Finding a top therapist or psychologist in New York who is an expert in therapy for anxiety disorders , depression or impulsive behaviors can be hard to do.
Here are some tips from psychologist Dr. Jayme Albin, Ph.D.*
* Dr Albin has a degree in Clinical Psychology and a Masters in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. She has been in private practice in New York City providing therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship problems since 2003. You can see Dr. Albin on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7W7TsX2q98
1. Make sure the therapist has at least 10 years experience in providing therapy for anxiety or your targeted problems.
2. Make sure the therapist is a specialist in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for the problem. Most therapists will claim that they do CBT but many don’t have any information/skills to back up the claim. A good CBT therapist who focuses on anxiety disorder should be able to explain the treatment plan. Yes each client is different but overall an expert in anxiety should be able to give you a general overview and example of how they would treat your anxiety symptoms using Cognitive Behavior Therapy for anxiety.
CBT for anxiety is an important part of any good therapist’s protocol because it has been proven by research to be the most effective form of therapy for treating anxiety disorders and in many studies has shown to be just as or at times more effective than medication alone.
3.Make sure the therapist is a Licensed Mental Health professional either a Psychologist (Ph. D or Psy D) or Social Worker (LCSW). The primary differences between a psychologist and social worker is education, number of years of training and research experience. Psychologist do 5 years of graduate school at a minimum and a minimum of 5 -7 years of training before they can become licensed in New York ( 3 years of externship, a one-two year internship and one-two years of post doc training). PhD’s also do a minimum of 2 major research project (a pre doc and dissertation which is an original piece of research). PsyD’s do a minimum of 2 research projects ( but they don’t have to original research they can be a literature review of other people’s research).
Social workers require 2-4 years of training before they can obtain an independent license (2 years while in graduate school to obtain their basic license and 2 more years to obtain an independent license to practice in their own private practice without supervision). Social workers at the masters level don’t do research projects-of course they have papers, reports. etc.. Some social workers may go on to obtain a doctorate in social work, this is when they would do a research dissertation.
4. Who to avoid. In my opinion those who have don’t have a mental health license, who market themselves as a coach or have a basic degree in counseling or masters in psychotherapy are not fully equipped to handle many complex cases involving anxiety, depression and other related symptoms. These are good starter degrees but not degrees that quality someone to treat patients effectively without supervision.
5. Find someone you connect with. Besides the degree and experience find someone you like and connect with. Research shows that rapport between therapist and patient is a strong predictor of outcome.
Dr. Jayme Albin a top psychologist in New York and an expert in the field of anxiety and using CBT to treat anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms. She has been treating anxiety problems for over 10 years in New York City, has authored several articles and books on the topic including “Using Virtual Reality and Biofeedback to Overcome Fear of Flying”. Dr. Albin has presented at the Open Center of New York City on Stress Management and Anxiety and has appeared on television as an expert in treating anxiety disorders.
For more information about Dr. Jayme Albin and to schedule an appointment at the 2 NYC Psychology Offices please call 212-631-1133 or Email DrJayme@askthecbt.com
www.askthecbt.com www.SculptNYC.com
