5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Therapist
Greg Osberg, LICSWA
Greg Osberg, LICSWA
Making the choice to come to therapy is often a vulnerable decision, so it is important to find a match that feels right for you. For example, in my own experience seeking therapy, I can’t think of a time when I didn’t shown up to out first session because I felt anxious. However, I now tell my clients the first meeting is just an opportunity for us to assess the match together. As such, here are some things to consider as you look for the right therapist. I hope they can provide you some direction and relief.
Evaluate the fit. The right fit between your therapist and you is important, even if what is discussed in therapy may not always be comfortable. As such, a lot of therapists will offer free consultations before you commit to a full session to assess this. This can be a great opportunity to identify how you feel with a therapist rather than just reading their profile online. This will give you an opportunity to assess things like tone of voice, body language, communication style, etc.
Consider the therapist’s experience. There are as variety of different types of therapists and therapies, so consider what experience is relevant for you. Things to consider can be finding therapists who specialize in those modalities that fit your presenting issue. Do you want to do EMDR or another type of trauma therapy? Are you looking for anxiety management strategies? One might also consider what populations they have experience working with or what past roles they have held. Are they responsive to cultural needs that matter to you or are there key issues you need your therapist and you to align on?
Identify demographics that might be important for you in a therapist. In what ways will things like race, gender, sexuality, age, or religion impact your relationship with your therapist? While these factors don’t guarantee goodness of fit, they are something to keep in mind. For example, as a man, many clients might choose to not work with me due to negative experiences with men in the past. That is a perfectly valid choice if it is going to get in the way of the work they are doing in therapy. Additionally, some folks might feel more comfortable meeting with a therapist who shares their identity, such as meeting with a therapist from the LGBTQ community, so they can discuss their concerns more openly. As such, consider what you need before you enter the therapy room or use the initial consult to assess the fit with someone.
Ask about billing, insurance coverage, scheduling, and other logistics. Making sure you have all the information you need about the policies of the therapist you are working with is important. Questions to consider may be the following: do they take my insurance? If not, can they provide me a superbill? What is the private pay rate? What hours is the therapist available for scheduling? What is their no show/cancellation policy? Having all of this information ahead of your visit can assure that you know what to expect and can allow you to assess if the consult is worth your time.
Go with your gut. Ultimately, you could have all the information you need and everything could feel right on paper, but you may still feel nervous about choosing a therapist. At this point, there are a couple things that might be worth doing:
Schedule consults with other therapists to compare the experience. It is normal to get a second opinion. See how you feel during these consults, and if you like one of the therapists you met with, reach back out.
Schedule a follow up session and see how you feel with a bit more familiarity. Sometimes spending more time with a therapist can help ease that initial tension you are experiencing.
Regardless of what decision you make moving forward, the fact that you seeking out therapy is important. It is normal and natural for this to be something that causes anxiety, so give yourself a moment to breathe and know that there isn’t one right answer. When we keep in mind some of this information and work on making our choice of therapist intentional, we are setting ourselves up for success moving forward.
I hope these tips give you some relief as you take the next steps toward your therapy journey. I wish you well!