Name
If you are searching by name and you have limited information, are not sure how to spell the exact name, etc., you may do a wild card search by entering a partial first name, middle name, and/or last name. (Example: If you are not sure the name is Alan or Allen, enter Al, then click Go.) You can also search using a middle initial (Example: P.) instead of the full middle name. If you know the full name, select the exact box to help refine your search.
Location
If you are looking for a psychologist in a particular geographic area, choose the jurisdiction. You may also search by a specific location (e.g. Houston, Texas). Or you can broaden your search by specifying the county (e.g. Harris).
The program is also set up to allow a 3-digit zip code search. Searching with the first three digits of a zip code will result in a search with all zip codes starting with those first three digits. This kind of search is preferable when the geographic area of the county is large and the town is small.
Registrants must be actively and currently licensed as psychologists in at least one jurisdiction in order to maintain their National Register credential. Many Registrants are licensed in more than one state/province/territory.
Qualifications
If you want to find a psychologist based on practice characteristics, choose one or more qualifications, such as:
- Ages Served
- Languages Spoken
- Hospital Privileges
- Other Credentials
- Areas of Expertise
- Theoretical Orientation
Ages served
Ages served refers to a particular age group that a psychologist has experience treating or is currently serving. Registrants have ranked in order (1-5) which age groups they see most regularly.
Search Tip: Although it may significantly reduce the number of psychologists identified, more than one age group can be chosen at one time in a search. Hold the ctrl key down to select up to 4 different age groups.
Languages spoken
You may choose a psychologist on the basis of which languages he or she speaks (in addition to English). For instance, if you are looking for a psychologist who speaks Spanish, this is the qualification to select. You may choose this characteristic in addition to areas of expertise, theoretical orientations, etc.
Hospital privileges
Hospital Privileges identifies those psychologists with the National Register credential (Registrants) who have additionally shown that they hold current clinical privileges on the staff of at least one medical facility (e.g., a general medical hospital, a psychiatric hospital, substances abuse facility). This means that the psychologist is able to treat patients in that hospital. For transition from the community to the hospital, this is often important. When you talk with your psychologist, ask if he/she has hospital privileges and where.
Other credentials
The National Register lists three other credentials to help the public identify Registrant psychologists who have met additional criteria in a specialty/ proficiency. The three organizations are:
To review more information on each organization, including the specialty credentials they offer and the process by which a psychologist earns their credential, you may click on the above links.
Areas of expertise
In order to help you locate psychologists who meet your specific needs, you may choose one or more of the 38 areas of expertise we have listed . These are areas of practice chosen by the psychologist, based on their specific education and training experience.
To help, we offer general categories (psychological assessment, individual psychotherapy, couples psychotherapy, family psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy). Next are more specialized services (e.g., clinical neuropsychological assessment and play therapy) or problems (e.g. depression). We often provide examples for terms that may be less familiar. To help consumers we offer general categories: specialized assessment and intervention categories. Wherever possible, we tried to use commonly understood terminology, rather than the diagnostic label.
Search Tip: Although it may significantly reduce the number of psychologists identified, more than one area of expertise can be chosen at one time in a search. Hold the ctrl key down to select up to 5 different areas of expertise.
ASSESSMENT (1)
SPECIALIZED ASSESSMENT (6)
- Career Counseling and Vocational Assessment
- Clinical Neuropsychological Assessment
- Disability Determination or Worker Compensation Evaluation
- Child Custody Evaluation
- Forensic Evaluation (e.g., mental competency evaluation)
- Psychoeducational Evaluation
PRESENTING PROBLEMS OR DIAGNOSIS (12)
- Adjustment Disorder (e.g., bereavement, academic, job, marital, or family problem)
- Anxiety Disorder (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder, phobia, panic disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- Behavioral Health Intervention involving Life Threatening/Terminal Disease
- Behavioral Health Intervention involving Medical Conditions/Disorder
- Disorder Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence (e.g., attention-deficit/hyper activity disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, learning disorder, or mental retardation)
- Eating Disorder (e.g., compulsive eating, anorexia, bulimia)
- Mood Disorder (e.g., depression, manic-depressive disorder)
- Personality Disorder (e.g., borderline, antisocial)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Acute Trauma Reaction
- Problem Related to Abuse or Neglect (e.g., domestic violence, child abuse)
- Schizophrenia or other Psychotic Disorder
- Substance-Related Disorder (e.g., substance abuse or dependency involving drug or alcohol)
INTERVENTION (4)
- Individual Psychotherapy
- Couples Psychotherapy
- Family Psychotherapy
- Group Psychotherapy
SPECIALIZED INTERVENTION (12)
- Biofeedback
- Clinical Neuropsychological Intervention
- Clinical Psychopharmacology
- Crisis Intervention or Disaster Intervention
- Health Services Consultation to Business or Organizations
- Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy
- Play Therapy
- Psychoanalysis
- School-based Consultation
- Sport Psychology
- Stress Management or Pain Management
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling
SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ISSUES (3)
- Cultural Diversity Issues
- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender Issues
- Gender Issues (Men's/Women's Issues)
Also, please note the meaning of the abbreviations used in the area of expertise entitled "Disorder Diagnosed in Infancy-Adolescence" as follows:
- ADHD = attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- LD = learning disorder
- MR = mental retardation
Theoretical orientation
Psychologists have training in different theoretical approaches to psychotherapy. Many psychologists follow an integrative approach, which draws from several orientations depending on the client's needs. The following list of seven orientations covers the major approaches by psychologists who provide psychotherapy. This is not an exhaustive list. Please consult your psychologist to determine which approach he/she plans to use and why. This is a discussion the two of you should have.
