A Guide on How To Find the Right Therapist for You
Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to pursue therapy. Making that decision isn’t always easy and you might be wondering, now what? Now you want to find a therapist that is a good fit for you. If you have already done some browsing you might be feeling overwhelmed by all of the different options or disappointed by a lack of options. Ultimately, you want to find a therapist who you are comfortable working with.
Keep in mind that finding the right therapist is a process. You want someone who can help you and sometimes finding that person can take a couple of tries, and that is a healthy part of the process. You don’t want to just stick with the first therapist simply because it feels too hard to start over with someone new. Having this, “it’s a process” mindset going into it can be helpful for you.
Next, think about what you want to work on, talk about, and gain from therapy. Identifying this will help you get a feel for whether a particular therapist’s specialties can benefit you. As therapists it is not possible for us to be good at working with all issues. A skilled therapist is aware of this and is able to clearly communicate what they specialize in. Steer clear of therapists who list every diagnosis possible as a specialty.
Another important factor to consider is if you will be utilizing your insurance or if you will be paying out of pocket. If you want to go through your insurance you will want to confirm that the therapist is an approved provider with your plan before scheduling an appointment. If you want to pay on your own then make sure that the therapist is within your budget before scheduling.
An online search of therapists in your area can be a good place to start. I recommend going to www.psychologytoday.com and using the find a therapist feature. Once there, you can filter in order to see therapists that fit your preferences. Each therapist will have a picture and a description about the work they do. This is a good opportunity for you to pay attention to your thoughts and feelings as you browse. You want to notice if they work with issues you are dealing with, which insurances they take, and if you are drawn to their personal statement. Keep a list of your top five-ten choices.
The next step is to contact your top three choices. The therapists’ profiles or websites will tell you the best way to contact them. Write down next to each therapist’s name that you contact, the date and time that you left them a message. I recommend waiting three days for a response. If a therapist doesn’t contact you in that time, follow-up by letting them know that you haven’t heard back. Keep in mind that therapists who are in private practice might take longer to respond because many do not have staff to help with phone calls. Clinics with multiple therapists tend to follow-up more quickly and usually answer when you call because there is staff designated for that purpose.
Continue calling your list until you have talked to two or three therapists who you are interested in having a first session with. Many therapists will provide a 15-20 minute free phone consultation that helps you to get a feel for them and whether you want to meet them in person. Next, it’s time to schedule the first session. A first session can feel scary as you are discussing many personal details with someone you have just met. Keep in mind, this is part of the process and feeling nervous is common but don’t let the fear keep you from experiencing therapy. Most clients feel much less nervous after the first session and feeling a level of comfort can even be good information that the therapist is a good fit for you.
Meeting with more than one therapist for a first session is acceptable when you are looking for a new therapist. However, once you find someone that you want to continue working with, it is best to only work with one therapist at a time. The journey to finding the right therapist for you can seem daunting, but with a little work and some patience, it is possible!