Therapy is very commonly thought of as place or a person that you go to only if you are “crazy”.  Not so.  

Therapy is a safe place to talk about you. You matter. You have thoughts, feelings, and experiences that have been difficult to manage. Therapy helps you not only understand what has happened to you, it helps you figure out how to
manage and cope with difficulties in relationships and in your past experiences. It’s an investment in you.

Therapists are people who have specialized training in different areas of medical, behavioral, and mental health treatment. Navigating through the different types can be very confusing and overwhelming. This is a partial
list of the types of therapists that you can see. 

When working together, several therapists can help you form a “treatment team”. This is a common way of therapists coming together and working for your very best recovery. These different professional types can fall into the following
categories:

A Medical Doctor is responsible for managing the overall impact of trauma on your physical body. Many times people do not recognize the impact that trauma has on us physically. It is extremely important to make sure that you are physically
healthy in addition to mentally healthy when thinking about your recovery.  

A psychiatrist is a Medical Doctor with a specialization in psychiatric medication.  Different types of medication can help with symptoms of trauma-related problems. 

A psychiatric nurse-practitioner can also provide medication, but works under the direction of a psychiatrist. A Nurse Practitioner may be easier to get an appointment with and/or may be less expensive to see. 

An individual therapist provides therapy in a one-on-one setting with the person who is struggling with issues related to trauma. A Doctoral-level practitioner (psychologist) or a Masters-level practitioner (Social work, professional
counselor, marriage and family therapist) can provide individual therapy. There are different certifications that therapists can obtain, listed below, that are specific to helping you heal from a trauma-based issue. The following
are examples of such certifications, but are not required to get “good” therapy or a “good” therapist:

A family therapist works with the family – this can be different members of the family at different times or the whole family simultaneously. A family therapist can have a Doctoral or Master’s-level degree, as specified under Individual
Therapist (above).

Family therapy is a necessary part of the therapeutic process if you have other loved ones with whom you live or who are part of your support group. This is one of the most effective forms of therapy for any type of issue. The following
are certifications in family therapy with a trauma focus:

Support groups are just that, support. There is not a cost associated (if there is a cost, it may be for materials) and it is typically run by people who are not licensed clinicians. These groups are often run after hours and on the
weekend at a neutral location.  Support groups may have a structured process or may be open to just talking.