Finding a BIPOC anxiety therapist, counselor, or psychologist in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
More options for finding a therapist, counselor, or psychologist that can suit your needs- I’d like to help make this process easier for you.
Los Angeles, CA is a city and county that has changed throughout the years. Growing up in Hollywood and South West Los Angeles, it has fostered who I am as a therapist because of the diversity I have lived around. It is known as a sanctuary for those looking to live freely in their own skin. It is a dreamer’s city. And yet, life still impacts us and needing support happens regardless of geographic location. Living in the hustle and bustle of any major city can cause stressors.
I want to help you find an anxiety therapist in Los Angeles
The most common question I receive from family and friends around the topic of looking for support is “what do i look for?” And I get it. There are different factors that can be considered with finding a therapist in California. There is this curiosity from even my own clients around what is the difference between different licenses or if it even matters. The field is always changing and even for myself I am still learning as new titles in the mental health field show up. These tips below will help you get more insight into the type of therapist you are looking for to begin your search.
Tip #1: Life coaching or Therapy
Therapy is conducted by people who have their bachelors and masters degree, maybe as well a doctorate. There is a set of ethics and legal standards that practitioners abide by for the safety of their clients. Training to be a therapist includes hours of supervision and clinical hours, to then taking a licensing exam to be licensed. You will find that clinicians vary in their specialities and styles. Life coaching is conducted by people who either complete 60 to 2500 hours of training or do not. Their training involves mentoring, supervision, and learning skills. They also have their own specializations.
Tip #2: Licensed Clinical Social worker, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, License marriage and Family Therapist, or Clinical Psychologist
Each of these licenses in California differ from the other through their underlying philosophies, despite their overlap with one another. These types of therapists are not one better than the other, they can just be different in their approaches based of their educational background. They can provide therapy, specialize with the same populations, and follow ethical/legal standards. Clinical social workers’ programs emphasize individual and community work (social resources), but not limited to provide services to just individuals. Marriage and family therapists is a type of specialization in counseling with a curriculum around interpersonal relationships; how relationships with others past and present impact their mental health. Licensed professional clinical counselors emphasize working with individuals around developmental challenges stunting personal growth. Clinical psychologists emphasize working with an individual’s inner world that needs to be fixed.
Tip #3: Holistic, intersectional, and affirmative lenses
Being a BIPOC client, any of these modalities address the dynamic parts of this community. It acknowledges your different identities and works with how you authentically are: sexual identity, cultural identities, gender identity, immigration status, etc. This lens allows for great work to be done in therapy due to encompassing all of who you are and seeing how they can conflict with one another. Healing can come from understanding ourselves.
Tip #4: Insurance or Private Pay
Given one’s financial situation you can seek therapy insurance or private pay. Insurances allow only a certain amount of sessions, have waitlists that can go on for weeks or months, covers only some diagnoses, and medical necessity needs to be met (criteria of who gets therapy or not dependent on need). The benefit is that if you can be patient with insurances, you can pay little to no cost for sessions. Private pay is through therapists who have practices where they set the rules of frequency of sessions, specialize in identified concerns/populations, do not require a client to have a diagnose to be in therapy. They have a lower caseload which means a lot more of a dedicated time towards you as a client and helping your progress, so you do not have to be therapy forever. Private pay can also include sliding scales, a lower cost to therapy, and some therapists usually have a couple of spots.
A free therapy consultation in Los Angeles with an anxiety therapist
I hope this helps you find the right therapist in Los Angeles. If you are still feeling stuck, feel free to call me at 323-493-6644 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 anxiety and toxic relationships, you can read more about how I can help here.
