How to Choose the Right Therapist FOR YOU

Tools to find the right therapist before spending money and time on the first full appointment:

Having trouble finding a therapist that is a good fit for your unique needs and personality?  Therapists vary widely in their experience, areas of expertise, and personality. Finding the “just right” fit can be the key to your successful therapy journey. The process of finding the right therapist can occur before the first intake session in order to save time and money. Looking for specific information on the website, and having a quality initial consultation call can give you the information you need to make a good decision before the financial and time commitment of booking the first few sessions. 

During the research stage to find the right therapist:

1. Consider “What therapy modality (type of therapy) may be right for me?”  

Much of a therapist’s growth happens after MA level graduation through advanced trainings and certification programs! Therefore, you’ll want to research (or ask around) what therapy modality may be a good fit to your unique therapy goals. The acronyms can be confusing, but some popular therapy modalities include:  EMDR (eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing), Somatic Therapy, CBT (cognitive behavioral), DBT (dialectical behavioral), IFS (internal family systems), AEDP (accelerated experiential dynamic), Art Therapy, or EFT.     

2. Pay careful attention to complex symptomology.  

Understand that complex symptoms require specific knowledge and expertise. Dissociation, complex trauma (C-PTSD), attachment wounding, or symptoms that are debilitating to functioning (severe addiction, OCD, self-harm, suicidality, regular, panic attacks, severe depression or anxiety) are best treated by therapists with these specializations and related training. 

3. Take a deep dive into specific areas of the therapist’s website:

• “About the therapist” – look for years of experience, statement of inclusivity, advanced training, and primary areas of expertise

• Picture – yes, it’s OK to consider how you feel when you look at the therapist’s picture.  Pictures can portray some important information about therapist warmth, energy, and personality.  Find someone who feels welcoming. 

• Approach – look for information on how the therapist or agency may approach a new or typical client.  Though all clients will need some unique adaptations, therapists still tend to have a particular way of helping clients gain insight, build skills, and heal wounds.  This approach should make sense and help you access a sense of hope (and even excitement) about the process.

• FAQs – look for whether they offer in-person and/or virtual appointments, cost and length of sessions, and insurance or sliding scale information

• Do they offer a free, phone consultation?  Look to see how to schedule a free phone consultation (15-30 minutes) where you can share more about your goals and the therapist can comment on how they may approach your goals in therapy

During the initial consultation:

Get the most out of your consultation by sharing what’s important and asking the right questions. 

In order to get the most out of your free consultation consider sharing the following:

1. Primary present-day struggle, concern, or symptom. 

   This can be behavioral (ex. anger outbursts, binge eating, isolation, etc.), emotional (ex. grief, anger, etc), somatic (ex. panic attacks, migraines, exhaustion, etc), or cognitive (ex. negative self-beliefs, ruminating, catastrophizing, etc). 

2. Past experience with counseling/therapy. 

   This can be what helped OR what didn’t. This helps your consultation focus on therapist fit AND helps you advocate to not waste time on things you’ve already accomplished and instead focus on a true area of growth. 

3. Note – You DO NOT have to go into a detailed account of your painful trauma history during the initial consultation. There will be plenty of time to do that safely and with thoughtfulness once you begin therapy.    

In order to get the most out of your free consultation consider asking the following:

1. How may your therapeutic approach be a fit to my goals?

   Inquire what therapy may look like to address your specific goals. For example EMDR follows an 8 Phase Approach, and depending on client need can vary greatly in regard to time spent in each stage (3 months of therapy to 3 years of therapy). 

2. What are your thought on the scope of our work together? 

   Meaning, can the therapist speak to their recommendation on the frequency and timeline of therapy? Though this is likely to evolve and is a best-estimate, one needs to be able to budget appropriately from the get-go. 

3. What is your payment and cancellation policy? 

Look for the qualities of a good counselor from the get-go.   

Though therapists vary widely in their personalities there is plenty of evidence that certain traits lead to better therapy outcomes.  Though all of these qualities may not be assessable during the initial consultation, you can get a good feeling about their level of professionalism, warmth, and expertise.   Here are 8 traits that successful therapists tend to have:

• Trust building

• Warmth

• Open-mindedness

• Inquiring and curious

• Keeps clients accountable

• Adaptable (can adjust the treatment for the unique client)

• Unifying

• Self-aware

Know that it is OK to shop around! 

Therapists understand that we differ in our personalities and approach and it is ALWAYS OK to talk to a number of different therapists to get matched right and to set you up for success. We want you to get your needs met and make progress, and we know that we aren’t perfectly right for every client and they aren’t perfectly right for us. Feel completely free to let the therapist know that you’re having phone consultations with a few therapists. We understand and encourage it!