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Matching
Criteria
Developed
from our research and experience in the referral process, the ten matching
dimensions serve as an indispensable guide to selecting the appropriate
professional. When the information we receive from you
and the information we have gathered from the professional show good
agreement, we have what is called a Strong Match. A Strong Match increases
the likelihood that therapy will be successful.
Problem Compatibility
Method of Solving
Cultural/Religious Background
Geographical Area
Financial Consideration
Personal Rapport
Life Experience
Sexual Preference
Age Preference
Language
Problem
Compatibility
Human Misery Expresses itself in a diversity of problems and symptoms.
Tension, unhappiness, depression, frustration and fears come in all
varieties. The professional community has spent millions of dollars
and thousands of hours just trying to describe all the ways people show
stress.
Since
there are so many kinds of problems, professionals are often not able
to know or treat all of them. Some professionals learn to work skillfully
with just a few. Others work well with many. It is important to know
that no therapist should treat a person who has a problem he has not
been able to handle, nor should he expect a person to do things he cannot
and has not been able to do. Our experience in knowing professionals
personally makes it possible for us to find you a therapist who specializes
in and had a particularly good success record with the kind of problem
you are trying to solve. Problem Compatibility increases successful
therapeutic outcome, decreases length of therapy, and often reduces
the overall cost of therapy.
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Method
of Solving
In professional interviews, the LAIRC staff discovers how psychotherapists
approach problems and what they actually do to make change. Each professional
is asked about his or her training and academic achievement record.
This gives us a good picture of professional background and helps us
to know better what approaches they are trained to use.
Professionals
do not share the same view of what is wrong or what constitutes therapy.
All therapies have as their goal some form of change. Our research has
found over 200 techniques, methods, systems and approaches used by professionals
to help people change. Some methods work better with some problems than
others. Some approaches are better for a particular person. Daily contact
and research conducted from our center provides us with valuable information
on treatment methods that work best. This information is considered
when selecting the professional and his or her skills that are most
appropriate for you.
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Cultural/Religious
Background
Culture is a silent language, and is often the cause of misunderstanding.
Religion is a system of faith and worship that deeply affects our relationship
to the world around us. A professional who understands your cultural/religious
background can communicate more effectively with you. When searching
for the professional who is best suited to you we always consider this
relevant dimension.
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Geographical
Area
It is convenient to have the therapist near you. This is not always
possible, but we start our search in your area and often we find a suitable
therapist located near you. There is greater flexibility in scheduling
appointments. Also, it is reassuring to know that your therapist is
close by.
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Financial
Consideration
In today's economic climate, recession has made all of us very sensitive
to financial considerations. We locate professionals who suit your financial
resources. If you have an insurance policy, this can help recover portions
of the cost. Insurance companies have proved to be a problem, although
this situation is improving. Medi-Cal has also posed a problem. Many
professionals will not, or cannot, accept this form of payment. But
there are professionals who do work well with Medi-Cal payments and
even prefer them. Our research has shown that paying for the service
yourself provides a better chance of obtaining the best help. However,
if you are matched with the right therapist, money is almost never a
problem.
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Personal Rapport
This dimension is one of the most significant factors in establishing
a good match and successful therapeutic outcome. It is also one of the
most difficult dimensions to define. Simply stated - you must like the
professional you are going to see and the professional must like you.
Our continual personal contact with the professional community and our
personal interview with you helps us find the right compatibility.
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Life
Experience
When interviewing the professionals, we learn about their varied life
experiences. These experiences are often great sources from which professionals
can draw in order to help you overcome similar difficult situations.
Life experience compatibility between the professional and you is a
powerful matching dimension.
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Sexual
Preference
If seeing a male or female therapist becomes essential to you, then
we give careful thought to this dimension when matching you to a professional.
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Age
Preference
Professionals have preferences in this area. Some will not work with
children. Some only with adolescents. With others, it doesn't seem to
matter. Likewise, we have found that some older people do not want a
young therapist, and some individuals who are young want an older therapist.
If you would feel more comfortable with a therapist of a particular
age group, we will consider this preference in our matching process.
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Language
For non-English speakers, we locate therapists who speak your language.
This can also be done for those who speak English as a second language,
but would prefer a therapist who can converse in the patient's first
language. The following language referrals are currently available.
If you have a particular request, we will search for the right contact
for you.
Arabic
Cambodian
Cantonese
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Greek
Gujarati
Hebrew
Hindi
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Laotian
Mandarin
Memon
Pakistani
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Rumanian
Russian
Samoan
Sign Language
Sindhi
Spanis
Swedish
Tagalog
Thai
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese
Yiddish
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