Between juggling work, family and social commitments, and with the added burdens of life’s everyday challenges, it’s no wonder Americans as a whole are more stressed than ever. At Spokane’s Heart to Heart Counseling, we know it’s impossible to glide through life without a few bumps and bruises along the way, which is why we’re here to help. Our staff of seven experienced counselors is available to help guide you through life’s challenges, and work through difficult issues. Many people consider seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist in Spokane, however, counseling can often be a better fit depending on the level of assistance needed.

  What is a Counselor?

Counseling is a tool to help people like you find answers to issues that may confuse, irritate, or frighten you. At the simplest level, we seek counsel when we talk to our friends about something that’s bothering us, and they give us insight into our lives and a different perspective of what we are experiencing. Similarly, professional counselors bring another set of “eyes,” to the situation, plus, after studying and observing ideas and methods that have helped others, they are trained and prepared to help you find your answers. Since humans are diverse, their issues are diverse, and counselors are prepared to handle a wide range of issues, ranging from individual, to those within a marriage, family or community support system.

All professional counselors are certified or licensed by the state to practice in the profession. There are several classes of counselors, and those different classifications determine the range of type of counseling they can and will undertake. Counselors tend to adopt certain strategies that they believe are most useful in their practice, including cognitive-behavioral, Freudian, Gestalt, existential or Rogerian therapies to Hypnosis, EMDR, or Neuro Linguistic Programming. While only psychiatrists prescribe medicine, counselors can work with doctors in regards to medication. Typically, group health insurance companies pay most counselors.

While many people may consider seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist, Spokane’s Heart to Heart Counseling often offers the level of assistance people truly need, and our trained staff of counselors are always there to listen objectively, ask questions, and help you solve problems while developing your own answers.

  What is a psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a licensed medical doctor who also studied the specialty of mental illness and its treatment. A great deal of what is known about mental health and illness, the causes of abnormal behavior has come from this specialty. Psychiatrists focus on diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and are licensed to utilize external means to relieve symptoms, such as medications, electroshock, and magnetic or other external stimulation. Spokane Mental Health employs many of the psychiatrists in Spokane, offering crisis service support and suicide prevention to those in need.

  What is a Psychologist?

Psychology is the study of the mind, how it works and the treatment of problems of its problems. The goal of psychology is generally to understand why people and groups do what they do, which is discovered by creating theories, conducting testing and applying research to specific cases. A psychologist has a PhD from college in the science of Psychology, and is generally classified as a cognitive, social or behavioral scientist. Psychologists work to understand how the mind operates so they can predict, understand and treat individual behaviors. While this type of professional help tends to use science to understand and solve problems, the majority of psychologists are involved in some kind of therapeutic counseling role to relieve symptoms as well. For example, discernable change in mood and sleeping patterns resulting from gloomy weather, known as seasonal affective disorder, is an issue that would typically be addressed by a psychologist. Spokane in particular, with its average of 100 overcast days a year, leaves residents especially susceptible to seasonal affective disorder. Psychologists do not prescribe medicine, and most are paid by group health insurance companies.

Begin your journey of self-discovery.
Call today for an appointment: (509) 747-7147

 

1503 West 7th Avenue, Spokane, WA 99204