How To Find A Therapist
How To Find A Therapist
Finding a therapist is difficult. This post offers a few tips on how to break down some of the barriers that are keeping you from reaching out to the right therapist.
Therapy and seeking treatment for mental health issues has really begun to gain traction, especially since 2020 has seemed to force everyone to open up the back of their closets and face what is inside. But it can be confusing and overwhelming to even know how to start once you’ve made that decision you need help. Finding a therapist is not like finding a new dress on Amazon. How do you know if someone is a “good therapist?” What are all the letters after someone’s name mean? Should you look on Yelp? What about insurance? And how do I pay for it if I don’t have insurance?
I’m hoping to offer a few pieces of advice that can help answer some of these questions and get you started on the right foot.
Where Do I Start?
The first place to start to answer a few basic questions: What are the main issues you are wanting to address (trauma, anxiety, OCD, depression, etc.)? Do you prefer a male or female therapist? Location- online or in person? How far are you wanting to drive- remember you’ll most likely be attending weekly sessions, so if you’re not up for a 2 hour drive every week, narrowing your distance is going to be helpful. Are you planning on using insurance? Do you have in network or out of network benefits? Some therapists offer opportunities to check your out of network benefits using platforms like Mentaya. Do you know of certain types of treatments that you would like to try (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Couples Therapy etc.)? Are there certain commonalities that are important for your therapist to have, such as similar religious affiliations, race and ethnicity, and for forth.
Now It’s Time to Search
Once you’ve answered those basic questions, it’s time to go searching to find a good match. Now, it’s important to keep in mind there is no such thing as a perfect therapist or a perfect match, because therapists are human and sometimes you need to try on a therapist for a few sessions before deciding. The important thing is that you find a good enough match to help you in the season you’re in and what you’re struggling with. I recommend going to a few different sources to help find that good enough therapist. This list of course is not all inclusive and there are other options too, these are just what I have experience with and believe are the most helpful.
Therapy Directories: These types of directories can help limit your search and help you find therapists in your area who specialize in what you're looking for. You can put in filters: gender, location, insurance, issues to be addressed, and style. You can read profiles, compare prices, find their website, and even reach out directly to the therapist. Other directories include: PsychologyToday, TherapyDen, and Mental Health Match,
Yelp.com- Just like looking for a place to eat, fix your car, or a new dentist, therapists are also on Yelp! Some will have reviews, but not all practices. But it can be a helpful place to get some sort of idea for how others feel about them
Word of Mouth- More and more people are going to therapy so if you ask people in your circle (friends, family members, co-workers), most likely someone might have a referral for you. Ask about their experiences. Ask other therapists if they have referrals. We all tend to like to work with each other so we’re happy to offer referrals in anyway we can.
Insurance- If all else fails, you can call you insurance representative and ask for referrals. Usually they send you an extensive list of in-network providers, which could be overwhelming, but also could be a starting point.
Search Engines- You can also just Google (or whatever search engine you like to use) “Therapists who treat anxiety near me” and see if you get any leads.
I suggest picking one or two of these options, and then finding 3-4 therapists to email/reach out to and schedule a few consultation calls. Most therapists offer free 15-20 minute calls to help you get a feel for them and to answer any questions you might have.
How do you know if someone is qualified?
So maybe you’ve found a few that have potential, you like their Psychology Today profile picture, their website looks pretty modern, and their Instagram is filled with all these inspirational therapy memes. But how do you know if they’re educated and trained enough to help you? And why do they have all those letters at the end of their names?
Great questions! Each state has their own licensing qualifications for someone to become a mental health professional, as well as what they’re called. Here’s a break down of the different types of professionals you can find (including what all the letters mean) taken from https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments/Types-of-Mental-Health-Professionals
Psychologists
Psychologists hold a doctoral degree in clinical psychology or another specialty such as counseling or education. They are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health using clinical interviews, psychological evaluations and testing. They can make diagnoses and provide individual and group therapy. Some may have training in specific forms of therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and other behavioral therapy interventions.
Degree requirements: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in a field of psychology or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.).
Licensure & credentials: Psychologists are licensed by licensure boards in each state.
Counselors, Clinicians, Therapists
These masters-level health care professionals are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They operate under a variety of job titles—including counselor, clinician, therapist or something else—based on the treatment setting. Working with one of these mental health professionals can lead not only to symptom reduction but to better ways of thinking, feeling and living.
Degree requirements: master’s degree (M.S. or M.A.) in a mental health-related field such as psychology, counseling psychology, marriage or family therapy, among others.
Licensure & Certification: Varies by specialty and state. Examples of licensure include:
LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor
LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
LCADAC, Licensed Clinical Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor
Clinical Social Workers
Clinical social workers are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They are also trained in case management and advocacy services.
Degree requirements: master’s degree in social work (MSW).
Licensure & credentials: Examples of licensure include:
LICSW, Licensed Independent Social Workers
LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
ACSW, Academy of Certified Social Worker
Side note- if you see the words “Associate” or “Intern” in relation to these titles, it means someone has graduated from Graduate School, however, are earning their required hours to obtain licensure so they’re under the supervision of another licensed therapist. Someone at this level is required to disclose this to you, usually their profile, website, or email signature will say “Under the supervision of Jane Doe, LPCC 123456.” It doesn’t mean they’re not competent and can’t offer good therapy. It just means they are quite as experienced as a licensed person.
Let’s Talk About the Money!
So now that you’ve got that figured out, it’s time to figure out how to pay for it. Therapy is expensive. (See this blog post for more in-depth as to why therapy is expensive). There’s no getting around it. Depending on location and experience of the therapist, sessions can cost $60-300+.
Remember, going to therapy is an investment into your overall well-being. Maybe it means sacrificing something else (like extra Starbucks trips, that 3rd margarita at dinner, or weekly nail appointments) in order to move you closer to a state of healing. What you’ve been doing hasn’t been working, otherwise you wouldn’t be seeking out therapy, so taking a hard look at what you can give up to invents in yourself could be worth it in the long run.
Therapists want to help you! And the majority of us, the good ones at least, aren’t in it just for the money. Yeah, we need to make a living, pay rent, and all the things (we’re human, remember), but we are helpers. Having an open and honest conversation about what you can afford before you start is essential and a lot of therapists will be willing to work with you. Some therapists offer a sliding scale-this means that if you ask, there might be a few lower fee slots available.
Other ideas to make it more affordable is to try and go every other week (unless you’re in crisis, or needing more acute care), or once a month. The idea that you need to go in weekly isn’t always a necessity. This is something to discuss with your therapist.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the most important thing about going to therapy and finding a therapist, is the relationship. You want to be able to find someone you can be vulnerable with, explore with, and open up to. You want to be able to connect with their personality, they’re style. They will not be perfect. And there might be times you need to speak up and say, “Hey, I didn’t like what you said,” or “that thing you told me to try didn’t work for me.” And that’s okay!
I recommend finding around 4 or 5 potential therapists that seem to meet most of your criteria and then reaching out and having a 15 minute phone call with them and see how you connect. Ask about fees, scheduling, style, and even background and training. We can get a good sense about someone pretty quickly. So try it out. And if you schedule with someone, attend a session or two, and feel it’s not a good fit, it’s okay to try someone new! The most important thing is that this works for you!
I know it can be hard to take the first step in asking for help. If you like what you've read, or would like to learn more about me, I would love to schedule a consultation call to see if I'm a good fit for what you're looking for. I'm a firm believer that the most healing comes out of the relationship so this call will help me get to know you better and how I might be able to help, and give you a better sense of me and if we could do good work together.
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