How to find a therapist
Finding a therapist can be an overwhelming task. There are so many options, so many bios, what do these letters mean! I get it. It’s not uncommon for people in my life to ask for recommendations on who they should see. I love helping people, professionally or personally, find a therapist that could be a great fit for them. I am writing this post in hopes of helping others find some options and feel less overwhelmed by the process. Below you will find some ideas for where to look, what to look for, and what you need to know to start with your new therapist.
Where do I find a therapist?
Great question! There are many avenues you can take to find a therapist. One option is to simply search “therapists near me” though the options will probably be all over the place. You can use websites such as psychologytoday.com or therapyden.com (I am not affiliated nor sponsored by any of these companies listed in this paragraph, they are just common options where therapists list their profiles) for a more direct search, which are free to use and allow you to filter by location, insurance, gender preference, what you’re hoping to work on, etc. There are other websites such as Mental Health Match or ZocDoc which also provide this type of service. These are both free to use and walk you through questions similar to the filters mentioned above, to help match you with a therapist. ZocDoc allows you to book the appointment directly from the website, if you are interested in doing so.
You could also reach out to your insurance company or log into your online portal/app and obtain a list of providers within your network, so you know they are already able to accept your insurance. This cuts down on some legwork if you know you need/want to use insurance for your sessions. There are many different insurance plans, so just because a therapist lists that they accept BCBS, doesn’t mean they necessarily accept your specific plan. Getting the list straight from your insurance company means you’re guaranteed those therapists do accept your specific plan (barring any errors on the insurance company’s end). You could also use this list to narrow down therapists you see on the websites I mentioned above.
Asking your primary care physician or other medical professionals for recommendations is another option. Many of my clients are referred to me by the physicians treating them, and therefore are familiar with my services and approach. Sometimes the hospital or clinic will have a list of recommendations, especially if your concerns are related to your medical/physical wellness.
Last but not least, there is good ole word of mouth. If you’re comfortable with it, ask in a Facebook group, ask your friends or family if they recommend anyone. Keep in mind that if someone close to you recommends their own therapist, the therapist may not be willing to see you depending on their boundaries and the relationship you have with said person. However, that therapist may be able to recommend someone else in turn. If you have a child or partner that attends therapy, ask that therapist if they have any recommendations.
I don’t have a lot of money to pay for therapy, what options do I have?
If you don’t have a ton of spare cash lying around to do private pay sessions, you may want to look into your insurance to see if it will cover your sessions and how much it will cost you. Many therapists will do benefits checks before your first appointment, but it is important for you to have as much information as possible up front. Information such as your insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna, etc), if you have a copay, do you have a deductible, does it apply to your sessions, etc.
A copay is a flat amount you pay at each session, and can be listed directly on your insurance card, but not always. Sometimes after your deductible or max out of pocket is met, your copay no longer applies, meaning you won’t owe anything per session until it resets. A deductible is an amount that you would have to spend before your sessions are covered by your insurance company, meaning you will owe the full amount due per session until you have met it. Max out of pocket refers to the amount of money you spend on your medical expenses that are within your insurance coverages scope. Max OOP does not apply to every plan, and sometimes can be very large amounts, but these are separate from your deductible because you could continue incurring costs even after your deductible is met (coinsurance, additional medical bills, etc). Plans this is applicable to will (typically) cover your sessions in full once this Max OOP amount is met, even if you were having to pay once your deductible is met.
Some plans require you to pay a coinsurance at this point, or sometimes at each session (you won’t owe both a copay and coinsurance at the same time that I am aware of, though I am not a billing expert), which can be an odd looking amount because it is a percentage of the contracted amount between your therapist and the insurance company. A contracted amount can vary per therapist, so if your child is seeing one therapist and you’re seeing another, there is no guarantee they will have the same coinsurance amounts, though most of the time they likely will. I know this all sounds overwhelming, but knowledge is power and you will be glad that you know what is going on so your eyes don’t glaze over when your therapist is explaining what you owe and why. If you are ever unsure if what you’re being told you owe is accurate, call your insurance company and verify.
You will also need to let the therapist know if you have more than one insurance covering you, and you’ll need to complete what is called a coordination of benefits if you have not already. It’s easy to do and doesn’t take too much time, and only you can complete it. To complete a coordination of benefits, call each of your insurance companies and let them know you have other coverage. The insurance companies then coordinate with each other to decide who is your primary coverage and who is your secondary. If you do not complete this process before starting, your insurance companies can both try to argue the other is primary, and it can get messy! Resulting in you owing your therapist a lot of money for the sessions the insurance company recouped from them. Nobody wants that.
If you do not have insurance coverage, or cannot owe the amount you would owe if using insurance, you could look for therapists that offer pro bono (free) or sliding scale sessions. These can be difficult to come by, but non profit organizations exist that can offer these services. If you attend a church, you can also check and see if they have any programs to cover these costs. Sometimes even if you are not a member, there are churches or other organizations with grants or funding to assist people in connecting with therapists.
You could also check with your employer/HR to see if they offer EAP benefits. EAPs are employee assistance programs and sometimes include a limited number of sessions with a therapist. Sometimes there is a list of providers, sometimes they choose for you, it really just depends.
How do I know what to look for in a therapist?
This question is a little more person dependent. No one but you really knows what you’re looking for, but I’ll give you some starting points to ask yourself. Do you have a preference on the gender of your therapist? Do you care about their general age? If your faith is important to you, is it important for you to find a therapist that shares that faith? On the flip side, if you’re not really religious, would you feel comfortable with seeing someone that practices faith based counseling? Research has shown that the relationship is consistently the most impactful part of a positive therapeutic experience. It’s okay that you don’t know what the letters mean or what the different approaches are. Honestly, you may not actually like what you think you like, but you won’t know that until you try. Yes, I am saying it can take multiple tries sometimes to find the right fit. Please don’t let that scare you. Many therapists, like myself, want the best fit just as much as you, and we are open to helping you find someone else that might be better suited to your needs. I know it’s hard, but if you’re already seeing someone and just not sure its clicking, try talking to them about it first. They may surprise you!
