How Do I Find a Psychologist

Many people who are suffering from psychological problems often don't acknowledge their problems and this could result to long-term suffering, and even suicide. Early detection of mental issues can help improve the quality of one's life tremendously. But sometimes when a person has already arrived at the point when he's ready to talk about his problems with a trained psychologist, he is confronted with yet another problem—how do I find a psychologist?
Many people gain access to qualified psychologists through hospitals and local clinics, when they're referred to by their family physicians or recommended by their family, friends, teachers, and religious leaders. There are also local and regional associations of psychologists that offer referral services and which can lead you the psychologists in your area that handle similar problems as yours.
While a referral may be necessary from a physician before you can see a psychologist who is working at a hospital, you can also self-refer to someone in private practice.
When choosing a psychologist, not only should you look for someone who is licensed, but also someone with whom you feel at ease. A good rapport as well as a good working relationship between a client and psychologist is important for ensuring a successful psychological work. As in any other field, one practitioner might be able to work well with one person but not with someone else.
While it is easy to establish the credentials of a practitioner by simply going through his background, you might think it could be challenging to determine if he is a good fit for you. Well, in fact, it's not that difficult. During your initial conversation with a potential psychologist, consider how you feel towards him. Do you feel appreciated and listened to? Is he compassionate, kind and understanding? If you have any negative feelings towards a person, then perhaps it would be better to go and look for someone more suitable for you.

Traditionally, therapies are done in an office setting where the client works with a professional face-to-face. But the digital age has brought therapy to an entirely different level. Now there are various ways you can receive mental health services even at the comfort of your home. Online psychologists are more and more becoming commonplace.  Many people welcome this new way of getting help because it saves them a lot of time and money. Besides, there are also those who have difficulty opening up when confronted by someone face to face.
As with a traditional psychologist, you can also receive assessment and therapy services with an online psychologist. Online assessment is often designed to identify depression and anxiety through self-scored tests and examinations. For a more general assessment, patients may also be asked to take mental health screening tests as well as personality inventories which usually take longer and are more comprehensive.
Online therapy may be conducted in several ways. Through the email therapy, a client will be asked either to fill out a form or write an email to a psychologist asking him about things that bother him. A mental health professional would then reply to the email with more accurate information and even an in-depth analysis of his problem. E-therapy or cyber therapy is perhaps the most commonly used method by online psychologists. In the chat room both client and therapist have greater interaction.

In order to find a psychologist online, you may ask your family, friends, minister, physician, etc. for referral. If all these don't work, then you may also join a newsgroup dedicated to your particular concerns such as anxiety or depression. There are plenty of these groups online and joining them is for free. You may post your questions to this group, but the problem with this is either you don't receive any information or you receive more than what you need. If you really want your concerns to be properly addressed, the best is to look for a reliable psychologist online who can devote his time to talk you through your problems.