Student Counseling Services
PNWU provides mental health services through its Student Assistance Program (SAP). SAP provides short-term confidential resources to students, spouses or domestic partners, and dependent members of the student’s family. If longer-term care is needed, one can contact Student Affairs for help.
Choosing a Therapist
Choosing a therapist is a very personal matter, and no therapist is right for everyone. It is critical that you choose a therapist you trust. Below are some things to consider when choosing.
- Does the therapist use evidence-based treatment?
- Does the therapist have experience with your concern? For example, some therapists specialize in working with couples, or post-traumatic stress disorder. How much experience does your therapist have with patients like you?
- What are the fees for each session? Is there a charge for missed sessions?
- Where is the therapist is located (clinic, community center, independent practice, etc.)? What hours are available for your treatment, and how long will therapy take?
- Is your therapist available in emergencies?
- What kind of therapy your potential therapist is likely to provide (for example, long term versus short term, or individual versus group therapy)?
Signs Your Therapist is Not Right for You
Even with a nice or kind therapist, it’s important to make progress. Here are some signs that your therapist is not the right fit for you.
- You complain about not being able to make any significant progress and your therapist tells you that you must process the problem emotionally before you can expect any changes.
- Your therapist talks a lot and does not have you talking and doing new things that help you make progress.
- You like your therapist, but you never really get down to working on the actual behaviors that make your life difficult.
- Your therapist tells you that your brain scans or blood values have improved but you do not feel or function any better.
- Your therapist tells you that you are expecting too much and that your condition is chronic, or that nothing more can be done to help you.
- Your therapist tells you that if you could get to the problem underneath your issues, then you would be able to recover.
- You therapist tells you that you are in denial about the true issues underlying your problem and that you need to do more therapy in order to get better.
- You have not experienced any noticeable progress after two month of treatment — most treatments that are effective should show some progress within several weeks to several months.
- You disagree with your therapist’s ideas about the problem and their explanations do not make sense to you.
Further Reading
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/finding-good-therapist