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| Specialists’ Help |  If you realize that your teen needs more help than you can provide, the first step you should take it is to call to someone you feel comfortable with. For example, you may call a teacher, trusted school counselor, or physician and ask for a referral.
The most important thing you have to keep in mind while looking for help to your teen is to find a person who has plenty of experience with troubled teens. It doesn’t matter whether you choose a social worker or psychologist, he or she has to see and deal with this age group.
You may seek for help from different specialists. But ultimately you have to a little about the meaning of what they are:
- School counselor has a Master’s Degree and counseling skills. Nowadays lots of schools have school psychologists that should have a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy degree), Ed.D. a (Doctor of Education degree), or a Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology degree).
- Psychologist has a Doctoral Degree (Ph.D., Ed.D. or Psy.D.). In order to earn this degree, the psychologist must complete a strict program of academic courses, research assignments, supervised clinical practice, clerkships, field assignments, and a year-long supervised internship. Some psychologists have a specialty in counseling or therapy; others are specially trained in diagnostic testing that may be helpful in some circumstances.
- Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry. Some of them practice therapy and sometimes combine it with use of medication to cure a particular condition. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medication but some prefer the use of therapeutic methods, like psychotherapy, over the use of medication. Besides, psychiatrists can hospitalize a patient when necessary.
- Social worker has Master’s Degree in social work (M.S.W.) and has usually received supervised clinical experience as well. Because social workers are trained to analyze and work with emotional problems in a social context, they sometimes particularly know the family dynamics and peer group interaction.
- Family therapist has an advanced degree (a Master's Degree or a Doctorate) and specializes in family therapy. Family therapists are specially trained to treat family problems. Their work may focus on communications and relationship dynamics within the family.
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