With at least one in four people suffering a mental disorder at some stage in their lives, people should be visiting psychologists in their droves. However, estimates suggest only about one third of people who could be helped are accessing services. Service barriers reveal great diversity and include affordability, stigma, service availability, and lack of knowledge about mental health. Over the past 20 years, there has been concerted efforts on the part of non-government organisations like Beyond Blue and the Black Dog Institute to raise awareness, provide knowledge and importantly reduce stigma. With the Federal Government’s decision in 2006 to expand the range of mental health services covered under Medicare, the barriers to affordability and availability were reduced. Most people suffering a mental health disorder now have enhanced access to both psychiatry and psychology services under this initiative known as Better Access.
Psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors—what’s the difference?
Psychiatrists have medical training and in addition to some of them providing therapy, they prescribe medication. Psychologists study the mind, brain and behaviour and work in diverse fields. Clinical psychologists receive additional postgraduate training in the assessment of mental health disorders and scientifically validated treatment approaches. Clinical psychologists do not prescribe medication and may work alongside psychiatrists and GPs who do. A counsellor is a generic term for anyone trained to provide guidance on personal or psychological matters. Sometimes the counselling role is quite specific (eg. marriage, genetics, and diabetes counselling) and other counsellors provide general counselling. While psychologists use counselling as a method of enquiry and behaviour change, the profession ‘counsellor’ is not a regulated or licensed profession (see below) and hence is free for anyone to practise, even people without any qualifications at all.
If you are suffering a severe mental illness like schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder, the first port of call would be to see a psychiatrist, either working privately or through publicly-funded Community Mental Health Services.
Regulated and registered professions
Psychologists, medical practitioners, and a number of other health professions are regulated in Australia in order to protect consumers. Regulated professions are bound by legislation to follow codes of ethical conduct, which include privacy, confidentiality, and provide scientifically validated treatments. You can ensure a psychologist or medical practitioner is registered and licensed to practise by searching the register of practitioners at the nationwide Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Some other practitioners like social workers are not registered but follow ethical codes of conduct.
Trust and honesty
Effective therapy can only occur with a therapist you perceive as trustworthy, honest, and safe. In an environment of trust, you would be more willing to share sensitive information that helps you and the therapist work collaboratively. Also, in a safe environment, clients can more easily tolerate the natural ups and downs that therapy entails.
How to find a therapist
To find a therapist you could ask your colleagues and friends for a recommendation. You could Google ‘psychologist’ or ‘clinical psychologist’ and the area in which you live to reveal a list for you to review. You can also access the database of Medicare registered psychologists here.
One of the best things to do, is to make enquiries directly with the therapist about the services they provide and the style of therapy they use. Sometimes having a conversation over the phone or via en email exchange allows you to employ both your intellect and your intuitive skills to make the right decision.
If you would like to organise an appointment with Peter, click here.