COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What can I expect from therapy with Dr. Fontenot? 

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In Dr. Fontenot, you will find a compassionate, thoughtful and friendly provider who is focused on helping you achieve results. Treatment with Dr. Fontenot is goal-driven and results focused. Most important, treatment is time limited and evidence-based. “I see the goal of a good provider is to work themselves out of a job – to help patients achieve their goals and move forward with their lives.” 

 

How can I be successful in therapy? 

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The choice to attend therapy can seem daunting, especially given the difficulties clients may have prior to seeking treatment. The keys to successful treatment include a good working relationship with your provider, motivation to “do the work,” and willingness to be open with your provider. Often clients present to treatment with some of these boxes checked, but not all. Given this, the initial and assessment sessions with Dr. Fontenot are focused on developing a strong working relationship and generating a collaborative treatment plan. The rest of treatment is focused on implementing this plan to achieve client goals. 

 

Why choose a psychologist versus a therapist?

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Choosing a mental health provider is not a choice to be taken lightly. One question I’m often asked is “what is the difference between a psychologist and a therapist?” 

 

The general rule is: all psychologists are therapists, but not all therapists are psychologists. In fact, the term psychologist is actually a legal term backed by specific requirements a provider must meet to call themselves a psychologist. 

 

Compared to a therapist, a psychologist must complete additional training requirements for licensure, which include the following: 

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• A doctoral degree (PhD in clinical or counseling psychology or a Psy.D) from an accredited institution (e.g., a university).

• Completion of a clinical internship (similar to medical residency) prior to graduation. 

• Completion of a post-doctoral fellowship or similar supervised training

• Passing the EPPP – a national licensing exam for psychologists.

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A doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology involves 5-7 years of training in addition to a bachelor’s degree. In order to graduate from an accredited doctoral program, psychologists must complete a clinical internship with a minimum number of supervised hours (this varies by state, approximately 1500 hours). After a psychologist graduates with their Ph.D., they then must complete either an accredited fellowship or achieve a similar number of supervised hours before they may apply for state licensure. All of this is to say that, at the beginning of their career, a licensed psychologist has between 2,000 and 3,500 hours of treatment experience.