The stigma around mental health often leads people to believe they don’t need professional help or that finding mental health support is too confusing or expensive. While these things can be true, finding the right mental health professional can be life-changing and very worthwhile.

I will unpack some things I’ve learned while navigating the mental health world in this article. My goal is to empower folks reading this to take control of their mental health and to seek support when needed.

To reduce stigma, it helps to highlight how supporting your mental health parallels supporting your physical health. Humans quickly go to the doctor with a broken arm or see a physiotherapist when an old ankle injury flares up. Yet, when experiencing emotional pain or trauma, people don’t often consider getting support.

Why are they different? Stigma. How do we reduce stigma? We talk about it and work to normalize it.

So many types and such little energy to learn about the differences

We have counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, social workers, and therapists. Wait, aren’t they all therapists? I cannot be the only one confused about the difference between all these folks. While having options is great, we live in a world with one thousand options for everything, and decision fatigue is a thing. So here is a short and sweet list of some key differences between mental health professions: Counsellor - Registered or certified counsellors (such as a Registered Professional Counsellor or Registered Clinical Counsellor) are trained to assess mental health problems and use different counselling methods. These methods often include teaching different skills to help improve well-being. Counsellors are not medical doctors and cannot prescribe medications. You can make an appointment with a counsellor independently and do not need a doctor’s referral. Counsellors’ fees are not covered under all provincial or territorial health plans. Ask your private insurance company or workplace if counselling services are covered under your plan. (Canadian Mental Health Association) Psychologist - “Psychologists are trained to assess, diagnose and treat mental health problems and disorders. They hold a master's or doctoral degree in psychology, usually within a specific specialty area like clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology. A psychologist cannot prescribe medications. Their expertise includes psychological testing and assessing emotional and cognitive functions, diagnosing emotional and cognitive disorders and using evidence-based psychological treatments and psychotherapies. When a psychologist is employed by a public institution like a hospital, school or correctional facility, their services are covered by the public health system. However, when a psychologist practices in the community, public health insurance plans typically do not cover their services. However, they are usually covered by an extended health insurance plan you may have through work. You can make an appointment with a psychologist in the community without a doctor’s referral. To find psychologists in your area, go to www.cpa.ca/public/findingapsychologist.” (Canadian Mental Health Association) Psychiatrist - “A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with a specialty in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. They can prescribe medication and use counselling to support recovery. You usually need a referral from your family doctor to see a psychiatrist. Provincial and territorial health plans cover psychiatrists' fees.” (Canadian Mental Health Association) Psychotherapist - “Psychotherapist is a general term for many different types of mental health professionals. This can include psychologists and therapists. These professionals all provide psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a type of “talking therapy.” It’s designed to improve your mental health and general well-being. There are many different schools of psychotherapy. They can involve therapeutic conversations, group therapy, expressive therapy, and more. The most popular type is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). You can use CBT to help learn how to change behaviours, thought patterns, or emotions.” (Healthline) Social Worker - “Social workers are dedicated to helping people cope with solving issues. These issues can include personal problems and disabilities. Social workers can work in hospitals, universities, and as therapists with the correct licensing. They may also address social problems like substance use, housing, and unemployment. Social workers are often involved in family disputes that involve domestic violence or child abuse.” (Healthline) The main thing I notice with these different job titles is their similarity, they all have the same goal of supporting your well-being. When deciding which mental health professional to choose, there are key differences to keep in mind, especially if you are curious about a diagnosis or medication. Another key difference will be your budget. Typically folks with a P.h.D. or Master’s will be on the more expensive end of the scale. However, in my experience, the fancier couch doesn’t always equal better support. The relationship between you and the person providing support or treatment is the most important thing. In the end, you are in the driver’s seat of your mental well-being; if you’ve tried working with a psychologist for a while and are not finding improvement, perhaps consider looking around at the options available.

Decide online or in person, or both

There are pros and cons to all options. Annoying but pretty classic. You just need to determine what suits your schedule and which would serve you best. After you’ve decided, you will know more about how to search. If you’re open to online, as an example, your options expand because you can look across the country and even globally! Although this can be overwhelming, it means you have more access to finding the right person. If you prefer working with someone in person, search for someone in your area. I once discovered a psychotherapy clinic while walking in my neighbourhood five minutes away from my house. I found this place after I had already spent hours searching online. Keep your eyes peeled when you’re out and about. Talk to your friends and family maybe they know someone or have heard about someone.