Pay attention to the photos listed on the therapist profile or website. It doesn’t make you weird or shallow to care about it. If you can’t tell, I have heard this from people many times. You’re allowed to choose your therapist based on whatever criteria you like, and truthfully, I think sometimes the photos chosen can tell you a lot about the therapist’s style.
What does their description tell you about them as a person, professional, and their approach? Does it sound like it aligns with your views? Sometimes we seek out the opposite to challenge ourselves, and hey, as long as you’re being mindful about what you’re choosing and why, more power to ya. This is where you might want to notice things like do they utilize a faith based approach, do they discuss the areas of concern you are hoping to address in therapy.
Check out their website or social media pages (if they have one) and see what vibes you get from it. Profiles on websites like Psychology Today have limited room for information, but on a website, we can write as much or as little as we want! A website can help you learn more about the therapist and maybe get some additional tools or resources they have shared (like this blog, in my case).
What DO all of these letters mean?
Letters behind a person’s name, such as MS (Master of Science), MA (Master of Arts), MSW (Master of Social Work), LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), LSW (Licensed Social Worker), PsyD (Doctor of Psychology), PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), refer to their licensure or degree obtained. The M means they have a master’s degree, the D means they have a doctorate. When choosing a therapist, it’s really person dependent on which is best for you. The LCPC, and LCSW are independently licensed (in Illinois), meaning they have passed an additional test and no longer need supervised. LPC and LSW are still licensed professionals, but must be supervised by a clinician that is independently licensed. PsyD and PhD licenses can vary depending on the program they attended. Sometimes their license will be the same as the master’s level clinicians, sometimes they will qualify as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Some Psychologists can also prescribed medication, though not all. You can look all licensed clinicians up through the IDFPR website.
Additional letter you may see may refer to specific modalities or approaches in therapy the clinician utilizes. More on that below.
How do I know what kind of therapy I need?
As previously stated, sometimes you really don’t know until you know. A common approach that most if not all clinicians are taught to use is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT essentially looks at the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how they influence each other. Another that has been becoming more well known and popular is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), originally designed for trauma responses. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the unconscious processes that show up in a person’s behavior, and tends to be more intensive in the frequency of sessions. ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) focuses on mindfulness and the present moment. DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) was originally developed for treating Borderline Personality Disorder, though has been expanded to assist with a variety of mood related concerns that impact behaviors, such as suicidal ideation and self harming behaviors. Holistic therapy focuses on the whole person and may incorporate various body movement approaches, such as dance, yoga, expressive arts, etc. Integrative therapy is essentially when the therapist chooses from a variety of the above or other models/approaches to best fit client’s needs. I would say Integrative is technically the most common approach, though many clinicians will simply list off the different approaches they utilize in addition to or instead of using this term. This approach is also sometimes referred to as an eclectic approach. ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) is an approach typically utilized for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
I encourage you to search any other approaches you may see to learn more about them, or simply reach out to the clinician and ask!
How often will I need to go?
That really depends on the person, though most people do start with once a week. Sometimes people already know once a week won’t work for them, scheduling or emotionally, and choose to do less frequent appointments from the start. Be aware that not every therapist is willing to see clients less than weekly or bi weekly, though I would say many of us are. You and your therapist will work together to decide the frequency that is best for you. We like to say, we are trying to work ourselves out of a job! Meaning, the goal is for you to no longer feel you need to come to therapy, if you so choose.
I’m scared/worries/nervous to go to therapy.
That is totally normal! Seriously. It takes a lot of guts to show up and tell a stranger about your life, thoughts, and feelings. The good news is that many of us therapists had to do it ourselves as a requirement for our programs, if for no other reason but so we can know what it’s like on the other side of the chair. Therapy is really meant to be a place of no judgment. If you feel judged by your therapist, I encourage you to try to talk to them about it, though you do always have the option to see someone else instead!
I’ve tried therapy before and I didn’t like it.
That’s okay. Maybe you didn’t find the right fit, or maybe therapy just isn’t for you. As much as I’d like to believe that therapy is a magical cure all for everyone, the world doesn’t work in absolutes. Only you can decide what you are open to, and if therapy isn’t that, maybe you can look into other options that could be a better fit in processing your thoughts and feelings. If you had a negative experience but are open to trying again in hopes of finding the right person to help, please do! I know it can be scary, but it can also be so worth it.
I’ve met with my therapist a few times, but it just doesn’t feel right. What now?
Sometimes we just don’t click. Every therapist isn’t going to be a good fit for every client. If you feel your therapist is not the right fit, I encourage you to talk to them first about what you feel would be better. It’s possible they could shift what you’re doing and meet your needs. If you still want to switch and/or don’t want to talk to them about it, there is no rule stating you have to stay with that therapist! Actually, as part of my intake process, I always let people know that if they decide at any point that I am not the right fit for them, to let me know and I’m happy to help them find someone else. You may even have to see multiple therapists before you find the right one for you. It’s so important that you feel safe and connected with your therapist.
I hope this information was helpful in your journey of finding the right therapist for you and makes the process a little less scary. You are worthy of the time and effort to find a person who makes you feel supported.
Best of luck!
-Audrey
Disclaimer: These are recommendations based on feedback I often hear from individuals looking for a therapist, and are not necessarily an endorsement of any particular website or methodology. This advice is not meant to replace recommendations or information provided by your doctor or insurance company.