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Building your mental health care team
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Support for mental health patients is essential to recovery. Health care professionals understand this and should work as a team with you, your family and caregivers to understand how to provide that support and achieve recovery.
The mental health care team typically consists of doctors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals, as needed, who work together to provide for your care and recovery. Selecting your key person or team leader among these professionals depends on several factors. Note that the leader does not necessarily have to be a physician.
Establishing trust and building a rapport with your team is vitally import to your recovery. The leader in this team needs to be someone with whom you are comfortable and trust.
Some of the mental health care team members you may encounter include the following:
- The psychiatrist is a physician with either an MD (doctor of medicine) or DO (osteopath) degree and at least four additional years of psychiatric training. Psychiatrists can evaluate, test, diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders. They can also provide psychotherapy as well as prescribe and monitor medications.
- The psychologist has a master’s or doctoral degree in psychology with specialization in either clinical, counseling, education or research psychology. They provide similar testing and treatment to the psychiatrist, but they don’t prescribe medications.
- Social workers have either a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in social work. They may also be licensed through examination to practice their area of expertise. They can assess and treat psychiatric illness with psychotherapy, but not prescribe medications. They also provide education and assistance with crisis intervention, hospital discharge planning, case management, life and financial planning. March is National Professional Social Work Month. Say thanks to your social worker!
- Psychiatric or mental health nurses are often nurse practitioners. Depending on their level of education and licensing, these nurses can provide a broad range of services including assessment and treatment. In some states they can prescribe medications.
- LIcensed counsellors have at least a master’s degree in psychology or counseling and minimum of two years of post-graduate experience. They can diagnose and provide individual or group counseling.
For assistance in finding local mental health providers, contact your primary care physician, your insurance provider, and organizations such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the National Association of Social Workers, the American Psychological Association, or The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Photo: Caleb Cassler stock.xchng.com
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