"My Kid's Mental Health"- A blog by a clinical psychologist

While this is a VERY important topic, it is still considered very taboo, especially amongst clinicians in the mental health field.

First, let me provide an understanding of a Ph.D in Clinical or Counseling psychology and a Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D). Both of these degrees are at the doctorate level. A Psy.D is a doctorate in psychology, where you spend 4-5 years working towards a degree that focuses on clinical/therapy work. A Ph.D. spends usually 50/50 in terms of clinical and research work. This allows your clinician to have a good grounding in new, evidence-based treatments and a continual knowledge and training in the scientific method to approaching their work. A Ph.D typically takes 5-8 years of training and research. Both degrees require post-doctoral work (taking 1-3 years) before the official licensure process. A Psy.D and a Ph.D. will have 10,000-15,000 clinical hours by the time they are licensed.

Other degrees, such as licensed social workers (LICSW), Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), and Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), receive 1-3 years of clinical only training. Usually this training is generalized and not in a speciality form (e.g., cognitive behavioral). These degrees will have 3,000-5,00 hours of clinical hours by the time of licensure.

A lot of therapists claim to use “cognitive-behavioral therapy” but they are actually just doing talk therapy. Before any clinician is accepted as part of the Washington Anxiety Center (Capitol Hill and Alexandria Location), they are vetted to make sure they have at least 7-8 years of supervised experience in using evidence-based treatments.

While many clinicians without a doctorate-level degree are qualified, you need to do your due diligence as a patient to make sure they are qualified. Also, in the Capitol Hill area, non-doctorate clinicians are charging similar rates as doctorate level ones.

Think about the qualifications that you want in a mental health provider that will best fit your needs. If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, school refusal issues, please get the most evidence-based treatment (i.e., cognitive behavioral, exposure work).

Feel free to reach out at our practice! We have current openings.–Dr. K

Dr. Kaplan recently presented at Sidwell Friends school in NW, Washington DC and at St. Peter’s Catholic School on Capitol Hill.

Click here to see a presentation on “Anxiety as a Superpower”

https://www.washingtonanxietycenter.com/presentations.html

If you are interested in having her speak at your school, please email her directly at drkaplan@washingtonanxietycenter.com.

Dr. Kaplan provides these presentations pro bono as a way to give back to her local community.

We are welcoming two new psychologists (see our website, http://www.washingtonanxietycenter.com for their bios) and are immediately accepting patients for telehealth and in-person sessions!

You will be scheduled immediately if you reach out this week! This typically does not last for more than a few weeks, so if you are interested, please reach out asap at admin@washingtonanxietycenter.com

We hope to welcome you on board!

Dr. Kaplan

Director of the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill

We are so excited to announce we are opening a satellite branch of Washington Anxiety Center in Old Town, Alexandria!

We are officially open November 1, 2022. Reach out to us at admin@washingtonanxietycenter.com for an in-person or virtual appointment

Please reach out to us for an appointment, in person or virtual.

Every few years I have to re-address with our patients how important it is to continue treatment over breaks (summer, winter, spring). If someone has a diabetes or cancer diagnosis, they do not stop taking their medications during these breaks, so why with mental health do we deem it ok?

Available studies have shown that you can actually backslide significantly during the beginning and active phases of treatment if you do not attend consistently (i.e., every week). Towards the end of treatment, one can typically space out sessions over several weeks so taking a break would not have too much of a significant impact in terms of treatment success and outcomes.

Make sure to keep your weekly appointments and follow the recommendations of your provider. Day and sleep away camps actually have medical personnel on staff and can accommodate virtual appointments in privacy; all you have to do is ask!

Remember, keep your treatment going!

Hope you all are having a happy summer!

Dr. Kaplan