FAQs about counseling, therapy, and psychotherapy in Austin

FAQs about therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy in Austin

You found a therapist in Austin! Great job! Acknowledging the need to talk to someone and then actually making the phone calls are big steps in the process. Now what? You have a ton of questions and that is completely normal, especially if this is your first experience with therapy.

FAQs about therapy and counseling Austin

Question #1: How do I know if I need counseling?

⏰Is there any issue in your life that you are coping with or spending more than one hour per day thinking about?

You might need therapy.

⏰Is there an issue in your life that feels embarrassing and makes you want to avoid others?

You might need therapy.

⏰Is there an issue in your life that has caused a decrease in quality of life?

You might need therapy.

⏰Has this issue negatively impacted work or school?

You might need therapy.

⏰Have you made changes in your life or developed habits to cope with this issue?

You might need therapy.

Symptoms that you are experiencing that might encourage you to start therapy:

❤ Overwhelm

❤Fatigue

❤Anxious or intrusive thoughts

❤Apathy

❤Hopelessness

❤Social withdrawal

All of these are appropriate reasons to make the initial call. From there, it’s my job to help figure out if counseling is the right treatment. This is important because I don’t want to waste your time if counseling isn’t what is going to help you feel better.

Question #2: What should I ask a therapist before meeting with them?

Check out this blog post for Six Questions to Ask During the Consultation Phone Call

In general, you want to know if the therapist has experience working with the issues you are presenting with. Some therapists refer to themselves as generalists and like to work with a wide variety of clients and issues. Other, prefer to specialize in a smaller population. Both are great, let’s just make sure that if you are presenting with depression and are 5 weeks postpartum that the therapist is familiar with postpartum depression and doesn’t soley focus on eating disorders and body image issues.

Scheduling, cost and frequency of sessions are also good topics to cover prior to your first appointment.

Question #3: How long will therapy last?

Ahh, yes. Everyone’s favorite question. I wish we had a concrete answer that applied to everyone across the board, however, therapy is an individual process and what you bring and how you participate all affect the length of treatment. That being said, 3-6 months is a good starting point, again depending on what’s going on and the type of therapy your therapist uses. If they choose a method such as Cognitive Processing Therapy, then you could expect 12 weekly sessions because that is how the process works. Your therapist should include you in the treatment plan which will have an estimate of how long each specific goal should take. As your therapy progresses, your therapist should do regular check ins to make sure progress towards those goals is being made and adjust the treatment plan and timeline. Therapy is a fluid process.

Question #4: What is the difference between a counselor, therapist, social worker, and psychologist in Austin, TX?

This is a question I get asked all of the time! Check out Tip #3 in the blog post here for more information!

Generally speaking counselor and therapist can be used interchangeably as someone who provides mental health services. You’ll see different credentials such as LMFT, LCPC, and LCSW listed. All of these professionals have a Master’s Degree and extensive supervision and experience hours logged before they are able to practice independently.

Social workers work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, schools, behavioral health units and therapy private practice.

Psychologists have a PhD (or PsyD) and are experts in psychology. They usually teach and do research at universities as well as therapy private practice.

Credentials and experience are important but remember, the best predictor of a successful outcome in a therapy situation is strength of the relationship between the client and the therapist.

Question #5: How often will we meet?

You will likely meet with your therapist once a week for 50 minutes. If your therapist utilizes a technique that requires more time, such as EMDR, then your sessions will be longer in length. You and your therapist will work together on your treatment plan which will include frequency and expected length of treatment.

Question #6: Do you have experience working with the issues I am looking for help with?

This question is so important to ask and make sure you feel comfortable with the therapist’s answer. My experience comes from hospital social work where I worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Labor and Delivery and Pediatrics. Because of that, I do not have a lot of experience with addictions and therefore do not take on clients that need that service. Every therapist has unique personal experiences, professional experiences and training that they bring to the table and finding the right therapist for you might take a couple of tries. I encourage you to keep trying. Your therapist is out there!

I hope this helps you find the right therapist in Austin. If you are still feeling stuck, feel free to call me at 512-641-9528 for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with anxiety, grief counseling, or parenting contact me here.

Keywords: Anxiety Austin, Grief Counseling, Parenting Austin