How to Find the Right Therapist – Part Two

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Finding a therapist or other mental health professional can be intimidating. Even for those who have been in therapy before, it can be difficult to find a therapist that feels like the right fit. Maybe you’re saying to yourself, “I’ve tried therapy before, but it felt too general and I didn’t get what I wanted out of it”, or “we didn’t really click.”

So, what are some things to consider in order to find the best therapist for you?

1. Consider Finances

The first step is to consider your finances. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you have found a good match and then come to find that the therapist does not fit in your budget.

Take a look at your health insurance plan to see what is covered for in-network and out-of-network mental health services and if there are only a certain amount of sessions that are covered per year.health insurance blog Sometimes, insurance companies will have a directory of therapists that are in-network which might be a good place to start if you are only looking for in-network providers.

If you are not only looking for in-network providers, there are other options as well. Many insurance companies offer reimbursement for out-of-network clinics. Ask your insurance company if reimbursement is possible and if so, how much would the reimbursement be.

Sentier is an out-of-network group private practice that is able to submit claims to your insurance for reimbursement. This can be a good option because insurance is not dictating your therapy experience. This means that your therapy is not limited by your diagnosis or treatment plan, and that your insurance provider cannot control how many sessions (or other restrictions) you are allowed per year, etc.

Another option to consider and to ask about when finding a therapist is if there are sliding-scale fee availability. Many clinics and licensed therapists offer rates on a sliding-scale based on income and/or need. This can be a good way of ensuring that you are meeting with the right therapist while still remaining within your budget.

Lastly, an option for more affordable rates for therapy could be working with a provider that is in training. This would be an intern or a therapist that is licensed under supervision. These providers tend to have lower rates due to being newer to the field; however, are still very qualified to work with many individuals and are receiving regular supervision from a fully licensed provider.

2. Therapeutic Alliance

Research shows that therapy works best if people feel safe, comfortable, and connected to their therapist (Flückiger et al., 2018). Therapeutic alliance is defined as the mutual collaboration and partnership between therapist and client, and is one of the most important parts of finding the best fit for therapy regardless of therapeutic modality (Flückiger et al., 2018). To set yourself up with a good foundation for this alliance to be successful, it is important to ask the questions that are important to you.therapy blog

Things to consider in a potential therapist are gender, age, race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or neurodivergence. In addition to these, getting a sense of what their “vibe” and “style” within therapy is. These are the things that will help you to feel more at ease especially when talking about difficult topics.

Will you feel more comfortable with someone who identifies similarly to you; is it easier to talk to someone who is a bit older than you; is it important that your therapist is a parent too? These are all questions to ask yourself.

That being said, your therapist does not have to match with you in every area or even have first-hand experience with your struggles in order to be a good fit for you in therapy. Remember that therapists are trained to work with many different types of people, and even if they do not have lived experiences that are the exact same as you, there still is an opportunity to build rapport and have very successful therapeutic experiences.

3. Type of Therapy

One other area to consider when finding the best fit for a therapist is what types of therapy you are interested in. Each therapist has slightly different approaches and many therapists are trained in more than one approach and use a blend of modalities.

To help get a sense of where to start, ask yourself what your goals of therapy are. For example, if you are struggling with anxiety and panic, look into modalities that have been noted as best practices for those areas. Look up what those approaches look like and if they feel like they would be helpful for your situation and your specific mental health conditions.

Some therapy approaches are more suited for short-term therapy, while others are more relational based and are reliant on longer-term therapy. Are you looking for quicker tools and skills to help manage mental health issues and symptoms more immediately, or are you looking to take a deep dive into better understanding of yourself and meaning making? Are you looking for individual therapy to better understand or manage you mental health, or would family therapy or couples therapy with a family therapist be a better fit to help you with navigating tricky dynamics? Do you think in-person therapy would work better for you, or would online therapy make more sense with your needs/schedule?

Some short term therapeutic approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and solution focused brief therapy, among others. Some examples of long term therapeutic approaches include psychodynamic therapy or interpersonal therapy (ITP).

Again, many providers will use a blend of these approaches in your therapy sessions that can be modified to meet your needs and timeline for therapy.

Another thing to consider is if you are looking for more of a supportive network that understands and can relate to your experience, rather than one-on-one work. If this is the case, it might be worthwhile to look at therapeutic support groups that could be helpful. Groups often allow for more flexibility and can be found both in-person and virtually. Groups can also be something that is supplemented to your individual therapy and an added support.

4. What to Ask in Consultation/Meet and Greet

Okay, so you have narrowed your options down to a few mental health providers, licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists or clinical psychologists. Now is a time that you can ask for a free consultation or Meet and Greet to assess if you feel comfortable with the therapist.

You are able to meet with more than one therapist for consultations as you decide who to work with, so feel free to schedule a few. This consultation is a chance to assess the “vibe” and also to ask questions.ask questions

Here are some examples of questions that you can ask:

  • How long have you been practicing?
  • What experience do you have working with ___?
  • What made you decide to become a therapist?
  • What does your availability look like?
  • What days and times do you have available currently?
  • How does scheduling look and how frequently would we meet?
  • What does a typical session look like?
  • I want to talk about (insert topic here). Is this an area you like to work or feel you can help me with?

Asking these questions will allow you to get a sense of your comfort level, as well as, figure out if it will logistically work with your schedule.

5. What To Do If It’s Not a Good Fit

What happens if you have started therapy, or been in therapy for sometime, and you realize that you do not think it’s a good fit anymore? That is okay! Whether it is early on in the relationship or you have been meeting with them for some time, it is always something that you can bring up.

If you feel comfortable enough, tell them your concerns. This may be awkward or uncomfortable, but rest assured that therapists have these conversations often. There is a chance that changes can be made or even therapeutic work can be done, to work through what the concern is.

Also, if it is not something that can be resolved within the relationship, they can often help to find someone that is a better fit. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your therapist about it, feel free to connect with someone else in the clinic as well, whether it is a care coordinator, supervisor, or receptionist to see if there are others within the clinic that might be a better fit.

Therapy is a helpful tool to help address mental health concerns, life transitions, and self-discovery, but finding the right fit can be a tedious one. Hopefully, with these steps, you can work to find a space that feels comfortable and right for you. Good luck in your search!

Blog written by Sentier therapist Abby Voigt, MSW, LICSW

Sources: Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172

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