When You Don't Know Where to Turn / A Self-Diagnosing Guide to Counseling and Therapy

by Steven J. Bartlett

If, after locating a psychologist with the background you are looking for, you want to double-check his or her credentials, you can frequently find a copy in your public library of the National Register of Health Services Providers or, in Canada, either the Canadian Registry of Health Service Providers in Psychology or the International Directory of Psychologists. They list licensed psychologists with Ph.D.s who have completed internships of supervised therapy. Psychologists will often print their state license numbers in their telephone directory listings.

Social Work Counselors

Social work counselors are listed under "Social Workers" in the Yellow Pages. Usually, their listings are less specific than those for psychiatrists and psychologists. Most commonly, you will see listings indicating "licensed MFCC" (marriage, family, and child counseling), "MSW" (master's degree in social work), "LCSW" (licensed clinical social worker), etc. State licensing numbers are often also given.

The Register of Clinical Social Workers, published by the National Association of Social Workers, lists members whose degrees and supervised training were in counseling; it is available in many public libraries.

Specific credentials you may also see in directory listings include the following:

For therapists with Affiliation: specialties in: ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Membership in American Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalytic Association
(all members are M.D.s)
In Canada: Membership in
Canadian Psychoanalytic
Society
Membership in International
Psychoanalytical Society
Membership in National
Psychological Association for
Psychoanalysis
Training from Center for Studies Client-centered therapy
of the Person, La Jolla, CA
Training from Gestalt Therapy Gestalt therapy
Institute of LA (or San Diego,
San Francisco, New York,
Boston, Chicago, Cleveland,
Dallas, Miami, Hawaii, etc.)
Training from Institute for Rational-emotive therapy
Rational-Emotive Therapy
(which maintains a register of
psychotherapists who have
received training in RET.
Address: 45 E. 65th St., New
York, NY 10021.)
Training from the Institute for Reality therapy
Reality Therapy (in LA, with
branches in other cities in the
U.S.)

Membership in North American Adlerian therapy
Society of Adlerian
Psychology
Membership in Association for Behavioral psychotherapies
the Advancement of Behavior
Therapy
Membership in American Marriage and family
Association of Marriage and therapy
Family Therapists
Membership in Biofeedback Biofeedback therapy
Society of America
Membership in American Hypnosis
Society of Clinical Hypnosis
In Canada: Membership in
Canadian Institute of
Hypnotism
Membership in American Treatment of sexual
Association of Sex Educators, disorders
Counselors, and Therapists

HARDER-TO-FIND THERAPIES

It can be especially difficult or confusing to locate therapists with certain orientations, either because these approaches are less widespread or because you do not know which kinds of health-care professionals make the greatest use of them.