Finding a therapist, counselor, or psychologist in Windsor, California

How do you find the right one?

Windsor, CA is the small town between Santa Rosa and Healdsburg that butts up on wine country, and definitely is not as well known as those cities. I can easily bike to my favorite winery from my home (and you know you are pampered in wine country if you have a favorite winery). Windsor is also a town that has a suburban, family feel to it, which you can appreciate and not love at the same time. But even people in small town wine country need emotional support (we can’t just depend on wine can we?). If you are looking for a life coach, counselor, therapist, or psychologist, let me offer some thoughts on how to do just that.

First, let’s talk about the folks you could chat with:

Life Coach: A life coach is a professional who offers support specific to career and personal challenges. Some have education and certifications, but it is not a necessity to list yourself as a life coach. Life coaching is not the same as therapy, it is more about taking on specific challenges and behaviors.

Counselor/Therapist: These terms tend to be interchangeable. Your professional will likely have a preference (I prefer therapist myself). Folks in these designations have a Masters degree and have taken an exam that certifies their knowledge. The trope is that we ask about your mom and dad, then make you cry. To be fair. That’s not how we all work.

Psychologist: A psychologist has a PhD (or the increasingly popular PsyD), which means a little more education than us Masters folks and the right to be called doctor. They may have a more particular focus (they did have to defend a dissertation), but their work is not wholly unlike a counselor/therapist (though psychologists tend to cost more).

Psychiatrist: I’m throwing this one in for clarification. Psychiatrists have an MD, which means they went to medical school, so while they may perform therapy, most likely you will see are for medication. I have been asked if I prescribe medication and I’ve met many people who struggle to keep psychologist and psychiatrist straight. Neither therapists, counselors, nor psychologists can prescribe medications. That is the largely defining characteristic.

Now that you know what each professional does, how do you know who to choose?

You read the profiles that say all these things about the help they offer and who they offer it to, coupled with some jargon about the techniques they use. And every one one of them is nonjudgmental and compassionate. It can feel like picking a profile off a dating site (some of the listings feel like they could have wanderlust and “work hard, play harder” written in them).

Let me share what I tell my loved ones.

Therapy is an intimate relationship. You want to feel safe to share the pieces that you don’t share with most people (or potentially anyone). Listen to the voice that is speaking in the profiles. Does it sound like someone you want to talk to? Is there something in the language, the prose that speaks to you? Set up a consultation. See if it makes sense. And feel free to try on a few professionals. What is most important is that you find the professional who is best for you. You are not going to hurt any of our feelings if we don’t connect. It is kinda like dating. :)

This is a pretty quick and dirty explanation. If you have more questions or are looking for a hack to remember the difference between a psychologist or psychiatrist, feel free to call me at 707.593.6333 for a free 15 minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with relationships, including the one with yourself, you can read more about how I can help here.