Finding the Right Mental Health Professional

 

From What You Need to Know About Psychiatric Drugs by Stuart Yudofsky, M.D., Robert Hales, M.D., and Tom Ferguson, M.D.  (pages 11-12).

 

 

Finding the right mental health professional is like finding a good pair of running shoes: 1) You shouldn't necessarily accept the first pair you are offered.  (2)  Just because they are expensive doesn't mean they are the best.  (3) If they don't feel comfortable, they are definitely not for you.

 

It is important that you make you own final decision about choosing a mental health professional.  Ask yourself the following questions about your present--or your prospective--professional therapist:

 

ü Do  I feel safe?  Do I feel that I can tell this person my deepest thoughts, fantasies, and fears?  Or does he or she seem somehow disrespectful, unreliable, distant, harsh, critical, or judgmental?  (Your therapist should make you feel safe and hopeful, not tense and frightened.)

 

ü Do I feel understood?  Does the professional really listen to the details of my predicament?  Does he or she really seem interested in understanding and helping me?  Or does he or she seem more interested in retaining control, demonstrating expertise, or plugging me into some set psychological theory?  Do I feel my professional understands what I am going through?  (A professional who can't understand your predicament is unlikely to be of much help.)

 

ü As a result of my initial meeting or meetings with my professional, do I feel at least a bit better about myself?  Do I feel a bit less anxious, less guilty, less depressed, more hopeful, or more clear?

 

ü After discussing my problem with my professional, do I feel that I understand the nature of my psychiatric

problem - and the pain and limitations it is causing - somewhat better?

 

ü Do I fully agree with and support the treatment plan my professional has proposed?  Do I fully understand and support the therapies he or she has chosen?

 

ü Do I feel some sense of excitement about my progress?  Do I feel that I have been making reasonable progress and have a reasonable chance of making steady and rapid progress in the future?

 

ü Does my mental health professional have my full confidence and trust?

 

If your answer to any of these questions is no or even maybe, we would strongly suggest a second opinion from another qualified mental health professional.  All too frequently, we are consulted by people who have spent many years seeing a mental health professional who has made them feel uncomfortable (or in the case of an unethical therapist, "too comfortable" in the early stages of treatment).  In many such cases, the treatment has gone on and on with no clear treatment plan and no progress.  When we ask those people why they waited so long before seeking a second opinion, they usually tell us they blame themselves or didn't trust their own feelings.  You should always pay attention to your feelings and instincts - and those of your friends and family - in choosing a mental health professional.

 

If, when you raise the topic of getting a second opinion, you experience any resistance at all from your current mental health professional, this is often a good indication that you are with the wrong person.  A competent mental health practitioner never feels threatened and will almost always benefit from the advice and counsel of a competent professional colleague.

 

For additional information - Contact:

The Alliance for the Mentally Ill

NAMI of Greater Chicago

1536 West Chicago Avenue

Chicago, IL 60622

Phone: (312) 563-0445

FAX: (312) 563-0467