker who may have lower fees.
• Depending on where you are seeing your psychologist (hospital, community organization or private practice), wait times for your first appointment can be very brief or lengthier.(https://www.cpa.ca/public/whatisapsychologist/)
What if you are taking medication to help with your mental health symptoms, but are realizing you want some expert support with this? Psychiatrists are health practitioners that can help with this. Family doctors can also be helpful, but some people find the support of a specialized expert can be beneficial.
What psychiatrists do:
• Because psychiatrists are medical doctors with specialized mental health training, they mostly support their clients with the use of medication rather than counselling although they are able to do this as well.
• Provide diagnosis of mental health issues.
What are the benefits?
• If you’re not looking for counselling to address your behaviour, but would prefer medication this may be for you. Appointments are more likely to be brief and infrequent.
• Expert support with medications related to mental health (anti-depressants for example).
• Although they require a referral from your family doctor, they are also covered under OHIP. Please check your employer benefits however for coverage for medications(https://globalnews.ca/news/3825025/psychotherapist-psychologist-psychiatrist-difference/).
Although this article has given you some guidance and knowledge of the different support professionals you can access in your community, it is just the beginning! There are also many community organizations that have different professionals, services and programs for you or your loved one to benefit from. If you have questions or would like to start counselling to create change in your life, please contact us today.
905-571-7441
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