Search Tip: Although it may significantly reduce the number of psychologists identified, more than one of the following theoretical orientations can be chosen at one time in a search. Hold the ctrl key down to select up to two different theoretical orientations.
Types of theoretical orientations:
Behavior Therapy focuses on overt behavior and emphasizes the removal of those overt symptoms. The goal of this form of treatment is the extinction of maladaptive behaviors and the substitution of more adapative and less anxiety provoking behaviors. Behavior therapy is based upon the principles of learning theories, specifically operant and classical conditioning. In its purity, it focuses solely on behaviors with no emphasis on the client's private experiences, past, or inner conflicts. It is typically brief in the number of sessions and is often used in the treatment of phobias, compulsions, psychophysiological problems, and sexual dysfunctions.
Cognitive/Behavioral Therapy is based upon the concept that an individual's affect and behavior is determined by the way in which the individual structures the world through cognitions and schemas developed from previous experiences. Through therapy, the client becomes aware of their cognitive distortions and works towards changing them. Behavioral techniques are used to test and help change these maladaptive cognitions. Cognitive/Behavioral therapy has been shown to be very successful in the treatment of depression and many other disorders.
Existential/Humanistic Therapy: The core of existentialism states that the individual defines life's direction through choices that also gives the individual the responsibility of those choices. This may be a source of anguish for the person. In this therapy, the person is viewed as an individual who is unique and reflects individual perceptions and attitudes. Therapy explores the experience of the client and in what manner mental phenomena present themselves to the client's consciousness. Humanism comes from the same movement as existentialism and focuses strongly on a person's sense of self (self-identity and self-esteem). Psychotherapy is geared to helping the client find a sense of security, insight, enthusiasm, and self-identity.
Interpersonal focuses on improvement in current interpersonal skills and is often used as a brief treatment with depressive disorders. Clients are taught to evaluate their interactions with others and produce an awareness of how those reactions may isolate themselves and contribute to feelings of depression and loneliness. Techniques involve reassurance, clarification of feelings, communication and interpersonal skills, and testing of perceptions. The therapist is supportive and aids the client in making decisions and clarifying areas of conflict.
Psychodynamic derives from the traditional Psychoanalytic theories of Freud involving the resolution of childhood neurosis as it presents itself in transference of the neurosis. The goal of treatment is the gradual integration of previously repressed material into the overall structure of the personality. The therapist needs to prepare the client to deal with anxieties produced by uncovered material to allow successful integration. The therapeutic alliance is key to this type of treatment that involves the patient being open and honest with the therapist, free association, abstinence, and interpretation of transference and countertransference. Traditionally, treatment is long term, but is now implemented in many short-term treatments.
Social Learning relies on role modeling, identification, and human interactions. This theory combines the ideas of operant and classical conditioning and states that behavior is a result of an interplay between cognitions (thoughts) and the environment. People learn from others and a major goal of this therapy is to help the client develop a sense of self-efficacy, the capacity to adapt to everyday life as well as threatening and anxiety provoking situations as they arise, by modeling and integrating more adaptive responses.
Systems: The Systems model comes from the idea that the person is part of an entire system, and that if one part of the system is dysfunctional, all other parts are affected by that, as well as produce that dysfunction. Many factors influence the expression and experience of illness including personality, motivation, culture, environment, and family. The general systems model often focuses on the family systems in which it holds that every action in the family produces a reaction in one or more of its members. Each member of the system plays a role which may change over time and as one person improves. Therapy involves the exploration of the system, the external boundaries, and internal rules in order to help the client(s) become more functional within that system and to make change as necessary. The outcome is an individual and a system that function better.
