A Consumer's Guide to Mental Health Services: Unveiling the Mysteries and Secrets of Psychotherapy »

Jeffrey K. Edwards, EdD, LMFT, is Professor of Counselor Education at Northeastern Illinois University. His work focuses on family therapy, clinical supervision, sex therapy, and substance abuse therapy. A therapist and clinical supervisor both in private practice and at mental health agencies, residential treatment centers, and day treatment centers for over 39 years, Dr. Edwards has published extensively in many areas of counseling and has given national workshops on clinical supervision.

Anthony W. Heath, PhD, is Regional Director, Quality Improvement for United Behavioral Health in Schaumburg, Illinois, which supports more than 43 million insured people nationwide. A former director of Northern Illinois University's graduate program in family therapy, Dr. Heath has given over 300 presentations to professionals and the public, written two books, and authored more than 65 journal articles and book chapters.

A unique consumer resource for understanding mental health treatment

With over 250 models of counseling and psychotherapy currently used to treat emotional problems and serious mental illness, figuring out where to look for the right services can be a daunting task. A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services offers pragmatic solutions for those considering or already beginning treatment. It helps you to make important decisions regarding whether seeing a psychiatrist, a social worker, a counselor, or a psychologist is best for your particular needs. It also explores health insurance and coverage of treatment as well as how long it may take for you to begin feeling like yourself again. This valuable text looks at the intricacies of the mental health care system and provides a helpful summary that is both accessible and useful.

If you’ve ever tried to find help for a major life transition, depression, or anxiety and have been overwhelmed by the options for mental health treatment, you are not alone. A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services is a unique text that breaks down the vast array of service options with a critical eye so consumers can get the vital information they need in a straightforward and accessible way. This comprehensive text even includes a “Questions to Ask” section that will help you find the right clinician to fit your exact needs.

Some of the topics A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services covers in detail are:
• *causes of mental health problems• *the three main models of mental health• *how clinicians who use the different models view mental health• *types of providers available and the different services they offer• *talk therapies and medications• *ethical codes of all professions• *consumers’ rights• *the insurance industry, its history and current role• *matching treatment to the problem• *alternatives to therapy• *and much more!

A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services is a valuable and practical resource for anyone considering or beginning mental health treatment or their family and friends. It is also a useful addition for educators or students working through introductory courses in all of the major mental health fields.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Nicholas Greco IV, MS, BCETS, CATSM(Abbott Laboratories)
Description:This is one of the best written guides to understanding and obtaining mental health services for the lay public. It is written in simple, easy-to-understand language that is both honest and balanced.
Purpose:The purpose is to educate and inform the general public on the various facets of obtaining mental health services. The authors successfully navigate the reader through the barrage of ads, media hype, and myths that surround mental health.
Audience:The audience is the general public. Notably, current and future consumers of mental health will find this to be an exceptionally useful guide. It also has some utility as a primer at the undergraduate level. Both authors are highly credible and bring over 30 years of experience each to this guide.
Features:There is a solid discussion of the medical model, which has been the dominant force in mental health along with the major psychological models. Then the family systems models such as the Bowen Family Systems Theory and the Structural Family Therapy are covered. A very good chapter on the various providers of mental health services and their functions gives the reader ample information on how to make an informed decision on who to choose for treatment. There are solid discussions on legal and ethical issues, health insurance, and alternative treatments. The only shortcoming is in the discussion on psychotropic medications. While purposefully basic, it is slightly outdated as a number of medications such as Cylert are no longer available in the United States, and drugs such as Serzone and Luvox are only available generically as nefazodone and fluvoxamine, respectively. A more useful feature would have been to add a chart with the latest medications as an appendix.
Assessment:This is a very good guide and will be quite valuable for the general public. It is a worthwhile read and should serve as a meaningful tool for new patients and clients using mental health services.

Chapter 1. The Medical Model

Chapter 2. The Psychological Models

Chapter 3. The Systems Models
Part II. Types of Services-People, Modes, Models, Processes and Outcomes

Chapter 4. The Providers

Chapter 5. Talk Therapies: Modes, Models, Processes and Outcomes

Chapter 6. Biological Treatments Modes, Models, Processes and Outcomes
Part III. Things You Need to Know-Ethics and Payments

Chapter 7. Legal and Ethical Issues: What You Should Expect as a Consumer

Chapter 8. Using Health Insurance to Pay for Mental Health Services

Chapter 9. Getting What You Need: The Many Alternatives
Endnotes
Index