The article below is part of an educational series to help the community
better understand Behavioral Health Services (BHS) available to them in
Gillette, Wyoming.
Therapists come in many shapes and sizes. I will attempt to describe what
kinds of Therapists that are available to you at
Behavioral Health Services (BHS) at Campbell County Memorial Hospital so you might have a better idea.
Please remember: Not any therapist can be said to be the right one for
you. Often there has to be some connection, respect, and trust. It is
not wrong for you to feel as though you are not making progress and want
to change therapists. You have that right as does the therapist in making
a change if it helps the patient.
-
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have been through medical school and have specialized
training in mental illness. They often then attend programs that give
them additional training in specialty areas like Substance Abuse, the
elderly, or children and adolescents.
-
Psychologists are trained licensed professionals who have gone beyond the master’s
level of training. They are Doctors of Philosophy. They are not medical
doctors (MDs) and in Wyoming, they cannot prescribe medications. They
often have extra training in assessment and use an array of testing that
can be helpful in determining diagnosis and/or condition. They do therapy
and may even help psychiatrists with diagnosis of patients they are not
the primary professional for.
-
Licensed Clinical Social Workers are master’s prepared licensed professionals. They generally come
up through the school of social work. They are highly trained therapists
and have special expertise in social systems and how we manage ourselves
in those systems.
-
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) are master’s trained licensed professionals who not only
do therapy but also work with families as a system. One may not know it
but most of our social, work, and family interactions are done through
one system or another. LMFT’s help us to navigate those systems
and can pinpoint where a system is dysfunctional or where we are creating
problems for the system.
-
Licensed Professional Counselors are master’s prepared professionals with expertise in therapeutic
interactions. They are highly trained and can address most mental illness
with equal expertise and compassion.
At BHS, we have all of those represented. All of the staff are dedicated
to providing the best care they can—given the situation and the
patient’s willingness to do the work.
Which brings me to another topic: Therapists and psychiatrists do not fix
people. People fix themselves with the aid of a professional. We cannot
do the work for you.
In fact, if you come in with the attitude that you or a loved one needs
to be fixed, you may get an initial appointment but it will soon come
down to whether or not you want to work. If you do not want to work, you
may be asked to find another therapist or doctor.
Again, people can inadvertently clog up a system when in fact they do not
even want to be there but go because a family member wants, the courts
it or a friend wants it. The ultimate question is: Do you want it.
Jeff Rice is the Director of
Behavioral Health Services at Campbell County Memorial Hospital. BHS provides professional mental
health and substance abuse services to the community through prevention,
education, advocacy and treatment for all ages in the community. Appointments
are available Monday–Friday from 8 am–5 pm. Call 307.688.5000.
Learn more at
www.cchwyo.org/BHS.