Professional Counselor vs. Psychologist

Indeed...but it can happen that we win over the grumpy and disinclined. Sometimes they really get to like it! :wink:

I use the same ploy as the therapist being discussed....."it would be so good to get your ideas and views". Well, it isn't really a ploy if you think at all systemically.....it IS incredibly useful to get grumpy's views. Especially if poor old Grumpy is having a really hard time and is in need, or if Grumpy has a perfectly valid and reasonable view that turns everything on its head.

dlowan, in the U.S., most cognitive-behavior therapists are psychologists, but I don't think most psychologists here practice CBT. Most psychologists are probably eclectic. Different Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology may tend to emphasize different treatment approaches, but they all include some training in all major treatment modalities.

But, I certainly agree with you that "fit" between patient and therapist is very important. There has to be some basic compatibility. No matter the therapist's professional discipline, or method of therapy, you have to be able to form a working relationship with that person. On some level, you have to be able to connect to the therapist so that you are both working toward the same goals.

While I also agree that the "grumpy and disinclined" can change their minds about therapy, once they have some experience with it, I can also see some drawbacks to bringing an unwilling partner into one's individual therapy. For one thing, the partner can wind up sabotaging the therapy. And, where the marriage already has significant conflicts and resentments, airing more of these in a therapy session can escalate the problems once the couple is back at home. It's a very mixed bag. While it might be helpful to have the unwilling partner come in for a session, it's somewhat of a gamble. If it works, and can lead to marital therapy, that would be great. But it can also backfire, depending on the level of anger already built up in the marriage, and depending on the personalities involved.

Obviously, you can't do marital therapy with only one half of a couple. But individual therapy can certainly address the problems of the willing spouse, the one who sought the treatment. Particularly when that person is in a difficult marriage, sometimes it's better for them to have their own therapy, so that they can focus on themselves, and what they want and need, without the influence of the partner in the room.
And, if this person has personality problems (like being overly demanding, or overly controlling, or passive-aggressive, for instance) that are impacting their marriage, these same tendencies will come out in their relationship with their therapist, and the therapist will, hopefully, recognize and address these characteristics during the treatment. So you don't necessarilly need the other partner in the room to provide "direct evidence" of what's occuring in the marriage. People repeat interpersonal patterns in all of their relationships, and that's part of what good therapists are trained to recognize.

I think, if I were Heatwave, I would focus on my own therapy right now, and not try to get my unwilling hubby into a session. I'd try to look at my motives in wanting to get him in--do I want to turn off his anger? get him to listen to me? act or react differently toward me? get him help he seems to need? Those are useful things to discuss with a therapist, and hubby doesn't have to be there for that. How hubby's behavior affects me can also be discussed, with or without hubby in the room. I'd want to focus on my own anger, frustration, depression, disappointment, etc. without having to turn off my feelings to listen to my partner's reaction if he were in the therapy session. I think I'd leave the decision of whether or not to have hubby come to a session to my therapist, since he is likely more objective about the situation, and better able to help me explore the pros and cons of doing that. Heatwave's therapist seems to be making pretty good suggestions so far, and he doesn't seem to be the one pushing to get hubby in there.

I agree totally with firefly about the recommendations from others and the reputation, if they have one in their locale. The woman I saw was not only in private practice with 2 other therapists, she also taught at the University of North Florida. She and her "practice group" were frequently responsible for holding continuing educ classes for others in the psych, social work,etc fields in their own offices. Their practice group was called "Growth Point" and she was THE highest recommended person being recommended to me by a therapist who personally used Mary as her therapist and knew of several other therapists who took advantage of either Mary or one of the others at Growth Point; since I think that every therapist really needs a therapist who they see, otherwise I tend to think less of them. Having an excessive ego & lack of willingness to hear another therapist's ideas or critique about how your own practice is going, I think is a real drawback in the character of any therapist or psychiatrist. I know a local psychiatrist who lives here locally & he's been through the impaired physician program. BUT, he went and married a gal
he had just met in treatment 6 mos earlier??? And he doesn't see a shrink of his own either. If he/she isn't seeing one also steer clear of them. After all, we all can use a little help now & then especially in this kind of work where all kind of attachment problems & issues can develop.

I disagree with much of what you have stated. I will only address one. "Professional Counselor" is a protected term, meaning that it is licensed by the state and reserved for only those individuals who have complete mandatory rigorous education, training and experience levels. There are other protected terms depending on the state in which someone practices. I would encourage anyone seeking counseling to review the qualifications pertaining to your state by going to your state's licensing board.

"Licensed Professional Counselor" (or "Licensed Mental Health Counselor" in some states) is a legally protected term, because of the holding of the license, but anyone is free to simply call themselves a professional counselor, or a counselor, or a mental health counselor. Generally, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the U.S. has completed a Masters degree level of graduate coursework, plus supervised experience and training, plus whatever other requirements a particular state has for obtaining a license in that profession.

I agree that one should check the state licensing board Web site, or the state Office of the Professions Web site, to verify the credentials, qualifications, and licensure status of any professional one might consult. These Web sites also contain information about malpractice judgments and ethical and professional violations which involved that practitioner.

Do not overlook the credentials of a professional counselor. They are a Master's degree licensed professional who are trained in multiple areas of individual and group therapy, including a wide variety of theorhetical apporaches, human growth and development, family systems, psychopatholgy, diagnosis, and assessment. They complete hundereds of hours of clinical internship experience, including a requirement for direct service with clients, and complete a thesis or comprehensive exam upon graduation. Professional counselors must be licensed and pass a national examination to practice, which is adverse to your "amorphous" ideation of what a professional counselor consists of. In addition to becoming licensed, professional counselors can become clincally licensed afterr completion of an additional 2,000 hours in field experience. Counselors are just as qualified as psychologists, and even more so in some cases of social work training, to provide a client with a fully comprehensive treatment. Do not discount the field of counseling; "dubious credentials" may include people who claim to be a life coach or other type of non-licensed therapist, but professional counselors are certainly qualified and credentialed and able to provide the same quality of service as a psychologist or other helping professional.

We are best teachers.

People are our best mirrors.