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Anxiety disorders can be treated by a wide range of mental health professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, and psychiatric nurses. Primary care physicians also make frequent diagnoses, and they may prescribe medication or refer a patient to a mental health provider.
Making Your Choice
It’s recommended that you talk to more than one professional before making a choice. You might want to consider these issues when deciding on a mental health professional and type of treatment:
Professional Categories
- Licensed professional: psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, and other counselor licensed by a state to practice psychotherapy.
- Non-licensed professional: usually holds a master's degree and may be unlicensed because the state does not offer or require a license in that mental health field.
Requirements for the practice of psychotherapy vary among states. Ask a therapist about his or her training and credentials before beginning treatment. Read this guide to Finding the Right Therapist.
ADAA Resources
- Visit ADAA's Find a Therapist directory to locate a therapist near you.
- 5 Tips to Learn if an Anxiety Therapist is the Right Fit for You - blog
- Types of Mental Health Practitioners
- Types of Therapy
- Telemental Health Providers
- Therapy Options Guidelines - Infographic
- "How To Know if Your Therapist is Really Helping You" Blog post
- Important Questions for Your Therapist and Insurance Carrier - infographic
- Free Peer to Peer Support Community
- Personal Stories of Triumph
- Self-Help Books
Additional Resources
- Contact the psychiatry department at a local medical school or a university psychology department.
- Contact a local hospital and ask about mental health clinics or staff psychiatrists.
- Search for Clinical Trials for your area.
- Search the American Psychological Association database.
- Search PsychologyToday's therapist database
