How to find a therapist

Before I found my therapist (yes, therapists have therapists), I felt like I was constantly looking at “therapists near me” or “counselors near me”. I had no idea what made a good mental healthcare provider or how to know if someone would make a good match for my needs. Ultimately, I found a nice looking website with a friendly and trustworthy looking face, and I took a leap of faith. Honestly, I felt like I was closing my eyes and throwing a dart at a dartboard. I got lucky and found an amazing clinician. Not everyone gets so lucky, I’ve loved the therapist I found and I’m still with her today, over 3 years later! However, if I had to go through the process of searching all over again, would I use the same technique? Absolutely not.

Since those days I've learned a thing two, here are a few pro-tips that I would recommend when trying to find a mental healthcare provider.

Am I looking for therapy or counseling?

You might be asking “what’s the difference between therapy and counseling”?

The primary difference is duration of care.

• Therapy is usually more long-term and has to do with you, your worldviews, thoughts, patterns, beliefs, and/or symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, panic, nightmares, OCD, etc.). Therapy is best for things that feel more chronic (i.e., long-term and persistent) in your life. For example:

o “I’ve always had anxiety and I’d like some help coping with it now.”

o ”I’ve been dealing with panic attacks since I was a teen.”

o ”I’ve been always dealt with bouts of depression.”

Therapy helps you develop the skills to build coping strategies and reduce the impact of those symptoms on your daily life. Therapy is also a great way to develop self-insight and introspection.

• Counseling is typically a bit shorter in treatment duration and is more focused on a specific concern.

o “I’m working through a divorce and would like help coping.”

o “We just moved to a new city and it has been difficult adjusting.”

o “My pet passed away and I’m feeling lots of grief.”

Counseling can provide guidance and tools for managing life’s acute (i.e., shorter term) concerns.

What do I want from this experience?

Knowing your end goal for why you’re seeking care can help point you to the best type of professional for helping you reach these goals.

· Do you want to gain skills for coping with life?

· Do you want to learn about emotional health and wellbeing?

· Do you want to a place to vent and share your stressors?

· Do you want to develop new insights about who you are and why you function the way you do?

· Do you want to mitigate a certain symptom or behavior?

· Do you want to explore the influence of your past on your present?

How do you want to feel while you’re in therapy or counseling?

Most people don’t think about this and are surprised when I recommend it. Therapy or counseling can work even if the relationship with your clinician is so-so but it will thrive if you are comfortable, connected, heard and able to show up authentically and openly.

Do you want a clinician who feels comfortable and welcoming? Do you want someone who is laid back and wears a hoodie in session or is it important to you if your clinician wears a blazer? Do you want a clinician who feels like a leader and offers up direction and guidance? Do you want someone who provides you the full session to explore whatever you want? Do you want to be able to curse in session? Do you want a therapist who curses with you? Do you want someone who offers you insight into the patters and behaviors they notice?

Often times we have expectations for what we want our experience with mental health care to be like and when we don’t consider this before hand and filter out the folks that don’t align with our expectations, we can end up feeling disappointed.

There’s no right or wrong, only what you want.

Free consultation call – DO IT!

Most clinicians offer a completely free 10-, 15-, or 20-minute consultation call. It sounds a little anxiety inducing for some folks, but it’s just a way for you to ask questions and feel out if the clinician and their personality are a good fit for your needs. This is a great way to save yourself time, energy, and money! We all need more of those things. Rather than scheduling the appointment, completing all the intake paperwork, attending the first session and then deciding, “oh crap, I don’t click with this clinician at all!” and still having to foot the bill for the session, you can reduce the chances of that happening by vetting the clinician during the consultation call.

Here are some great questions to ask during the call:

· Do you offer services at the time I need?

· Do you offer services at the price point I need, accept my insurance, or offer reduced rate or sliding scale fees?

· Do you offer services where I need them (in-person/virtual)?

· Do you offer any of the specific services I’m looking for (trauma treatment, OCD treatment, mindfulness, treatment for panic disorder, court appearances, etc.)

· Do you have experience working with a certain group of people (e.g., the LGBTQIA+ community, folks with chronic health concerns, sex workers, those living in the US without documentation, etc.)

· Can you tell me about your experience working with XYZ or treating ABC? What does treatment look like?

· What does it look like to work with you? Are you casual/professional/direct/non-directive/etc.?

· How often are sessions?

How do I even find a clinician?

• TherapyDen – it’s a directory of clinicians, you can search by area code, clinician specialty, insurance provider, the type of therapy you want, and more. It is owned and operated by a therapist, someone who understands the needs and wants of clients and healthcare providers alike.

• OpenPath – a collective of therapists offering high quality and reduced rate therapy services. A one-time lifetime membership fee of $65 provides access to care at $40-$70 per session. This is a nonprofit organization supporting clients who lack insurance or those with insufficient healthcare benefits. Bonus: You can search for clinicians before signing up!

• Psychology Today – a very popular platform and directory for finding mental healthcare providers with options to filter search. This organization also publishes a magazine; however, it has historically lacked diversity and representation.

• Meet Monarch - is another directory powered by the SimplePractice platform.

• OutCare - is an amazing resource for finding all kinds of providors (medical, mental health, etc.) for those in the LGBTQIA+ community. OutCare also provides training for those on the OutCare directory.

There are tons of amazing local therapists waiting to meet you. Please don't feel discouraged if there is a bit of trial and error in your search, you will find the right clinician to meet your needs.

If you have questions you’d like answered in future blogs, feel free to e-mail them to at kaci@thepinecenter.com

All the best, Kaci

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