Reference no: EM133346614

Assignment:

AP Psychology- Clinical Psychology

Choosing a Psychotherapist

The American Psychological Association (APA) provides a "how to choose a psychologist" page.

How to choose a psychologist

1. "Are you a licensed psychologist? How many years have you been practicing psychology?"

"Are you a licensed psychologist? How many years have you been practicing psychology?" Research to find out what it takes to become a licensed psychologist (in our state). If licensure includes a doctoral degree or internship accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), find out what a university or internship needs to do to receive that accreditation.

2. "I have been feeling (anxious, tense, depressed, etc.) and I'm having problems (with my job, my marriage, eating, sleeping, etc.). What experience do you have helping people with these types of problems?"

Refer to the examples at the end of the "how to choose a psychologist" webpage. How would each of the people in these examples ask this question? Identify five problems that are commonly experienced by students. For each problem, write out how a student could phrase the issue to a practicing psychologist.

3. "What are your areas of expertise-for example, working with children and families?"

Referring to this chapter of your textbook, what areas of expertise might a practicing psychologist identify?

(Hint: think populations of people who may benefit from psychotherapy and the types of issues people may have.)

For each of the examples given at the end of the "how to choose a psychologist" webpage, what areas of expertise should the practicing psychologist have?

4. "What kinds of treatments do you use, and have they been proven effective for dealing with my kind of problem or issue?"

Using the book or your notes from Unit 8, identify at least 5 different treatments that a practicing psychologist might use. For each of the examples given at the end of this page, identify the treatment or treatments that may be appropriate.

5. What are your fees? (Fees are usually based on a 45-minute to 50-minute session.)

• Do you have a sliding-scale fee policy?"
• Do some research and identify the typical fees charged by practicing psychologists in our area.
• What is a sliding-scale fee and how does it work? How often can one expect to attend therapy sessions?
• How many sessions can one expect to attend?

6. What types of insurance do you accept?

• Will you accept direct billing to or payment from my insurance company?
• Are you affiliated with any managed care organizations?
• Do you accept Medicare or Medicaid insurance?

This document provides more information about insurance and psychotherapy.

Summarize the major issues to consider. What questions should you ask your insurance carrier before contacting a practicing psychologist?