How to find therapist

[El...]

An elderly person in my life needs depression support. We'll be getting them to a Dr to have antidepressants dosage adjusted, but I'd like them to have talk therapy, too. I'm here, but I'm not a pro. The person is concerned about cost, but that's something I can fix, probably. 

How do we do this? What do we say to the Dr to access what is needed? Do we search online? Where to begin?

[City Mouse]

Yes, i would talk to the doctor or doctor’s office staff first as they may have recommendations. 

[Katy]

Unless there’s a reason you specifically want talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy typically yields better results for depression. I’d google your area, cognitive behavioral therapy, plus accepts Medicare (or whatever their insurance is, if their pension had another). There probably won’t be many options to choose from. Then I’d start with whoever has the shortest wait list. 

[cjzimmer1]

Our area has a mental health resource line.  When you contact them, you tell them what service you are in need of, what age is the patient, insurance etc and they will send you a list of providers/clinics who take that insurance and have availability.  Not all providers at a clinic will have openings but some will.  We just read through bios then until we found one that sounded like a good fit. I don't know if that is a common resource or not but throught I'd throw it out there because I didn't know it was a thing and once someone told me about it is was so much easier than trying to scroll my insurance provider listings to figure out where to start looking.

[PeterPan]

8 hours ago, El... said:

I'd like them to have talk therapy, too.

I would talk with this person's GP about who would be best for this. I volunteer with this demographic, and we have a wide range of options in addition to the counseling  you're thinking of. Medicare (if you're in the US) will pay for mental health visits in home, and they'll be upbeat. Sometimes talk therapy can can awry at this age/stage, so I would be *exceptionally careful* and ask the GP what direction to go. 

Have you considered whether your person is experiencing some cognitive impairment or early dementia symptoms? This is a reason why doing talk therapy could be counter productive. It can bring up sad memories they aren't in a position to do anything about. At that point, honestly, you give them medication and make them feel better. 

Perhaps the GP could connect you with a social worker if there truly are unresolved issues the person could tidy up. As a volunteer guardian, this is something I've done for my people, helping them deal with some loose ends. I've just seen some missteps where well meaning people (POA for out of state relatives of mine) put the person in counseling. The problems were legit, but reality was the person just needed the pain medicated down. Dementia sets in, the ability to effect change is gone.

Maybe that's not your person's case, or maybe it is. Either way, I urge you to talk with the GP before scheduling anything. Talk therapy, in that loved one's case, actually INCREASED their distress. They tried some half way measures on meds but are finally, finally moving on to meds that are more dementia specific. Also the GP may need to update labs on their vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc, etc. As the kidneys go, zinc levels can drop, increasing anxiety, skin problems, etc. 

I hope you can help your person get some peace.

Edited July 8 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

Just a bonus suggestion. If you're in the US and your person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, etc., these are now considering qualifying conditions for palliative care. This means you can contact your local hospice provider to ask for palliative care. It's not hospice and does not have the same restrictions (for people within 6 months of demise). It's meant for coordination of complex situations and can get you access to a nurse monthly for case management and extra resources for challenges like this. 

Your person's GP will write the referral for palliative, so again it's a good reason to be in there talking with the GP. You want to find out these community resources.

[AmandaVT]

Psychology Today  is a great resource and will let you search by location, and you can see which insurances they take. 

[El...]

You guys are the best. Thank you!

[Carrie12345]

Doctor first is always a good idea, but I sencond Psychology Today. Their profiles typically go into depth about their philosophies, specialties, payments, and can be filtered by location.