How can you get a good psych assessment if you have no insurance and little inco!

How can you get a good psych assessment if you have no insurance and little income?

I am currently seeing a counselor, at a special low income clinic. she cannot diagnose disorders, but she can refer me to someone who can. this seems to cost quite a bit! however, I have mood swings and sometimes i see things when i am stressed out.... nothing serious, i know they are not real, but i have an active imagination and it sometimes makes it hard to sleep or be as organized as i normally would be. when depressed, it is just really traumatic. i'm not sure if knowing i have a disorder would help, as i can't pay for it or the treatment. however, some people have suggested that i do this sooner rather than later. can anyone help me with some ideas?

1 month ago
oh, i go to a clinic where the counselor is working on thier degree.

In order to diagnose someone with a mental health disorder, a counselor has to have a Master's degree or higher. If you are receiving counseling in a clinic, surely she has a master's level supervisor who can make a diagnosis. There are not standardized tests for all diagnoses, but more likely a full functioning and history assessment would be completed. This includes asking you about family history, asking for your personal experiences with emotional distress, evaluating your appearance, speech patterns, and ability to care for yourself. Through this kind of screening, a diagnosis can usually be made.

For some disorders, they have to do neurological testing, iq tests, or other standardized tests. These would need to be done by a Ph.D. level psychologist and can be quite costly.

Knowing your diagnosis can be helpful in terms of knowing recommended treatment methods for that disorder. For example, if you were diagnosed with bipolar disorder (which includes severe mood swings and sometimes hallucinations) medications would be recommended in conjunction with therapy.

My advice is to continue to look for free or low-cost resources. You do not necessarily need to have a full psychological evaluation done by a Ph.D. level psychologist as a master's level counselor can also diagnose you, though the psychologist's evaluation would definitely be more thorough. There are many options for low income individuals to receive treatment. Your current counselor should be able to connect you with some of those options. If she can't, find another counselor who will.