Addiction and Recovery - Choosing the Right Counselor

 

I am often asked to recommend a marriage and family therapist who also works with addiction issues. These requests come from all over the country and even from other parts of the world. I don't have a contact resource to make these recommendations, but some resources can help you find the right counselor or therapist wherever you are.

Many sites on the Internet recommend therapists, but I'm not very familiar with them. I don't want to go to sites that charge to list therapists because the options are limited. To get the most out of your therapist search service, you need to know what type of therapist you need. You should consider the following points:

• Type of session needed - individual, family, wedding, or group.
• The type of issue that is most important to address - marriage, mental health, addiction, or a combination of these.
• Qualifications of the therapist best suited for your situation.

A good example of finding the right person is finding a licensed professional Marriage or Family and Couples Therapist and Alcohol/Drug Counselor who deals with spousal addiction.

Once you have determined what type of support you need, follow these steps to use our therapist referral service.

• Access the Therapist Referral Service. From the Psychology Today website.
• Click on "Find a Therapist" or similar with the same results.
• Find your current location.
• Find a professional with the qualifications you are looking for. We have psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, certified professional counselors, certified marriage and family therapists, and certified alcohol/drug counselors.

Another way to find good recommendations is to ask your friends and colleagues. Ask someone at church or work to recommend a good therapist. If you would like to join an AA or other 12-step group, ask the meeting participants. You know who is the best therapist. You can also call the licensing authority or visit their website to find a professional in your area.

Now that you know your name and phone number, let's make a call. Ask us about our services. These questions include, for example, your area of ​​expertise, costs, type of insurance you have, general frequency of sessions depending on your problem, treatment approaches used, and professional groups you work with. When you receive a voice message, please leave a message for us to call you back. When leaving your name and phone number, please speak slowly and clearly so that we can call you back. It is often assumed that the counselor simply decided not to call back when in fact the message left on the answering machine was incomprehensible.

Make appointments. Try some. Make sure they are interested in your treatment goals and that you are reasonably comfortable with them. If after a few sessions, it doesn't seem right, try someone else. The most important factor for successful treatment outcomes is the relationship between the therapist and the patient/client.  

Whether you are struggling with addiction issues, emotional or mental health issues, relationship problems, or need additional life skills, my website and services can help you. There are many articles on this and other topics. The links page has many resources for additional help. There is a recommended reading page and a column to ask Peggy questions. My site is currently under development and will be added regularly with features, articles, and resources.