Find a Therapist
One of the best ways to find a therapist is by word of mouth. When another individual has had a positive experience with a counselor, they can share information about the counselor that a phone book or phone call doesn't necessarily offer.
Many psychiatrists hear good and bad reports about therapist that their patients see. Because of this, your psychiatrist can be a great source of help in finding an appropriate referral to a therapist. Generally, they can provide a couple potential referrals, and if those don't fit your needs, they may likely have more names to offer.
Sometimes the local Mental Health Association or the local inpatient psychiatric hospital will have some referrals to therapists. They may or may not have personal knowledge of these therapist, but probably have a list of names available. Sometimes they offer general referrals to counseling centers and community mental health centers in their area.
Another way to locate referrals are through the professional associations such as the American Counseling Association, or the American Psychological Association. Many agencies such as this offer "Find a Therapist" links through their web page, which consists of those who are members of their associations. There are specialty associations as well. Most of these can be found on the website. Some general and specialty associations that might be helpful are as follows (they will open in new tabs):
Many psychiatrists hear good and bad reports about therapist that their patients see. Because of this, your psychiatrist can be a great source of help in finding an appropriate referral to a therapist. Generally, they can provide a couple potential referrals, and if those don't fit your needs, they may likely have more names to offer.
Sometimes the local Mental Health Association or the local inpatient psychiatric hospital will have some referrals to therapists. They may or may not have personal knowledge of these therapist, but probably have a list of names available. Sometimes they offer general referrals to counseling centers and community mental health centers in their area.
Another way to locate referrals are through the professional associations such as the American Counseling Association, or the American Psychological Association. Many agencies such as this offer "Find a Therapist" links through their web page, which consists of those who are members of their associations. There are specialty associations as well. Most of these can be found on the website. Some general and specialty associations that might be helpful are as follows (they will open in new tabs):
Interviewing Therapists
Finding a therapist who has experience in your issues is important. If you can't find a therapist with experience in your issues, then find one who has a supervisor who is experienced and can provide the supervision they need.
To help determine who might be the best fit for you, it's okay to ask them questions before scheduling your appointment. This can be done by phone, or if necessary, you can schedule an appointment (usually there is a fee) to interview the therapist face to face. Since therapists traditionally see clients for 45-55 minutes, they may not have time to return your call until the end of their day.
When you leave a message for them, let them know you are looking for a therapist and have some questions for them. This should alert them to allow time to respond when they return your call. Their personal policy may be that you must be seen face to face in order to answer questions, due to the number of questions that may be asked.
Here are some questions you may want to consider asking:
To help determine who might be the best fit for you, it's okay to ask them questions before scheduling your appointment. This can be done by phone, or if necessary, you can schedule an appointment (usually there is a fee) to interview the therapist face to face. Since therapists traditionally see clients for 45-55 minutes, they may not have time to return your call until the end of their day.
When you leave a message for them, let them know you are looking for a therapist and have some questions for them. This should alert them to allow time to respond when they return your call. Their personal policy may be that you must be seen face to face in order to answer questions, due to the number of questions that may be asked.
Here are some questions you may want to consider asking:
- How much experience do you have with (fill in your issue)?
- Are you licensed in (fill in your state or providence)? If the answer is no, please check your state/providence rules about whether a counselor has to be licensed or credentialed to practice counseling/psychology. Note that new therapists may be required to be supervised for a specific number of hours or years before they can be licensed in their state. This does not mean they will not be a good counselor, but that their state requires them to be under supervision of a licensed counselor, psychologist or social worker during this specific time period. You may want to follow up with the question, are you license eligible (in your state or providence) if they are not licensed?
- How long have you been a practicing therapist?
- What kind of counseling do you offer? (cognitive, person-centered, gestalt, etc.)
- Are you available if I have an emergency? If not, who is available in an emergency?
- How long does it take to get an initial appointment?
- How often do you see clients and how long are the sessions?
- Do you have privileges at the local inpatient psychiatric facility if I need to be admitted?
- Do you take my insurance (specify what it is)?
- If you do not have insurance, ask, Do you have a sliding fee for those who are self-paying? If not, can they refer you to someone who does?
- Ask any other questions you have. Write them out so you can remember and will ask exactly what you are wanting to know.
- How much experience do you have with (fill in your issue)?
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