Psychiatrist or counsellor?

[Whereissummer24]

After some advice - my husband has possibly ptsd, huge trust issues and is generally
just very complicated. I should add that we love each other very much. After years of conflict which he conjures up on his head he has finally
agreed to get help. I tried counselling myself during a bad patch and didn’t find it particularly helpful. He’s asked me to find someone for him to see - should I look for a psychiatrist or counsellor? Just interested in people’s opinions.
i feel he needs so unpicking of issues not someone pandering to him - that’s how I felt my counsellor was.

What you need is a fully qualified psychotherapist. Try the BACP website. A psychiatrist will rarely give the time that is needed, a councillor won’t dig as deep as is needed, a psychotherapist will give as much time and go as deep as necessary.

My husband started with a psychiatrist to talk things through, to understand where his issues stemmed from and to understand the basis of his feelings. He then moved to a psychologist who helped him to deal with these thoughts and put in practical measures to change them.

i must say, it has worked wonders, he’s doing brilliantly, very much improved.

I have PTSD and see a specialist trauma psychotherapist privately. The psychotherapist has been much better than when I have seen an NHS psychiatrist when in crisis.

Oh please don't use BACP, the accreditation of their therapists varies wildly, and they even allow a self-certification category.

Look at the UKCP or BPC.

If he has PTSC/PTSD the NICE recommended treatment is EMDR. The waiting list in my area in London is actually not that long, so he should go through his GP.

Paying privately is approx £180-£250 a session in London.

good luck

UkCP maybe, but BCP promotes only psychoanalytical methods which might not be what the OP’s DH needs.

Psychiatrist - medication/ can 'talk things through.'

BACP / BPC / UKCP - counsellors and psychotherapists of varying experiences, qualifications. Some level 4 no life experience, some MSc/PhD masses experience. Some level 4 plenty life experience, excellent therapists! Some therapists, even with qualifications very questionable! Ask re trauma training if PTSD.

BPC more analytic - within BPC is vast difference in experience and slant of model as it were - even within psychoanalysis there is vast difference in schools of thought. Some BPC therapists also very questionable!

Possibly go with a recommendation from someone you trust.

Curious that he's asked you to do it. Therapist will want to speak to him. Third party referrals raise questions. Why isn't he taking responsibility? For example...

What a load of nonesense.

All professionals vary. I know atrocious psychiatrists, terrible psychoanalytic therapists, and God-awful CBT therapists. Training and modality, or experience don't determine if someone is good or not.

This level 2, level 4...7 training stuff is also nonesense. Trauma training is nonesense. They're all marketing words people use to sell themselves.

DH needs to read about types of therapy and decide what chimes a chord in him, and then go down that path.

Equally, @MoreThanOnePostcardFromTheEdge suggestion about a recommendation by someone you trust is good, as long as the person you trust is a mental health or social work professional, otherwise it's just the blind leading the blind.

Another vote for finding a registered practitioner who does EMDR. It's really effective for PTSD and speaking from personal experience, it honestly saved my life.

Look for a chartered psychologist who specialises in the issues relevant to your husband.

I work in this field and strongly suggest an HCPC registered clinical psychologist who can provide evidence based psychological therapy- EMDR or trauma focused CBT.

Why can’t he find help himself?

🤣 not really nonsense. You make the same point I do. So your post is also nonsense then.

Crap therapists in all the professional bodies. Good therapists in all the professional bodies.