This time of year, a lot of people struggle more with mental health issues here in the Fort Smith area because of the change in weather, busy schedules, and the increase in financial stress during the holidays. If you’re in this position and are considering working with a therapist, be sure to check out these other posts on how to find a therapist in the Fort Smith area and questions to ask your potential therapist. In this post, we are going to look at some common questions that you may have about therapy.
FAQs about Therapy in the Fort Smith Area
What is the difference between Therapy and Counseling?
Most people use the words “therapy” and “counseling” interchangeably. And there is a lot of overlap between the two, but there are some differences. Most therapy involves counseling, but not all counseling is considered therapy.
We need to keep in mind that when we talk about Therapy, we are specifically talking about the practice of Psychotherapy. There are many different types of therapy, like massage therapy, speech therapy, etc. But for our purposes, Therapy is referring to Mental Health Therapy, or Psychotherapy.
Again, there is a lot of overlap between Therapy and Counseling. But technically, Therapy refers to addressing chronic mental health issues over an extended period of time. For example, someone who has been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder will most likely seek Therapy to process through the origins of the depression and develop new skills to improve their mood and manage their depressive episodes in the future.
Counseling focuses on a particular issue or event that needs to be worked through, over a shorter period of time, and it is more goal directed. Like therapy, there are different types of Counseling, such as Financial Counseling or Career Counseling, that may not be focused on mental health.
Does therapy work?
It most cases, therapy will help you to work through past issues and develop new skills to help you feel better and live a healthier and happier life.
However, there’s a chance that you will go to therapy but won’t experience the improvement you’re wanting. If this is the case, it’s important to talk about this with your therapist to see if a different approach would work better or if you need to change therapists.
What makes therapy successful?
Successful therapy depends a lot on being fully engaged in the therapy process. People come to therapy to get better and that involves change. So in order to be successful, you have to want to change.
Some people are sent to therapy against their will and they don’t want to be there. Their therapy will probably not be successful because they have no desire to change.
Is therapy confidential?
For the most part, yes. Your therapist will explain this at your initial session, but most of the time, everything that you discuss with your therapist stays between you and your therapist.
There are certain cases where a therapist will have to break confidentiality and report a situation. This is usually when someone threatens to harm themselves or to harm someone else, and in cases of abuse or neglect.
Also, if a client is involved in a legal case, the court or the attorneys might subpoena the therapist to submit their records or testify in court. You should definitely talk to your therapist about this at your initial session.
How many sessions does therapy take?
This depends on your needs. If you have a chronic mental health issue, therapy could last a few months to a few years. If you’ve been through a traumatic event, experienced a sudden loss, or have a specific issue that you need to address, then therapy may only last a few weeks to a few months.
What about life coaching in the Fort Smith area?
Life coaching is another option for people, and there are life coaches in the Fort Smith area that can be helpful. Some therapists or counselors have been through training to provide life coaching. However, not all life coaches have been trained to provide therapy or counseling.
Do I need a coach or a therapist?
This really depends on your needs. If you struggle with chronic mental health issues, past trauma, sudden loss or specific issues, then you probably need therapy or counseling.
However, if you don’t struggle as much with mental health as you do with acheiving personal goals in your life, your business, or your relationships, and you want to learn new ways of meeting those goals, then life coaching may be a better option.
Again, there are therapists that are also coaches. They have been trained to spot whether you need therapy or if coaching is enough. But not all life coaches are therapists, so it is important to be clear about what your needs are and if they can be met with life coaching, and when it would be necessary to refer you to a licensed therapist.
Do I need a LPC, LCSW, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?
All the letters after peoples’ names can get confusing, but here is a quick explanation of the difference:
- LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor
- LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- LMFT stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
- Psychologists will have a Ph.D. after their name. Their Ph.D. is usually in Clinical Psychology.
- Psychiatrists will have an MD or DO after their name because they have been through medical school with a focus on psychiatric medicine.
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners will have NP or APRN after their name and have also focused on psychiatric medicine in their training.
If you are just looking for a therapist to address issues with or talk to, then you will want to work with an LPC or LCSW. If you are needing couples therapy, marital therapy, or family therapy, then you will want to work with an LMFT, though some LPCs or LCSWs will also provide marriage and family therapy.
If you are also looking for a therapist that can do psychological testing, then you will want to work with a Psychologist. And if you are interested in exploring medication options to go with your therapy, or medication-only treatment, then you will need to work with a Psychiatrist or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
I hope that this helps you with finding the right therapist for you in the Fort Smith area. While finding the therapist that is the best fit for you can be challenging, there are a lot of therapists to choose from, so I know the right therapist for you is out there.
If you need any further help in finding a therapist, feel free to schedule a free consultation call with me and I can help point you in the right direction.
