Mental Health & Common Quandaries

Things are starting to fray, and life is getting just a bit overwhelming. Your relationships are rocky, or you have a few unhelpful habits you just cannot shake! Maybe things are even going way too well, and you want to ensure you can manage the responsibility or avoid sabotaging your golden opportunity!

By some flash of genius or a friendly prod, you decide to seek some professional guidance… but who does what? How find the right one? Where do I even begin?

In this article I hope to give a crash course outlining the common roles of mental health providers and what they offer, where to begin your search, and some suggestions about how to find the right therapist for you.

Counsellor: A qualified professional that utilizes “talk therapy” to help create a dialogue around present life challenges and personal distress, and work collaboratively with the client to formulate goals and strategies to overcome these hurtles and improve overall wellbeing.

Psychotherapist: This term is also unregulated in Australia and can be used interchangeably with counsellor. However, the title can carry a separate definition and approach. Psychotherapy is another form of “talk therapy”, akin to counselling, that places greater focus on a deeper processes, repressed emotions and memories, and the subconscious.

By Keanu Jones KLJ Counselling

Psychologist: Typically, a more analyticallyfocused profession as their universityeducation centers around the brain,memory, cognitive processes, learning anddevelopment, as well as data andstatistical assessment and analysis.Alongside talk therapy, psychologists canprovide assessment tools and diagnosticinterventions. Helpful if you want an I.Qtest or to check for a cognitive disorder.

Psychiatrist: Trained as medicalprofessionals before acquiringspecialization in psychologicalassessment, diagnosis, and mental illness.They may provide talk therapy services,check for cognitive disorders, as well asprescribe psychotropic medications.

Life Coach: An individual that overseesyour personal development of skills,strategies, and goals forpersonal and/or professional success.Usually an expert and role-model in theirarea of coaching such as fitness, nutrition,entrepreneurship, finance, etc. May notpossess formal and in-depth thetraining and expertise in psychology andmental health and their interventions.

*Due to regulation issues in Australia anyone can call themselves a counsellor without anytraining or qualifications, so be sure to check the person has been trained through areputable college and is a registered member of the Australian Counselling Association(ACA) or the psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). Furthernote that it is illegal for an individual to operate as a psychologistwithout a recognized qualification and official registration with a governing body ofpsychology.

Part 2 of this article will be published next month which will guide you through how to find the right therapist for you and where to start