During a time of increasing specialization in health care, many psychotherapists have unfortunately been attracted to eclecticism--that is, knowing a reasonable amount about a number of different forms of therapy, but resisting specialization in any one of them. For some individuals, especially people interested in wide-spectrum growth and personal development, an eclectic therapist can be very beneficial. Eclectic therapists believe that they are able to bring a wider scope of understanding to bear on a problem and a more flexible outlook. If you have fairly well-defined needs and interests, however, eclecticism makes it difficult to locate a therapist who has formal training and extensive experience specifically in treating, for example, depression, alcoholism, family conflicts, or adjustment problems. No therapist today can be an expert in the whole range of human {244} emotional problems and in the many specialized techniques that have been developed to help. REFERRALS There are a number of ways of going about locating a therapist. You can start by asking for a recommendation from any of these sources: * your family doctor, who will most likely suggest a colleague, another M.D., a psychiatrist * your minister, priest, or rabbi, who again will suggest someone he or she happens to know or to have heard of * personal friends * referral services All of these alternatives are, however, limited by the scope of acquaintance of the person or service you have gone to. Referral services commonly are run by groups of subscribing psychologists (or social workers), so if you call one, you will be referred to a participating psychologist (or social worker). Sometimes referral services (which usually charge nothing for their referrals, unless you request a preliminary consultation) maintain a listing of the areas of specialization of their professional members, and this information can be helpful. If you have a specific approach to therapy in mind and want to find a therapist with strong credentials in that approach, there are two usually more promising roads to follow: BY MAIL, OR E-MAIL (GOOGLE ANY OF THE NAMES OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOLLOW): First, depending on your own judgment of the seriousness of your problems or goals and the extent to which the cost of treatment is important to you, you can request a list of therapists in your area from these organizations: American Psychiatric Association 1400 K St., NW Washington, DC 20005 Canadian Psychiatric Association 225 Lisgar St., #103 Ottawa, ON K2P 0C6 (for psychiatrists) {245} American Psychological Association 1200 17th St., NW Washington, DC 20036 Canadian Psychological Association 558 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 7N6 (for psychologists) National Association of Social Workers 7981 Eastern Ave. Silver Spring, MA 20907 Canadian Association of Social Workers 55 Parkdale Ave., #3l6 Ottawa, ON K1Y 1E5