Deann M. Gattis Psychological Services, PLLC

Reasons for seeking out therapist are as varied as the people. Sometimes it is to deal with long-standing issues or problems with anxiety or depression. Sometimes it is to deal with more immediate changes like death or divorce. Sometimes it is to find support in difficult tasks like parenting or communicating within a couple or family. Working with a therpapist can help provide insight, support and new strategies for all types of life challenges. Therapy is right for people who are interested in taking responsiblity in their lives, creating greater self-awareness and working toward change.

The world of Mental Health Professionals can be confusing. Consider the following:

Psychiatrist (medical degree of some sort) - a doctor who prescribes medication for psychological problems

Psychologist (doctorate degree of some sort) - a doctor who does "talk therapy" and/or psychological testing services.

Psychologists and Psychiatrists have the highest level of education and licensing available. They have to have a degree as a doctor and have passed national exams to show they have a level of competency expected of their level of education.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor
(LADC)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Licensed Behavioral Practitioner (LBP)

These are professionals who have earned a masters degree and have passed their licensing examinations. They do not have the depth of education that doctors attain.

Be cautious when trusting your mental health care to somone who is not licensed. There may not be any way to regulate or require them to be trained in the areas in which they practice. Thoroughly research their education, experience and reputations before trusting them with your or your family members healthcare.

Every therapy session is unique. Most often in the first session we will go over some important information including my credentials, limitations of confidentiality and payment/insurance information (please bring your insurance card to the first session). We will spend the majority of the first session discussing the issues that are bringing you to therapy/testing and how these are impacting you and others in your life. Collaboratively we will set goals for our work.

During the first session we will determine the appropriate plan of action for what to do next. If it is therapy, we wll schedule another session to begin to address the issues that will help us to meet the goals we set. For therapy to be most effective you must be an active participant, both during and between sessions.

For testing, we will schedule a longer time slot so that we can begin the evaluation process.  The time needed and the tests to be completed will be determined by the questions we are trying to answer. All of this will be more clearly defined in the first session. After completing the testing portion of the evaluation it typically takes two to three weeks for me to gather informaiton, score tests, interpret the results and write the report. Once these tasks are accomplished a feedback session will be scheduled for us to discuss the findings and for each of us to ask questions and complete the reporting process.