Adding a Professional To Your Support Team
“Sharing my experiences with a professional provided me with the added support and tools I needed to make positive changes in recovery.” – UK
“Sharing my experiences with a professional provided me with the added support and tools I needed to make positive changes in recovery.” – UK
Guidance from a trained mental health professional can help you navigate your path to recovery.
Reaching out for professional support is an important step in recovering from depression. Tackling any issue head-on is a sign of strength.
There are a few different professionals who are qualified to provide mental health services. This page lays out the roles different mental health professionals may play in recovery, as well as how to access these professionals. Jump to content on:
Depression is a serious illness, so we want to get help from a qualified professional, just like seeing a physiotherapist to rehab a bad injury, or a urologist or medical oncologist to treat testicular cancer.
A professional can provide talk therapy and medication, which are the two most well-studied and research-backed treatment options for depression.
There are many different professionals who are qualified to practice talk therapy, but only a few that are able to prescribe medication – the most common being family doctors, psychiatrists, and depending on their expertise, mental health nurse practitioners (which mental health professionals can prescribe medications may differ slightly based on location).[1]
Seeing a family doctor is a great first step and they will be better able to help us decide what level of support we need and how to access local resources. See our guide on Consulting a Family Doctor.
Family doctors generally do not have the same level of specialized training, nor are they set up to provide talk therapy, as the mental health professionals listed below.
Many different professionals are trained to administer talk therapy, and may be referred to as ‘therapists’ or ‘counsellors’. Unfortunately, these two terms are not title protected and can legally be used by anyone, even without any or limited training.
This is why it’s crucial to check a therapist’s education and make sure they have the training to be best positioned to help us.
All the mental health service providers listed below will have:
Counsellors are generally the most widely available providers of talk therapy. Counsellors have the broadest client base, working with people in all areas of life, for example helping athletes manage stress, couples repair relationships, or providing individual talk therapy to people with anxiety and depression.
This includes professional counsellors, marriage and family therapists, as well as therapists working in more specialized fields such as substance abuse counselling and art therapy.
Note, as mentioned above, anyone can use the term ‘counsellor,’ so it’s important to make sure a counsellor has the proper training and experience before seeing them.
Social work usually takes a broader look at mental health in the context of social, cultural, and economic factors. Social workers are more ‘embedded’ in their communities and may be better able to connect us with resources to address issues like poverty, unemployment, housing, and domestic violence.
Though there is much overlap, counseling psychologists focus on common stresses and issues we may face in our daily lives, while clinical psychologists focus on more specific mental health issues. They will both have expertise in a wide range of talk therapy approaches and techniques (though they may have a specific area of expertise or focus).
Unlike a family physician or psychiatrist (except in a few limited locations/circumstances) clinical psychologists do not provide or manage prescriptions, and focus on improving clients’ mental health through talk therapy.
Psychiatrists tend to work with clients who have more severe, complex, or multiple diagnoses (severe depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, overlapping health issues) and primarily focus on prescribing and monitoring patients’ medication(s), but in some cases also provide psychotherapy.
Psychiatrists most often work in hospitals and seeing one usually requires a referral from a family doctor or emergency room.
Psychiatric nurses are registered nurses who specialize in mental health.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have received advanced training (master’s or doctorate degree in nursing) who can perform tasks which are typically performed by medical doctors, including prescribing medication and diagnosing patients.
Both of these mental health professionals work in hospitals and typically require a referral from a family doctor or emergency room to meet with.
Because of differences in individual services offered by different professionals, you may see one individual for all your needs, or end up working with multiple professionals. For example, it’s not uncommon to see a counsellor for talk therapy, in addition to a psychiatrist who prescribes medication.
Depending on location you may also be able to access non-urgent health or help lines which are typically operated by nurses and provide a quick, free, and informal way to access general health information (including mental health) and learn about resources in your community.
These numbers vary more based on location and may be provided by your province/state or country. To find a healthline in your area try searching by your state or province name and “nurse help line.”
Family doctors can help with referrals to access different mental health professionals and other local mental health resources.
These centres can be a good way to get in touch with a professional for low-cost services. Services are typically covered by public and private health plans. Often there is an intake process during which a mental health professional will review your referral and discuss your options. This may include individual or group therapy, or recommendations for other local mental health services.
Many mental health service providers, including psychologists, counsellors, clinical social workers, and even psychiatrists, work independently in privately run clinics, referred to as private practice.
Private practices can be run by a single mental health professional, or a team of professionals from a variety of mental health related fields (e.g. psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists working in one clinic). Private practices tend to be more readily available than publicly run services and often offer options for both short- and long-term treatment, but typically cost more.
Some hospitals may also have Outpatient Services specializing in depression and mood disorders. These services tend to include single-visit assessments or short-term case management, offering a way to get a diagnosis, receive medication (if deemed necessary), and be connected with additional services.
Inpatient services (accessed through Urgent Care or the Emergency Room) are an option if you are having thoughts of suicide and think you may act on them.
Inpatient services will provide around-the-clock care and connect you with mental health professionals such as psychiatrists and social workers for the duration of your stay. They can also refer you to additional support once you are discharged.
Student health services or university counselling centres are great places to start and may be able to provide or connect you with additional resources.
Your employer might have an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), which is a free, confidential, short-term, counselling service for employees with personal difficulties that affect their work performance. Check your company’s website or ask your human resources department for information about whether your employer has an EAP.
(A.K.A. telehealth, e-counselling, or remote therapy) has become increasingly popular in recent years making it easier than ever to try therapy, especially for people living in remote areas.
To learn more, see our Overview of Online Therapy.
…
No matter how we choose to access mental health support, waitlists are common. It can be discouraging to finally reach out to a mental health service provider just to learn we need to wait weeks or even months to see them. In the meantime there are still many important steps we can take and things we can work on, as outlined in our Tips and Skills section.
It may take time to connect with a mental health professional, but it’s worth the wait.
Cost is one of the biggest barriers keeping men from seeking support. But getting mental health treatment is as much an investment in our health as seeing a doctor for cancer treatment or getting a root canal at the dentist. Although these procedures may be costly at times, it’s important to pursue them – the same is true with our mental health.
For instance, seeing a therapist may seem expensive in the short term, but if doing so helps us improve our health so we can keep our job (or not have to go on disability), it will save us money in the long term while also improving our quality of life.
Even if our budget is tight, there are still ways to receive support.
In general, fees to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist are higher than those for master’s level clinicians, reflecting these experts’ higher level of training and specialized skill sets.
Therapists in private practice are not typically covered by public health plans (fee information should be listed on the websites or you may have to contact them to ask for their rates).
Certain student, employer, and private health plans may cover a limited number of private therapy sessions. If this is the case, it’s important to read the fine print of your insurance plan, as some plans only offer coverage for therapists with specific training (e.g. they may cover therapy with a clinical counselor but not with a clinical social worker).
In Canada and the U.K., fees to see a psychiatrist are covered by public health plans if you are referred by a physician. Seeing a psychiatrist in other regions, or seeing a psychiatrist who works in private practice may require you to pay out of pocket.
Submit a request for a consult with Dr. John Ogrodniczuk, the founder and man behind HeadsUpGuys, to set up a 30 minute virtual call.
Consults are intended to be a one or two-time service to help us sort out what’s going on in our lives, and get a sense of where to start, so we can better focus our energy towards fighting depression.
Footnotes