The Variety of Mental Health Practitioners and Treatment Options Available
1. What is a mental health expert and what do they do?
In the movies, they are referred to as shrinks - a non-flattering slang term for psychiatrists which never really helps with the social stigma attached to it. As if you were a neurotic type to be needing to see one. Luckily, though, the perception around mental health care is shifting. Among the challenges that Covid brought into our lives, there are some bright sides: the pandemic taught us the importance of having solid mental health to be anchored toward; and for those who spent time working on themselves, understanding the mind and how it can work for us or against us can give us the priceless ability to tap into an inner balance at any time.
The good news is that mental healthcare is available to anyone - without exclusion. Nevertheless, the essential condition is to seek the guidance of a mental health expert. In the same way that you would turn to a plumber if your pipes were bursting out water all over. Often, people who are timorous to therapy might take endless Freudian-style monologues in hope of a self-induced breakthrough; but that is also a misunderstanding and a misrepresentation of what mental care is about.
A mental health professional is a practitioner officially certified to guide individuals towards a better understanding of themselves and their mental processes - and ultimately help them overcome their challenges by gaining control over the mind and its thoughts. There are many approaches to therapy and counselling, but the aim is to fulfil the person with more effective coping skills and proper tools to positively handle emotions and behaviours. The Mental Health experts' role is to give you the key to an inner balance that stays in your control - no matter what the circumstances are or where you are at.
2. How do I know if I need help with my mental care?
This is a very crucial question, which can be determined by your Doctor. There are very useful tests and questionnaires available to doctors to evaluate a patient’s mental health. However, for how helpful, we believe that people can’t just be inserted in a box and that you have the best knowledge of what you’re going through. GPs are trained to pay attention to their patient’s silent cues, such as body language, ask questions and listen. When signs of struggle are observed, they may politely enquire further. Sometimes people have the feeling they could benefit from help, sometimes they haven’t even thought about it, and sometimes they are unsure whether their issues are serious enough to need professional help. There is no shame in entering this topic.
First of all, we invite you to avoid the fear of judgement. Anyone can go through a rough moment. And there is no rating of severity in the symptoms of mental struggles. Some conditions might be more evident and require immediate attention, but the truth is we all experience mental imbalances from time to time. And no mental issue is too small or too big to decide it’s time to face it, and improve. Remember, mental health most of the time results in better physical health and eventually a much happier life. You would be surprised to know how many diseases have a psychosomatic nature and eventually heal completely thanks to therapy.
At King Street Medical we firmly support the idea that everyone should speak to a mental health expert at least once in a lifetime. Even when there are no foreseeable issues, it is extremely valuable to improve self-awareness and mind-handling skills. Not to mention that some categories of people are particularly recommended to go through preventive therapy, such as pregnant women or teenagers.
Although we believe only you have the right answer to this question, whether or not you need professional help with your mental care, we encourage you to ask your GP for advice and not hold back any discomfort you might be experiencing. Share the load, do not bear it alone. If something is moving within you while reading these lines, we encourage you to contact us to see how we can help you: link.
3. Definitions for different types of mental health experts: clinical psychologist vs counselling.
First of all, let’s establish a cornerstone: there is no one for all formula for mental health. There are an infinite number of reasons to seek psychological aid, from assistance to quitting an addiction, post-partum assistance, and even wanting to discover more about your own patterns and behaviours to specific mental disorders. Psychologists and therapists are trained to adopt different approaches and deal with different needs. Let’s discuss some of them.
Clinical Psychologist
A clinical psychologist is a psychologist who has undertaken a further post-graduate training alongside supervised clinical work experience. Clinical psychologists often work in a clinical environment and are more focused on severe psychological disorders such as OCD or PTSD. It’s a great idea to see a clinical psychologist if you need assessment and diagnosis of mental illnesses and complex psychological problems - which also may require advice in clinical and compensation areas.
Counselling Psychologist
Counselling psychologists offer a wider range of strategies and therapeutic approaches which can also be tailored to the specific needs of the client. It is recommended to see a counselling psychologist if dealing with those challenging life circumstances such as grief and loss, crucial transitions and vocational assessment. Counselling Psychologists can help you deal with situations such as domestic violence, addiction and difficulties in maintaining healthy lifestyles. Their work can also be preventative, meaning you can see a psychologist achieve the means for strong mental health even if you are not currently experiencing any specific struggle.
Developmental Psychologist
Developmental psychologists work with children and families to help them understand issues typical of the development stage of a child or a young person's life. This includes behavioural issues such as hyperactivity, disability-related issues, learning difficulties and puberty transition. This is a crucial service for both the carers and the children because development and growth always come with peculiar, unique challenges that influence the way they'll live their adult life.
General Psychologist
All psychologists must meet high education, training and ethical standards. They also must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia to be allowed to practice in this field. Psychologists with general registration, which are the majority, have a minimum of six years of university training and supervised experience. The main difference between General psychologists and Clinical psychologists is their pathway in training. The first ones can also tackle complex issues, but the latter ones are the most qualified for treating people with severe conditions.
