Question 1

What Does a Psychiatrist Do?

Accepted Answer

As previously stated, psychiatrists and other psychiatric professionals are medical doctors with specialized training in medication management, diagnostics, and mental health. They work to provide mental healthcare by diagnosing and treating mental health conditions and disorders.

They can help you better understand your symptoms, offer diagnoses, and put together a treatment plan for you, which might involve medication, therapy, or a combination of the two. They can also use a combination of prescribing medication and performing therapeutic treatment, though the care provided by our psychiatric nurse practitioners is usually focused on medication management.

Question 2

Can Psychiatrists Perform Therapy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, psychiatric professionals can perform therapy and implement therapeutic interventions. In fact, psychiatric providers are usually trained in a few specific modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy, though their training in therapy is not as comprehensive as that of a therapist or counselor.While psychiatric providers can provide medication and therapy, it’s worth noting that psychiatric providers can choose to administer and manage medications and not provide therapy. Also, psychiatric care tends to be more expensive than therapy, so it is useful for some people to see their psychiatric providers for medication management and a separate therapist for psychotherapy services.

Question 3

What Is a Psychiatrist vs. a Psychologist?

Accepted Answer

There are a few notable differences between psychiatrists and psychologists. First, they receive different educations and degrees. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed medical school and additional specialized training in psychiatry, and psychiatric nurse practitioners are board-certified nurses with master’s level training in psychiatry.Psychologists are therapists with a doctoral degree, usually a Ph.D. (more research-focused) or a PsyD (more clinically focused).While psychologists cannot prescribe medications like psychiatric providers can, many can provide diagnostic testing and in-depth psychiatric evaluations.

Question 4

What Is the Difference Between Psychiatrists and Psychiatric NPs?

Accepted Answer

Psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychiatrists share the responsibilities of evaluating, diagnosing, and prescribing medications. The paths to these roles differ, with psychiatric nurse practitioners obtaining a bachelor’s in nursing followed by a master’s and/or a doctorate in psychiatric care, whereas psychiatrists pursue medical school education with specialized training in psychiatry.At Thriveworks, our nurse practitioners operate under the guidance of board-certified psychiatrists. In certain states, nurse practitioners can practice independently.

Question 5

What Do People See a Psychiatrist for?

Accepted Answer

People see psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs primarily for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. However, these medical professionals can help with prevention, too. Here is a list of services psychiatric professionals can provide:Diagnosis: Psychiatric providers perform psychological evaluations and use criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), to make the proper diagnosis.Treatment: These professionals can treat mental health conditions with both medication and therapeutic methods. Sometimes, the most effective treatment is a combination of both.Prevention:Finally, they can help to prevent mental health conditions from occurring – for example, if a client displays symptoms of anxiety but it hasn’t developed into an anxiety disorder, they can offer the individual tools for better understanding and managing their anxiety before it worsens.Psychiatric providers work closely with other care team members — like primary care doctors and therapists — to ensure their clients have the proper treatment plans in place and are benefitting as a result.

Question 6

Is a Psychiatrist Right for Me?

Accepted Answer

If you are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness (such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, or bipolar disorder) or you’ve already been diagnosed and you’re interested in treating it with medication, it’s time to find a psychiatric provider.Medication can also be worth exploring if you are struggling to manage your symptoms through therapy alone. Medication can help calm symptoms that feel out of control so that your coping skills or therapeutic treatment can be more effective.Your psychiatric provider will establish care and a rapport with you, and you’ll see them on a regular basis—the frequency depending on your symptoms and needs. They are invested in personalizing the treatment plans of their clients and working with you effectively to reach your psychiatric goals.

Question 7

What Do Psychiatrists Do for Anxiety?

Accepted Answer

First, your psychiatric provider will assess your condition and symptoms in order to diagnose you. Once they have reached a diagnosis for your anxiety (i.e. the type and severity), they will decide on an effective treatment such as therapy, medication like SSRIs, or both.They may also assess you for co-occurring conditions. Anxiety can often be accompanied by other conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, or substance use disorder, and they can have many overlapping symptoms, so it’s important to make sure that there are no underlying factors impacting your mental health.

Question 8

What Does a Psychiatrist Do for Depression?

Accepted Answer

Similarly to treating anxiety, psychiatric providers will assess your symptoms and determine the type or co-occurring conditions (if any). They will then proceed to treat it with therapy or medications.They may also give you a referral if you require any specialized treatment approaches for co-occurring conditions, such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma.

Question 9

Is Seeing a Psychiatrist Expensive?

Accepted Answer

Seeing a psychiatrist or psychiatric NP can be expensive — in fact, one of the biggest barriers to receiving both psychiatric care and therapy is cost. Most mental health providers don’t take health insurance, which means the client has to pay out of pocket. This only causes more stress and anxiety for those seeking help.Fortunately, Thriveworks is in network with most major insurances and accepts 575+ plans, covering 180 million Americans nationwide.For those who don’t have insurance or aren’t covered by insurance for mental health services, we also have self-pay options available. The exact cost will depend on one’s payment method, insurance plan, provider, and additional factors.

Question 10

How to Find a Psychiatrist Based on My Insurance

Accepted Answer

You can easily find a Thriveworks psychiatric NP who accepts your insurance. When you are using our booking tool, simply filter by your insurance on the website. Or, if you know what your coverage is, you can call and let our support team know what your insurance is and they can help you find a psychiatric provider who accepts your plan.

Question 11

How to Find a Psychiatrist If I Am Uninsured

Accepted Answer

Even if you are uninsured, you can find and work with a psychiatric provider at Thriveworks, as we offer self-pay options for our psychiatric services. When booking online, simply ignore the “Insurance” filter and take advantage of the other options.Again, you can search for a provider by your city and state, specialty, and more, such as the provider’s gender and spoken language(s).

Question 12

Finding the Right Psychiatrist for Me

Accepted Answer

Finding a psychiatrist can be a difficult and time-consuming process, as many psychiatrists have limited availability and long waitlists. However, with Thriveworks, you can choose a psychiatric nurse practitioner yourself quickly and easily.At Thriveworks, our psychiatry team is staffed by expert psychiatric nurse practitioners who work in collaboration with psychiatrists. Because psychiatrists have become less available and wait times have increased, this helps reduce wait times and allows us to better serve our clients and set them up with a medical professional more quickly.Using our booking tool, you can search by city and state and then filter by providers that offer psychiatry. You can also filter by specialty, insurance, and more, as mentioned previously. Once you narrow in on a provider, you can read more about them in their profile to decide if they’d be a good fit.In addition, you never have to worry about being put on a waitlist here. We have thousands of providers and work to get you in for your first session quickly — often, new clients are able to meet with their NP within a week of scheduling.The psychiatric NPs at Thriveworks are ready to help you get the care you need. They will listen to your concerns and create a customized treatment plan that works for you. Stop waiting and book a session with a Thriveworks psychiatry provider today.

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Flexible sessions with a psychiatric NP when & where you need them

A dedicated team, there for you at every step

Flexible sessions with a psychiatric NP when & where you need them

We accept most major insurances, covering over 190 million Americans.

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