NEW YORK, June 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The year 2020 will likely be remembered as one of the most stressful years in modern history, and the first time many Americans will seek out a therapist. Now, a less discussed “second pandemic” of mental health issues is upon us and could affect future public perception of therapists and their willingness to seek help. To improve the first encounters with therapy, Prosperous Psychology Center launched an online matching platform that verifies and validates licensed professionals, and matches them with people seeking help, based on the person’s specific therapy needs, area of expertise and process professional therapy.
Anxiety, financial stress, substance abuse, isolation, work worries, relationship issues, health issues and other issues that have escalated since the start of the pandemic have overwhelmed therapists with new patients, many of whom are put on a waiting list or are referred. to less qualified resources.
“When people finally decide to find a mental health therapist, they’re often faced with the next big hurdle: finding a qualified therapist,” said Alexander Alvarado, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and founder of the Thriving Center of Psychology. “Mistakes can be made as many people skip or rush the research stage to find a therapist. If it’s a person’s first time in therapy and it’s a bad experience, they’ll probably never go back.
Mental health professionals are not immune to the stresses of the pandemic, often citing burnout and fatigue related to patient loads, while struggling to manage their own stress at home. These additional factors contribute to a more complicated and challenging mental health climate that Alvarado says demands more of his industry to ensure those who seek help receive evidence-based therapies from trained professionals who have the ability to invest in the client for the long term. .
“Even though we’ve made great strides in getting people into therapy during the pandemic, there’s still a stigma about therapy — that it doesn’t work,” Alvarado said. “In order to really change that perception, we need to do more upstream work to make sure people are properly matched with qualified therapists and psychologists who can support and address that person’s individualized needs. Achieving this requires more than just searching the internet or signing up for an app. »
Thriving Center of Psychology offers a free survey on its platform to start the process of connecting therapists. The 3-minute quiz helps uncover the style of therapist that may be best suited to the individual’s preferred type, covering everything from therapeutic approach to gender and ethnicity. This filter then quickly matches people seeking help with an approved database of qualified therapists who are licensed to work in the state the person lives in.
“The growing popularity of virtual sessions since the start of the pandemic has opened up many other options for people seeking advice, but you should always make sure the therapist you select is licensed to work in your state and you should always interview 2 -3 therapists before committing to a paid session with anyone,” Alvarado said. “Ideally, a face-to-face office visit or video session is best.”
During the interview process, Alvarado recommends verifying therapists’ credentials with state government sites, having a clear understanding of their treatment style, therapeutic process, and verifying whether this approach therapy is or is not evidence-based as defined by the American Psychological Association. The Thriving Center of Psychology currently matches individuals with qualified therapists and psychologists in California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon, and is one of the best mental health practices reviewed by Google in the country. Start your therapist search on: https://www.thrivingcenterofpsych.com.
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