How to Find the Right Therapist!
Making the decision to start therapy is a big one; sometimes people struggle for years before finally taking this good step. Whether you’ve been suffering for a long time or looking for a therapist to prevent a crisis from occurring in the future, I want to share some helpful insights that can aid you in your search to find the right therapist. Not all therapists are created equal, unfortunately sometimes a therapist can do more harm than good, and a lot of that can be boiled down to it not being the right fit. One of the major indicators in whether or not therapy will be deemed successful by the client is a good therapeutic relationship between therapist and client. So if that’s most important, let’s talk about HOW you can find that right therapist!
First, WHERE do you even find a therapist?
Psychologytoday.com is a great, all inclusive place to start. All the therapists I know and trust have profiles on Psychology Today. It’s easy to sift through multiple options at the same time. You can search by location, insurance, specialty, modality, issue, religion, etc. **note for those looking for a Catholic therapist, they do not have an option for therapists to specify Catholicism, so search for Christianity & ask questions when you speak to the therapist on the phone**
Catholictherapists.com is a really good option for those who are seeking a Catholic therapist. You can search by speciality and location. You can also see each therapist’s viewpoints on different Church teachings. This is definitely not an all inclusive website. I do not have a profile on this site and know other great Catholic therapists who don’t either, but it is a good place to see if there is anyone in your area listed there!
Another option I would recommend is social media! Search on Instagram hashtags, for example #miamitherapist or #couplescounselingphiladelphia or #orangecountytherapy, to see who comes up. The major advantage to this is, for those therapists who use social media well, you will be able to get a really good feel for the person and the way they work from checking out their account. At the very least maybe you’ll come across some helpful resources!
Lastly, and hopefully very helpful as well, I’d say to contact your local parish, diocese or archdiocese and ask if they have any recommendations for trustworthy local therapists! Maybe they don’t but chances are they’ll know someone they can recommend!
Okay now we know where to find a good therapist. What’s next?!
Ask questions. Do not just commit to the first person you get on the phone. Who you choose as your therapist is important and I want to make sure you know how to choose wisely.
Financial investment. Ask about their fees & if they take insurance so that you know what to expect going into the first session. Please do not to write off a therapist just because they don’t take insurance, if they seem like an amazing fit otherwise. Truly, if I was going to recommend a therapist to a friend or family member I would strongly encourage them to seek private pay options. Therapists who take private pay only generally see less clients & therefore have more time to devote to making sure they are available to you, and becoming the best therapist (through trainings, research, etc.) to serve you. Generally those clients who invest more in therapy tend to put more time and energy into working toward their goals. I could write a whole other blog post on this topic but I’ll leave it at this for now. *ALSO IMPORTANT* if a therapist is not in network with insurance providers, ask if they will provide you with a superbill so you can submit a claim to receive out of network benefits directly. Just because they don’t accept insurance, doesn’t mean you don’t qualify for reimbursement.
Faith & religion. If faith is important to you, ask what role faith plays in their life, if they practice any religion and how that is incorporated (if at all) into the therapy sessions. I have clients who are atheist & have no interest in God, and so that is not part of their sessions. I also have clients who are Catholic & that is a central theme in their lives, and so we incorporate it into our sessions, goals, homework and conversations. If this is important to you, make sure the therapist you choose is either on the same page or whole heartedly supportive of your faith.
Beliefs and treatment. Depending on what you are going into therapy for, ask their thoughts and beliefs surrounding this. For example, if you have experienced infidelity and want to save your marriage, ask the therapist what their beliefs are on marriage, divorce, infidelity, and couples restoration after going through these issues. If you are going to therapy for depression, ask the therapist how they go about treating depression, what their thoughts are about medication, and what they believe about depression. Whatever you are going in with, you’ll want to know what they think about those concerns and make sure they will not be hindering you in any way, but rather working toward the same goals with you.
I hope these tips will lead you one step closer to finding the right therapist for you. Never be afraid to ask questions, gather information, advocate for yourself, and switch therapists if you feel you are not getting what you need. Be clear about what you are looking for and what your goals are going in to therapy! You got this!