Admitting to yourself that you need professional help to cure your emotional, and mental state is not easy. Only brave people could admit that they cannot handle their emotions and thinking on their own.
If you are one of the people who need professional assistance, finding the right Psychiatrist to consult with is a must. You are in a very traumatic state, and hiring someone who cannot help you get out of it, will not just add up to your trauma but could possibly ruin your life completely.
There are many ways you could do to make sure you are seeking help from the right professional, and to name a few of the ways that you could do, read below:
- Ask for referrals
This may not be the easiest, but admitting to your family and friends that you are currently in a bad condition is something you have to do. These people could refer you to the best specialists they know so you could be treated immediately.
Ask for referrals and be open to your loved ones on what you currently feel and what you are going through. They are your best support system, hence talking to them not only to ask for referrals but also for support is a good idea.
- Check on the credentials of the professional
Once you collect a few names, check their credentials through search engines online. Where did he/she graduate, what does he/she specialize in and so on. The more information you could gather about them, the better.
- Consider the gender
You have to go to a professional that has a gender you are most comfortable to open up. Are you more comfortable speaking and opening up to a female? Then find a female professional. This profession is for both male and female, hence you could choose on which gender it is you want to seek help from.
- Read patient’s reviews
Read their current and previous patient’s reviews. The reviews of the people they have directly worked with could help you a lot in determining if he/she is the best for you to hire or you need to look somewhere else.
- Hire their service
And finally, hiring their service is your ultimate way to assess if the professional is the perfect fit for you or not.
Moving on, is he/she a perfect fit? Here are the signs you have to look for:
- He/she is looking to you straight to the eyes
If he/she is looking straight into your eyes as you tell your story, it is an indication that she cares and she wants to know more about you. If the doctor keeps on looking at the chart while you talk, you would never know if she is listening by heart or she just wants to make sure that everything you say is documented.
- You do not feel rushed
Your treatment, same as with your progress, should not be rushed, but if that is what you feel every time you are talking to your doctor, then there could be something wrong. The doctor should allow you to open up and heal at your own pace. If the doctor is rushing you, then the only goal she has is to get your money and not to help you get better.
- You feel valued
If you feel like the doctor validates what you feel, then it means, she is doing her job right for you. Whatever it is you feel is valid, hence the doctor should make you feel that. You have to feel that the doctor cares for your welfare and not just what you can afford to pay.