I think the first thing you should consider is: what is pushing you to seek outside help? Are you depressed? Is a family member depressed? Do you think you need medication? Is your marriage on the rocks? Are you in financial turmoil? Once you determine your “issue” then you can determine your best course of treatment.
Many people turn to the “self help” books, these do have very useful information but it is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. So in certain cases you may find them to be extremely helpful.
Religion is another good resource for help, many churches have Pastors or Priests who do counseling and depending on your spiritual beliefs you may find tapping into your local church is beneficial. This way you get good sound advice based on your beliefs. Psychologist will often search for solutions outside of religion and they may not “heal” the whole person.
If you are suffering from financial turmoil, psychology is probably not the direction to go. You need financial advice, how to get out of debt, how to deal with your money. These issues do create many emotional responses but seeking out a financial adviser will be more helpful. Once you deal with your financial issues your emotional status will change.
However, sometimes you just need to get away. Take a vacation, you may have to go by yourself without the spouse or children. In these cases sometimes a weekend is all you need. Get some ‘alone time’, in a quiet place where you are not interrupted by screaming kids, bosses, spouses, where phones don’t work or just turn it off. We are in such a hurry these days that we don’t take time to just be quiet. To sit and let our minds wander, to allow it to just process all it already has, we just keep shoving more & more stuff into it. Shut it off, get some needed sleep, watch the waves roll in and out at the beach, turn off as much stimuli as you possibly can. I personally find that at times like that I return with a more calm mind and am able to process what’s been happening in my life.
Another good source is your friends. Call a friend, go out to lunch, tell them you want to vent off some stuff or seek their advice. Have some fun.
In this day and age we have so much that happens in our daily life we just don’t know sometimes where to start or who to talk to. Determine your issue, then determine your action. Psychologist can be extremely helpful but sometimes they are just not necessary.
