This blog is a continuation of the last one which talks about the symptoms and diagnosis of Depression titled “Depression: Symptoms and Effective Treatment”
Whether you are experiencing the emotion of depression, or a few sustaining symptoms, or whether you may have a diagnosable condition, you can benefit from mental health support from a professional.
Here are some available treatment options available. This post is meant to inform you about the available options that you have at your disposal. They differ in some ways and may take a few tries to find one that works best for you, with a mental health professional that works best with you. Just as we spend a lot of time researching the best headphones/ TV/ watch/ mobile phone before purchasing one, spend some time in researching the available alternatives and understanding which one may suit you best.
1. Psychiatrist:
A psychiatrist is a medical professional who specializes in diagnosing and medically treating psychological distress. They may further use blood work or other clinical investigations to corroborate evidence if required. They may also refer you to a therapist if your symptoms do not warrant medical treatment, and can be dealt with using therapy. They may also suggest a combination of medical treatment under their supervision and therapy, with a psychologist. Please remember only a psychiatrist can prescribe medication to you.
Minimum qualification: MBBS, + MD Psychiatry/ DPM Psychiatry, (Additional certifications from verified organizations if they are also providing therapy)
2. Clinical Psychologist:
A clinical psychologist may also work from a diagnostic perspective. They may use psychological tests of different kinds in order to better understand your symptoms and their etiology. A clinical psychologist may also offer psychotherapy.
Minimum Qualifications: MA/ MSc. Clinical Psychology, + additional certifications for specific therapeutic approaches being practiced, optional M.Phil/ Doctorate.
3. Counselling Psychologist/ Psychotherapist:
A counseling psychologist like myself usually works from a non-pathologizing approach. They may or may not conduct some basic tests if they need to corroborate evidence to understand your concerns more accurately. With additional qualifications, they may provide psychotherapy that helps with your psychological distress. The kind of approach a psychologist may practice could differ in the following ways. You may find one approach more beneficial than the other, which is why it is your right to be informed about these possibilities and make a well-educated decision. Your work with a psychologist is very collaborative and therefore you must also play an active role in the selection process. What differs with these varied approaches is the therapist’s conceptualization of your concerns which determines the therapeutic direction.
a. Insight- Oriented Practitioners– Practitioners who follow this approach may align themselves with a psychodynamic approach for example. These approaches are longer-term ones since they entail a deeper exploration or uncovering of the reasons behind your concerns and patterns. This approach is probably for you if you want to know the “why?” behind your distress.
b. Problem- Focused Approaches– Practitioners in this arena use shorter-term approaches, are more direct in getting to the problem area and helping you understand what causes/ sustains the problem and what to do to alleviate the problem or strategies and approaches to better deal with it. Some examples of such approaches include Cognitive Therapy, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (which I primarily practice), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and others that fall under the Cognitive Behaviour school of thought to name a few.
c. Solution- Focused Approaches– These include post-modernist approaches like Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Narrative therapy to name a few. They don’t spend time on problem understanding and analysis and move quickly towards finding solutions or arriving at preferred goals.
d. Expressive/ Arts/ Movement-based/animal-assisted approaches– Therapists who practice these approaches use different mediums to help with your therapeutic journey.
Minimum Qualifications for therapists: MA/ MSc. Counseling Psychology, + additional certifications for specific therapeutic approaches being practiced, optional M.Phil/ Doctorate.
Visit our Therapeutic Process page to read about the therapies I offer.
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