An Interview with a Professional Therapist
Hello everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend(for those in the States) and the rest, hope you all had a great weekend! I am sorry it took me so long for posting this interview. My energy doesn't always want to cooperate. I realized she didn't answer all the questions, and I will be doing a series on the different kind of therapies. If there is anything you'd like to know, feel free to ask me. I am hoping to find other professionals to interview as well. If you are one, or know of any who'd be willing to do so, please contact me, here or via facebook. Thank you! I will be posting her link, at the end so you can check her out as well.
Have a great week!
Renee
1: I saw that you are a Therapist. Can you tell us what the differences are between a
Therapist, Psychiatrist, and a Psychologist.
I’m a marriage and family therapist, which means I looks at the world
systematically and view each client as unique. There are so many different kinds of
therapies that we’d be here forever if I went through them all, but I will say that therapy
is a practice where one or more people come together to process the events of life and
make sense of difficult subjects.
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine
devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders.
A psychologist is a mental health professional who evaluates and studies behavior and
mental processes; they can’t give out medication, much like therapists.
2: What kind of therapies are there? I know there is light therapy, and pet therapy.
Maybe you can explain them a little more too, please?
(don't worry, I will tell people to see a doctor first before trying anything)
So there are a lot… I’m not sure if you want to make this it’s own series or what, but it’s
a lot. Do you have anything in particular you want me to touch on? And what’s light
therapy? I’m not sure that’s a certifiable technique.
3:What kind of Depressions and Anxieties are there?(maybe this should have been 2?lol)
In the DSM IV you have Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Persistent Depressive
Disorder (PDD). There’s Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and other diagnosis
depending on the specific trigger for anxiety.
side note not sure how in depth you wanna go. I’m not sure I want to through out jargon
to nonprofessionals, if that makes sense? Do you have specific questions you’d like
answered?
4: How did you decide to become a therapist or why?
(I stole this from my website lol)
I became interested in the therapy field through my work as a sex educator at the
University of South Florida. I enjoyed teaching but quickly realized one on one
conversations with students proved to be more powerful outside of the classroom. So I
began to look for a new direction in the field and discovered the possibility of creating
change through counseling. Thus beginning my passion for therapeutic change. I’ve
always been passionate about helping others, but now I get to join those two worlds
together and create the change I wish to see in the world!
After obtaining my Master’s in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South
Florida, I decided to continue my education at Mercer University School of Medicine in
Atlanta by getting my Marriage and Family Therapy degree and sex therapy certification
to help individuals looking to explore their sexuality and help couples regain their
magical spark. I have my LAMFT by the state of Georgia, USA.
Now I teach at Kennesaw State University, do therapy, and write! You can find me at
SamanthaHeuwagen.com
Alright, I’m going to try to answer your question about depression/anxiety being the
same.
Some clients get misdiagnosed by their GP and get the wrong medication, but still have
symptoms. Some people have both depression and anxiety, which is why they have
symptoms that overlap. It’s really a case-by-case basis. The DSM IV clearly outlines both
disorders:
Depression (needs 5 out of 9):
1. Depressed mood or irritable most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either
subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears
tearful). 2. Decreased interest or pleasure in most activities, most of each day 3.
Significant weight change (5%) or change in appetite 4. Change in sleep: Insomnia or
hypersomnia 5. Change in activity: Psychomotor agitation or retardation 6. Fatigue or
loss of energy 7. Guilt/worthlessness: Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or
inappropriate guilt 8. Concentration: diminished ability to think or concentrate, or more
indecisiveness
9. Suicidality: Thoughts of death or suicide, or has suicide plan
Anxiety (GAD) can be found here:
https://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/basc-
3/basc3resources/DSM5_DiagnosticCriteria_GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder.pdf
There is some overlap, as you can see, but it’s more on the physical side of symptoms.
The mental dissimilarities are evident.
