Treatment Types for Mental Health Care

There are a variety of treatments for mental health, so it can be helpful to be informed on what options exist. It is essential that you work with a mental health professional that you trust to determine what treatment route(s) may be best for you.

Below are some common types of treatment and care providers for mental health, which are highlighted for educational purposes only and are not intended to replace guidance from a mental health professional.

If you're curious about ways to pay for mental health treatment, check out our Mental Health & Insurance section: 

Mental Health & Insurance
Types of treatment (3)

Types of Treatment


 Treatment Type Details
 Psychotherapy
("talk therapy")

Environment: Confidential office setting or online

  • Private Practice
  • Community or county mental health centers
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
  • Teletherapy: Online services, video calls, & phone calls

Purpose: Collaborative treatment between an individual and a psychologist to explore and understand thoughts and behaviors while gaining coping skills through various types of treatment.

 Hospitalization

Environment: Hospital or institution

Purpose: close monitoring to accurately diagnose patient, determine treatment, and adjust medications if illness worsened. 

 Peer Support Services

Environment: communities often have nonprofits or organizations where you can gather with others experiencing similar diagnoses or mental health issues.

Purpose: Often in tandem with treatment, this can motivate individuals to fuel recovery and find community. 

Medication

After a diagnosis from a mental health professional, some patients may be prescribed medication that is necessary for their mental health needs.

Examples of medication: antidepressants, antipsychotic medications, mood stabilizers, sedatives, and stimulants


Source: NAMI.org

Types of Care Providers

There are different Mental Health care providers that offer a range of services. To begin, it is often helpful to first consult your primary care provider who may refer you to local services that can also accept your health insurance.
If you have health insurance but you do not currently have a primary care physician, you can use your insurer’s website to locate providers with the mental health specialties you are seeking. After seeking advice from a medical professional, you can further seek the types of mental health professionals who can best serve your needs.  


 Purpose: Assessment and/or Therapy
 Provider Title About
Psychologists 
  • Evaluate & diagnose mental health using clinical interviews, psychological evaluation, & testing.
  • Provide individual or group therapy.
  • Training: Ph.D. or a Psy.D
Counselors, Clinicians, & Therapists 
  • Evaluate mental health.
  • Provide therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs.
  • Training: master’s degree
  • Licensure examples: LPC, LMFT, LCADAC
 Clinical Social Workers
  •  Evaluate mental health.
  • Provide therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs.
  • Training: master’s in social work. 

Learn more about Mental Health Professionals.
Therapist

 Purpose: Prescribing and/or Monitoring Medication
 Provider Title About
Psychiatrists
  • Diagnose mental health conditions.
  • Prescribe, monitor, & provide therapy on occasion.
  • Training: M.D. or D.O. with psychiatric training. 
Psychiatric or Mental Health Nurse Practitioners
  • Assess & diagnose mental health.
  • Provide therapy & prescribe & monitor medications in some states.
  • Trained w/ a master’s or Ph.D. in nursing with focus in psychiatry. 
 Primary Care Physicians
  • Prescribe medication.
  • Help determine a treatment plan & refer to mental health professional.
  • Training: M.D. or D.O
Family Nurse Practitioners 
  • Prescribe medication.
  • Help determine a treatment plan & refer to mental health professional.
  • Training: masters or Ph.D. in nursing. 
Psychiatric Pharmacists
  • Prescribe or recommend medication.
  • Educate, evaluate, & manage medication treatment.
  • Training: PharmD 
 
Image of a doctor

 Purpose: Other Miscellaneous 
 Provider Title About
Certified Peer Specialists
  • Education, training, & abilities differ case by case. 
Social Workers
Pastoral Counselors
 
group therapy & peer support

Source: NAMI.org

Online assessment tools

Before seeking professional mental health guidance or treatment you may consider online self-assessment tools. However, it is imperative to avoid self-diagnoses, as online assessment tools can be ineffective or non-definitive. In conjunction with the advice of a health professional, you can check out some examples of online assessment tools that can be used to get you started in the process of evaluating your mental health:

It is important to reiterate that these online tools do not, and should not, replace the professional consultation by a mental health professional, but merely function as a starting point at which you can begin reflecting on your mental health.

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04/23