Downhearted, you might have already decided to seek help from an emotional health professional. You can be faced with a basic question – who must you see?

The answer really depends on what you need. You may ask: what do I need, a psychologist or a therapist? Know that you have a lot of options. To know your options, start with the different types of emotional health professionals that may fit your requirements. To smartly pick the right-fit, understand the uniqueness of each, whether you decide on in-person (face-to-face) counseling/therapy or teletherapy/online counseling.

What are their similarities?

• Fundamental Goals: They both aim for the same result, and that is to make their clients feel good about themselves. An improved emotional health can ‘move mountains.’ It can make miracles happen, as you confidently journey through life. They also aim to enable their clients to clarify their feelings and help them make decisions.
• Clinical Strategy: Diagnosis and therapy, the two elements of their clinical work, are basically alike. This is so because the principles and methods practiced by the therapists and psychologists in evaluating indicators and creating the therapy plan are just the same.
• Overlapping Tasks: Having the same clinical strategies, there is a tendency that their work overlap. This is the simple explanation why you may find it challenging to differentiate the two.

What makes a psychologist?

To become a psychologist, one must pursue higher degrees in the field, like a masters or a doctorate – PhD and PsyD- degree. The journey doesn’t end here. A psychologist must also strive to have a license to practice patient care. Also trained as a social scientist, he/she has the option to stay in the academe, teaching and doing research.

As a practitioner, they are competent in undertaking clinical evaluations of indicators and making a diagnosis. They are capable of making therapy plans that can be pivotal when providing the necessary support and assistance to the clients. They may or may not work with a psychiatrist, a medical doctor focused on emotional conditions, depending on the need for psychotropic medicines.

What makes a therapist?

‘Therapist’ is a broad umbrella term that refers to a large group of professionals belonging to different disciplines. Most are required to finish a master’s or a doctorate degree, completed and passed board exams and lots of experience to become licensed and continuing education to maintain their licenses.

The different disciplines or fields of study that prepares a professional to become a therapist are social work, family counseling, clinical psychology, and substance abuse.

Who is right for you?

When making the decision, Bridgett and Lilly suggest that you evaluate your needs based on your answers to these questions:

• What is the problem that needs to be treated?
• What is the best treatment?

Knowing the reason to seek therapy is usually necessary to help you choose the kind of professional to see, whether it is in-person or through telemental health, another name for online counseling. It will be of great importance if you are familiar with the best forms of therapy that would suit your needs.

The Carolina Counseling Services – Fuquay-Varina, NC, can be a great source of help, whether you decide to do teletherapy or in-person therapy. CCS – Fuquay-Varina, NC is ready to guide you through the process and to assist you in choosing the right-fit therapist to customize your treatment plan. Contact us today.