To ask you the difference between a , clinical psycologist,psychoanalyst and chartered, psychologist

[Batters3aPark]

Looking for support for my son and haven’t got a clue.

Yes and he has had some mentoring/ counselling from a lovely charity and counsellor but it isn’t working. He won’t talk about hating being gay. The anxiety and self hatred is crippling. He needs some proper treatment iykwim. Had to ring CAMHs crisis last week as now wishes he was dead. Got a meeting in 2 weeks off the back of that.

When this is all over I am going to make it my mission to help other parents in a similar situation. It’s horrendous and you are completely alone.

The counsellor might be able to suggest someone to help him who is known to the charity. It sounds as if a clinical psychologist would be the most appropriate professional.

I’d feel bad asking iykwim.

I would see the GP for medication for anxiety and take the edge off for him. Then work on breathing and methods of distraction when it starts to take hold. Anxiety is awful and all consuming and makes it really hard to engage in anything else, so strategies to manage it can be really helpful.

The being gay and self hatred I would have some psychotherapy for. This doesn't have to be a psychologist, it's really about finding somebody he is comfortable with.

OP a clinical psychologist who is registered with HCPC who has experience working with teens would be able to assess your son and recommend a plan. An important factor is that a clinical psych is qualified to a level that they have a working knowledge of a range of specialisms and levels of therapy, and are ethically (code of practice) bound to recommend what they deem the most appropriate, meaning that they won't just recommend a plan of therapy that they just happen to provide (which unfortunately happens quite often with some lower level services that only provide one thing, eg counselling, which although can be very good has more variable qualifications and less scrutiny)
A clinical psych is likely to be one of the most expensive initially but can save money in the long run by pinpointing the issues early on.

What type of medication? Does it have side effects? How do you find a good psychotherapist?

A clinical psychologist can work with children and young people or adults. They in my opinion are the most highly qualified and evidence based professional who can offer therapeutic help often mainly cbt based but other therapies too integrated into their approach.
They are not a doctor so they don't diagnose and medicate but they assess and formulate - meaning they assess what are the presenting issues, what is the background and what is propagating it as well as doing scoring of anxiety levels etc.

Or a good clinical psychologist, yes thinking paying extra will def be worth it.

So the role of an educational psychologist in this sort of scenario might be to think about how your ds could be supported in school / college. For example, to help plan how to make your ds feel less anxious about returning to school and to think about how to respond if he becomes anxious in school.

From what you've said you should focus your search on a clinical psychologist.

Will do Div. How do I find a really good one?

Clinical in the first instance , or counselling psychologist (different again to counsellor). But the clinical psych will have a good idea if further referrals to psychiatrist (so meds) needed. I would suggest looking for someone who worked with LGBT youth and also has had NHS /CAMHS experience

A psychoanalyst is a psychotherapist that practices from a Freudian 'school'. Therapists are great with feelings, emotions, problems with relating, self esteem, identity, anxiety and depression, etc
Check this out: www.psychotherapy.org.uk/what-is-psychotherapy/types-of-psychotherapy/
If you want a psychotherapist, you want to check that they are registered with UKCP (United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapists). They have a different register for child and adolescent therapists. It takes many years of training to be registered with UKCP.

Psychologists register with BPS and they use psychometric tests to determine the cause of problems, provide some sort of name for the problem and tools to overcome them.

So it depends on the outcome you want.

A clinical psychologist would probably be more helpful than a psycho analyst. As for his anxiety, CBT might be helpful, as a starting point at least. GP can refer for CBT. May be done by a psychologist or a registered cognitive behavioural therapist (were I work these are mainly mental health nurses who have completed additional masters in cognitive behavioural therapy and a certain amount of hours of supervision to be accredited therapists). Our CAHMs service offers CBT in 6- 24 session blocks, or a further referral to a clinical psychologist for longer term work (with a longer wait). As for medication, this wouldn't be prescribed by a psychologist or therapist, but by the GP or psychiatrist. GP would be a good starting point at least for medication for for anxiety/depression, and they can refer to an outpatient appointment with a psychiatrist if they feel they need advice or it's out of their remit.

In short I would consider speaking to GP about therapy and medication options. If you want to look privately perhaps someone accredited to do CBT as a start.

I'm glad some misinformation here has been corrected...I speak as an adult CP.
Yes they need to be HCPC registered. NHS - CAMHS but huge waits. . Many private ones (who often work in the NHS too) will advertise through counselling directory website. There is no requirement to be BPS registered to practice it..it is HCPC you need to have. BPS just means you have paid their subs and you can then use the chartered title (but actually that is not meaningful like a chartered surveyor or accountant is). I'd look for one with a fewyears experience, I would also phone around and chat to a few as someone else said it is all about engagement , any therapy is. I'd avoid psychotherapists and psychiatrists( where meds are their role). Evidence base is for CBT for anxiety , sometimes EMDR too where there are traumatic/difficult events .

Might be worth looking at private insurance cover too.

With no face to face input you might be able to shop around nationwide for zoom appointments .
I hope this helps, and your son is able to get the right help he needs, PM me if you need more specifics/recommendations.

It's tricky without knowing what part of the country you're in. Honestly I'd just Google "private clinical psychologists".

Ideally look for someone with NHS experience within CAMHS, if possible. It's not a guarantee of a good psychologist but its an easy indicator of their background.

I work in an NHS mental health setting and I can confirm that you need a clinical psychologist and prefab one who specialises in working with children and perhaps has experience working in CAMHS. These are trained to work with people with mental health difficulties. You are very welcome to PM me as I know as few (in the south London area though).

Has your GP been useful? They are often a good place to start.

As for anxiety medication - there are loads of different types and all have different side effects. Some suit others better and it can take a few attempts to find the right one.

We’re in south west. Do I just google clinical psycologist?

www.counselling-directory.org is a good place to find clinical psychologists by postcode. You’ll recognise them as they usually have the “Dr” title in their headline and their profile should reveal if they’re a child and adolescent specialist. Good luck to you and your son x

Honestly a good counsellor will know when a situation is beyond them and ideally will have someone they can refer on to. Likewise if the clinical psychologist feels that medication would be useful they will refer to a psychiatrist.

If you want someone to do direct therapeutic work with your child then a clinical psychologist would be best. However some educational and child psychologists also have specific interests and additional qualifications in therapies like CBT etc so can offer this type of work too.

If you have concerns about your child's holistic needs including mental health , social and educational needs then an educational psychologist may be better.

Both clinical and educational psychologists are equally trained to doctoral level (unless they qualified 15+ years ago then they might have a masters ) and both are also chartered psychologists. Educational psychologists training is 3 years completely of 0-25 year olds- so more experienced in child development whereas clinicals train across the lifespan, but then may specialise later. Have you looked on the ACHIPPP website for professionals in your area?

Would you go straight for a psychiatrist?

Looked at that link canyou and no clinical psycologists are coming up.😩

Sorry it’s/ counselling-directory.co.uk. There are bound to be some in your area as they train clinical psychologists at Exeter and Bath unis I think?!

Also psychologytoday.com is another good site where they advertise