Marriage and Family Therapist
Marriage and family therapists are solution-focused, typically using short-term strategies to bring clarity to families' problems and teach them to deal with them in a healthy way. Studies show that marriage and family therapies are very helpful in treating marital conflicts and various mental and emotional issues between the domestic walls. This includes health disorders such as adolescent drug abuse, alcoholism, depression, obesity, and dementia.
4. How to find the right mental health expert for you or your loved one
At this point of the article, you might be even more indecisive on what it is that you should be doing. Don’t worry: it is normal. Human psychology is complex and often there are overlapping factors. When assessing your mental health it is important to be very kind to yourself and others. We are all here to improve. And like all journeys, you should take this one step by step. Micro steps, even. Most likely they will be back and forth, ups and downs, but eventually, we all move forward. And therapy is your safe, reliable roadmap to where you want to go.
What is mental health in the first place? Let go of the perfectionist within you, because a trouble-free life does not exist. And neither does bomb-proof personalities: we are all affected by circumstances and road bumps. However, mental health is the ability to recognise your inner voice and thought patterns to then organise them in a way that serves you, rather than drags you down. Mental health is not a brute force but gentle anti-fragility; meaning learning the ability to not merely withstand a shock but improve because of it. The good news is that anything can be improved and you can start the process right now, by assessing where you’re at, or the person you’re worried about, without judgment.
Here are some tips for you:
Confide your worries with a trusted GP
When you choose a GP who has the time and dedication to offer you, you set yourself for a good start - because he or she can recommend you the best mental health specialists for your specific situation. The doctors at King Street Medical are extremely sensible and experienced with mental health - as it is one of our biggest fights to improve people’s lives - so feel free to book an appointment with us for wholehearted advice;
Read and educate yourself
It is our recommendation to trust health practitioners and not count on Google for answers. But it can be useful to do some reputable reading about different types of therapies to make an informed choice.
Take a reputable self-assessment questionnaire
A self-assessment questionnaire can be particularly helpful when we are not sure what is going on or when we are worried about somebody else and we need a bit of help understanding the situation. Here are a couple of reputable questionnaires you can take right now to receive a first assessment. Just do not stop there; take the results to your GP and discuss them further.
How King Street Medical can offer you the best available psychologists and counsellors in Wollongong
At King Street Medical, our core value is to provide extensive services to attend to people’s health from a holistic perspective. We are not just our bodies: our minds have an influential role in our general health. We have a team of highly qualified health professionals to assist patients with both their physical and mental health.
Our medical facility is inclusive, welcoming and accessible to take care of your unique needs: whether it be an occasional check-in or regularly scheduled sessions, we support the integrity of the body and mind thanks to our allied services (link to allied services landing page).
Here are the specific services we offer within the mental care support:
Clinical Psychology
King Street Medical makes available, and accessible to everyone, qualified clinical psychologists. We care about your mental health because each individual’s happiness contributes to the whole society’s spirit. Therefore we guarantee you the highest level of sensibility and expertise from our practitioners while guiding you through a journey of improvement - no matter what your condition is. Please consider the numerous benefits of feeling more mentally fit and healthy, for yourselves and others.
Gottman Therapy (Couples Therapy)
Psychologists at King Street Medical are experts in relationship counselling, specifically for couples who want to improve their bond and get back on track with one another. Psychologists are trained in Gottman Therapy which is comprehensive and proven effective at helping all sorts of problems arising within relationships. Don’t believe your problems are unimportant. Your happiness as a couple matters, and it is your right to look for a stronger and healthier relationship.
Family Therapy
Group Therapy as a family can help you establish the warmth of a loving household and improve your quality of life. It will teach you and your loved ones precious communication tools and conflict-solving strategies that will make bonds tighter and differences manageable.
Rehabilitation Counselling
There is no shame to receive help in quitting bad habits and addictions. It takes courage and loyalty to one-self, to tackle such a radical change. Replacing damaging habits with a healthy routine is tough for anyone, but with the guidance and support of a specialist it becomes not only possible but a purpose-filling journey of self-discovery. If you’ve decided it’s time to transform your life and find out what you are capable to achieve, we are here for you.
Other Psychology Services
King Street Medical’s team have the expertise to get you the help you need with a variety of issues - as multifaceted human psyche is. Psychologists are competent in a range of psychological assessments for children, adolescents, adults, and families.
Some of the concerns we can help with are:
// Depression
// Anxiety
// Loss of motivation or interest in everyday activities
// Feelings of panic and worry
// Feeling stuck or lacking purpose
// Disturbing thoughts and feelings
// Lack of emotional control
// Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
// Self-esteem
// Anger management…and many more
// Stress management
// Grief
// Work/school difficulties
// Relationship counselling
No matter how small or trivial you think it might be, booking an appointment can help you get back on track or prevent further escalation.