Psychologist vs Therapist vs Counselor for children

[RealJimmyJames]

Looking for some advice for anyone who has knowledge and experience with psychologists, therapists and counselors for a kid struggling with some anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
Mental health has quite a bit of a stigma, but I truly do believe that professionals can help a person work through the problem much more effectively than just "toughing it out". Benefit coverage isn't great, so costs are an issue for sure. Have previously seen a psychologist, but at $220/hr, it was getting out of hand.

Honestly, the whole family has been effected by this, so I think mom and dad could use someone to talk it through with as well, but as mentioned, cost is an issue. Currently the adults are dealing with it by unloading on friends as much as possible, and lots of cheap wine.

[Seth1968]

How old is the child, and is he/she being bullied at school?

[RealJimmyJames]

I don't think bullying is the issue. Child is seven.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
I don't think bullying is the issue. Child is seven.

You have to first determine if this is a legit psychosocial disorder, or something empirical.

Does the child have home issues, or in any way embarrassed from his / her physical appearance?

[78si]

Talk to the child's school. CBE has psychologists on the pay roll.

[RealJimmyJames]

Originally posted by Seth1968
You have to first determine if this is a legit psychosocial disorder, or something empirical.

Does the child have home issues, or in any way embarrassed from his / her physical appearance? I don't think I'm qualified to determine the legitimacy of the situation. That's why I was looking for someone who deals with this on a professional basis. I would classify the home situation and appearance as norma, if that helps.


Originally posted by 78si
Talk to the child's school. CBE has psychologists on the pay roll. Good call. Last time it was discussed with the school, they were reluctant to expend resources on something that wasn't causing obvious problems in the classroom. There are kids in this school with parents addicted to drugs, in jail etc. This issue seems smaller in comparison, but it is significant to us. We will continue to try to convince them, but it's my understanding that the CBE has only four psychologists for the entire city, so they can see only the most urgent cases

Outside of CBE, any suggestions?

[roopi]

http://www.calgarycounselling.com/

I am 99% sure that the cost of there services is somehow dependent/related to income of family.

[msommers]

+1 for Calgary Counselling.

And please do not listen to Seth. It is not your responsibility or role to assess if this child is suffering from a mental disorder. Do not let the Google doctors of the world sway you or initiate any preconvieved ideas. Please continue as you are reaching out to professionals.

[rx7boi]

Check with the family members to see if they have a EFAP program through work.

Many companies have Employee / Family Assistance Programs who will connect you with counselling resources through a limited number of sessions. They are generally not meant to be long term therapy but this can be negotiated with the clinician themselves.

roopi is correct with CCC. They operate on a sliding scale for fees to keep things more affordable. If you are a middle-class family, it is roughly about $70-$120 per session as this is what my retired parents paid last year.

Lastly, you mention that the entire family has been affected so you may want to consider a therapist who is trained in family and/or couples modalities. Some social workers focus primarily with families so this is something you can ask about.

A therapist and counsellor can come in the form of social work, psychology, and even nursing. What you are looking for is the credentials to back up the training and experience.

There is a difference in training and education when it comes to Psychologists and Social Workers, and even those with Master vs PhD. Look for a therapist that is receptive to what your issues are and can formulate a treatment plan to help address those problems.

Don't bother with Seth on this, he doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about and will throw words around like psychosocial and empirical like he is trained in doing proper clinical assessments. He doesn't know shit.

Good luck.

[RealJimmyJames]

Took a while, but they are in touch with the CCC, and got a little more info about their fees. They top out at $180/hour, but for people on limited incomes, or without benefits coverage, they can reduce that down quite a bit. They are also willing to discuss fee reductions after your benefits run out in a particular year. One note is that at the bottom end of the fee structure, you will be seeing a provisional psychologist, not someone who is fully certified.

Also, seeming like the CBE is pretty reluctant to refer folks to the area psychologists and other resources. I know they have limited resources, but that is frustrating.

[RealJimmyJames]

CCC has been impressive so far, they have met with a psychologist who has excellent credentials, and some very relevant experience. The child hasn't started sessions yet, those will come soon. I'm of the opinion that this is really going to help them.

Also, on a somewhat related note, since the school has been quite reluctant to provide additional resources like OT, behavior strategist or psychologist, is it worthwhile checking around to see about another school? Anecdotally, it seems like different schools just handle these issues more efficiently. Maybe some principals have more experience in this area? Is there any way to know how another school would work? Seems like most of the "regular stream" CBE schools that aren't in new communities have some space in them. Do larger schools have someone assigned to this task aside from the principals and teacher? Thoughts on that?

[RealJimmyJames]

Still looking for any advice on a way to determine if another school would be more helpful. Kid is currently driven to school, and family is open to moving neighborhoods in the next few years.

What do you think, how much of a difference does having a "great" principal make?