What are you looking for in a mental health professional?

Meeting a therapist for the first time can be overwhelming and intimidating, so it can be helpful to already have a clear image of what you’re looking for. It’s alright to be unsure; maybe you won’t know until you’ve worked with one or two therapists. With that said, here are a few places to start:

• What are their qualifications? Therapists can specialize in certain healing areas; maybe you want to work with someone who is trauma-informed, practices art therapy or specializes in a specific area you might want to focus on, i.e., assault, PTSD, specific mental health issues, as examples.

• Check out their website or find any online information about them. From what you can gather, is this a person who intrigues you?

• There are also different types of mental health practitioners to choose from. In my experience, they all blend in, but the main difference is that a psychiatrist can prescribe you drugs, whereas no other practitioner can. Generally, anyone with the title, Therapist, Counselor, Psychologist, Social Worker or Psychotherapist is practicing some type of talk therapy (talking with a trained professional to support mental health).

• Decide if a particular identity is important for you to feel seen and understood. For example, some queer folks find working with a queer mental health professional helpful. While this information isn’t always disclosed, many therapists offer it to help people make more informed decisions.

• Figure out how often you’d like to go. This can be something you adjust over time. Maybe at first, you start once a week to get into a rhythm and then perhaps transition after a few months to twice a month. Figuring out how often you’ll go helps determine how much you want to/can afford. Again if you’re unsure, just start to visualize what would feel most supportive.

This step is so that when you’re meeting with a therapist, you can ask them these questions to know them better and assess if you’ll be a good fit. This leads me to my next point.

Interview your therapist

Interviewing your therapist can seem a little bizarre at first, but this is a meaningful relationship that will likely have a significant impact on your life, one in that you’re looking to invest money, time and emotional labour. You want to make sure this person fits the bill. Literally. A therapist who doesn’t let you interview them is whack! That’s a huge red flag. A good therapist will also have an interview process, so you can set up a 15-20 minute phone call to chat. During this call, you can ask them about the following:

• Their practices, specialization, where they got their training, and what they bring to the table.

• They will likely ask you, what brings you to therapy, and what you look for in a therapist.

• Their rate - most therapists offer a sliding scale. For example, I’ve paid as much as $120 per session and as low as $30 per month when using BetterHelp. The best situation I’ve found thus far is working with a registered social worker with whom I built a great relationship, who charged a sliding scale of $80-130.

• After this phone call, you can check how you feel. If you enjoyed the conversation and are excited to keep talking to them, consider booking your first session! If you’re still on the fence, you can keep shopping around until that spark happens. In my experience, when I want to work with a therapist, I don’t want to wait six months until I find the perfect match, so sometimes, even if you’re not 100% sure, only maybe-kind-of-sure, it can still be worth it to give them a go. At least if you don’t like them, you’ll have learned more about what you don’t want after a few sessions.

In my experience, it’s a little bit similar to dating. You have standards; this is an intimate setting, so ‘just anyone’ won’t do. The ultimate goals of therapy for me are:

• To feel safe, understood, validated and heard

• To help process deep emotions, past trauma and future fears

• Find an objective person I can build a relationship with and trust

All that to say, it takes a particular person to meet these criteria, so don’t be afraid to listen to yourself and set boundaries: aka saying “byyye” to a therapist you’ve worked with once or a few times who doesn’t light you up. Don’t worry about their feelings. You are paying them to care about and listen to your feelings. It took me a while to learn that one.

If this all feels overwhelming and you’re like I DON’T KNOW what to think about therapy or how to prepare for therapy, that is okay too. I didn’t know anything before I started, just that I wanted professional support in processing my emotions and the past so that the future looks clearer.

You start to feel out the process by learning about what you want from therapy and what you want from a therapist. Once you begin the process, you will know more about yourself and what you want. Don’t worry if it takes time. That age-old adage is accurate in this case; good things take time. Meaningful relationships are not built overnight; they take time, energy, and dedication. Why would the one with yourself and your therapist be any different?