Finding the Right One For You

When you suddenly find yourself in need of a good therapist, it’s hard to know where to begin. There are so many degrees and so many different occupations. How is anyone to know who does what for whom, and who the best therapists in CT will ultimately be?

Best Therapists in CT – What Does Each Degree Mean?

There are three different counselor and therapist degrees: an LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor; an LMSW is a Licensed Master Social Worker; and an LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Though the names differ, all three degrees require a Master’s Degree. A license from the State of Connecticut permits all three to do any kind of therapy they choose. The best therapists in CT are always licensed.

Best Therapists in CT – For Kids

School counselors are often the best therapists in CT for children. A psychologist is often research-oriented, but many also are clinicians which means that they see clients and are not limited to research, testing, and diagnosing.

Best Therapists in CT – Who Can Prescribe?

A psychiatrist is an MD who treats patients and is licensed to prescribe medication, and an APRN, an Advanced Practical Registered Nurse, can also prescribe and provide counsel. Many psychiatrists today have become psycho-pharmacologists; they diagnose and prescribe for a patient during brief monthly visits and works closely with the patient’s therapist to measure improvements and side effects. Fairfield County has many of the best therapists in CT.

Best Therapists in CT – What About Insurance?

Some mental health care workers are in-network and some are out-of-network. In-network is less expensive for you if you find a professional who is a good fit. I, like many, am out-of-network for a variety of reasons: I have a lot less paper work so I can focus on my client; I don’t need help finding clients as my practice is usually at full capacity; and most importantly, I know that no one has the right to ask me about anything that I consider to be private concerning the diagnosis of my client. Confidentiality is essential. The best therapists in CT care about your right to confidentiality. I process all claims for every client and they usually receive between 50% and 80% of my fee. A lucky few get 100%. Some think that the best therapists in CT are all out-of-network, but that’s not true.

Best Therapists in CT – A Good Fit Is Essential

Now that you understand what all those different degrees and occupation titles really mean, I must tell you that the most important thing for you to consider in selecting one of the best therapists in CT is making sure you have a good fit. Even out of the very best therapists in CT, not every professional is a match for every client. I know I’m not; and the best therapists in CT don’t want to be. I work with people who want to create change and advance themselves forward. I am pragmatic and solution-focused. Many clients are in need of a therapist who will just listen. Though I listen very carefully to my clients as well, I am listening for clues to create trustworthy treatment plans that will get results. I want people to feel secure, both with me and with themselves. Many of the best therapists in CT use different methodologies.

Best Therapists in CT – Individual Work For Men

I see many men and women who are doing individual work. I have found that men are more likely to be in need of a safe place and with a safe person. Men don’t want to be judged by their counselor, they need to know they have a strong partner while they do their work, and they need a person they can trust. Many of the best therapists in CT agree that, for some clients, advice is secondary. Further, I’m not one for psycho-babble. I’m told I can speak in a linear way with men and in a narrative way with women. For me, logic comes naturally. And so does the identification of feelings, which is the cornerstone skill of some of the best therapists in CT.

Best Therapists in CT – Individual Work For Women

Women expect unconditional support while they sort through their challenges and work on their own journey of self-understanding. Building strengths and identifying positives qualities is the shared goal with clients for many of the best therapists in CT. I see many women who feel lonely, empty, and taken for granted. I see many women during and after a divorce, and many in search and in preparation for whatever they have chosen to be their “next.” My individual clients tend to stay in therapy longer than my couples, as many of the best therapists in CT will concur. Like men, women need a safe place to lay out every thought and feeling while knowing that they can always rely on my full support of them. If you can’t be yourself with your own counselor, then they may not be one of the best therapists in CT.

Best Therapists in CT – For Marriage Counseling

I love my couples as much as my individual clients. I love how they shave the truth at first, and I love how, eventually, they bravely lay it all out on the table. I smile as they blame and accuse each other because I know that soon they will feel safe enough to take ownership of the only person they can truly change, themselves. It’s a joy shared by the best therapists in CT. Usually within four weeks, couples who really want a good marriage, more than they want their own way, are rolling up their sleeves and struggling hard to listen and to be better people for each other, and secondly, for their kids. All of the best therapists in CT care about your family, as well as your marriage.

Best Therapists in CT – How Does Therapy Work?

I provide a lot of practical help for my couples therapy clients. I do a lot of teaching. How to express yourself, how to apologize, how to listen, how to accept, and how to disagree. Like many of the best therapists in CT, I am tuned in to people’s needs. I try to explain to women how important sex is to a man, and I try to describe to men what emotional connection means for women. Though all of our stories are different, we are sometimes more alike than we are different. The best therapists in CT are all different, but we all agree on that.

I have a big notebook stuffed with lovely thank-you notes from couples who built great relationships, great partnerships, in marriage counseling. My favorites are the pictures of their children after they healed themselves and decided they felt their marriages were strong enough to have more kids together.

 Best Therapists in CT – For Infidelity Counseling

Infidelity counseling, which has been my specialization for so very long, often starts off feeling like a little death has occurred. I am comforted in the knowledge that almost every single couple whom I have ever seen has had a great outcome – together. The success is due to the fact that, had they felt they could not overcome the unfaithful breach of trust, they would not be coming to see me. Those people call attorneys instead. Many of the best therapists in CT do not specialize in infidelity but I have always found it rewarding.  Infidelity counseling is so useful; I have designed, over the years, a variety of ways to move people forward. But it is hard work for the couple, and yet it is almost always successful. Happily.