Information about therapists

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2010
Information about therapists
4
Wed, 03-16-2011 - 1:38pm

Hi all--

there are a lot of threads on here about therapy and therapists, and i wanted to share some advice and info about therapists.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2011
Wed, 03-16-2011 - 4:13pm

What about a psychiatric nurse who lists that they specialize in:

  • Addictions Specialist
  • Anxiety and Stress Management Counseling
  • Codependency Issues
  • Grief Counseling

From what you described, I would say psychiatrist is not a good choice for me, but it seems the psychiatric nurse covers all of the areas I need.

I guess it may come down to interviewing and seeing. But if you have any thoughts on it, please share.

Thanks for posting that! It appeared at a very good time for me :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2009
Wed, 03-16-2011 - 5:11pm

Thanks for posting this, Exi. There's a lot of good information here. I would also like to attach a link from the Healing Library that Empowerment posted a while back for additional information on this subject.

http://forums.ivillage.com/t5/The-Healing-Library/Therapist-411/m-p/116752481/message-uid/116752481#U116752481

((Hugs))

Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life. ~ Buddha
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-10-2011
Wed, 03-16-2011 - 5:52pm

Thanks, Exi. That was very helpful.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2010
Wed, 03-16-2011 - 7:39pm

hi gypszi--glad this is useful. regarding thepsych nurse, she should ideally be charging less than a psychiatrist, but its not clear to me whether she has any formal training in conducting psychotherapy. that said, experience is incredibly powerful, so if she's beein doing this for years, thats just as valid. if you are thinking of meeting with a psych nurse for therapy, i suggest you interview her about her qualifications, how long she's been doing this, whether she's worked with people who are presenting issues similar to you, etc. im not saying "grill her", but make sure you're seeing somebody who knows what they're doing. remember, therapy is not supposed to be like chatting with friends--the therapist is supposed to be qualified to balance a lot of delicate issues, including their own! so, just chat with the nurse, get a sense of whether she knows what she's talking about, has a therapeutic philsophy and a plan for how to work with you.