A good therapist is a guide that can help you carve out your own path to mental wellness. Whether that’s helping you process trauma, suggesting coping strategies to help you tackle stressful situations, or helping you to identify harmful behaviors, your therapist is there to give you the tools you need to reach your goals and live a life worth living. Your therapist is not there to do it all for you. You are still the driver in your path to mental wellness, but your therapist can help you develop a road map. So how do you find a good therapist in the first place? Here are 7 Tips For Finding a Therapist:
1. Check With Your Insurance
Therapy can be expensive, and most patients want to know that their therapist is covered under their insurance. Beyond that, your insurance provider may have a directory of therapists in your network. Take a look through this directory and then do your own research on the therapists and what specific types of therapy they offer.
It’s worth noting that if you already have a therapist in mind, but they’re not covered by your insurance, you can still work with them. However, to do so, you will have to pay out of pocket, rather than the insurance co-pay.
2. Figure Out What Kind of Therapy You Need
Do you need talk therapy to learn how to cope with stressful circumstances in your everyday life? Or do you want to work through your trauma and the way it affects your relationships today? Do a little research to determine what kind of therapy would suit you best. There are a number of options, such as:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Interpersonal therapy
Once you know what kind of therapy you need, you can narrow down your search to therapists who offer that type of therapy. This is also a good time to consider your other needs in therapy. Do you want a therapist that will push you, a therapist that will gently validate you and help you build your confidence, or both? Do you need a therapist who understands what it’s like to be a person of color or an LGBT+ person? Maybe you want a therapist who has worked with a specific type of trauma. These are all things you’ll want to keep in mind as you look.
3. Ask For Recommendations
This can be a little awkward. It may feel strange for some to share a therapist with a loved one or a coworker. However, like any other business, your family and friends may have recommendations of therapists that were helpful to them at some point in their life or that they know specialize in a particular area. They may also be able to recommend a mental health provider network to you, so you can look through the network without signing up for the exact same therapist, necessarily.
4. Look At Their Profile
When you have a list of therapists that you’re considering, it’s time to do your homework on them. Your therapist should have a profile on the mental health provider network detailing their experience and approach to therapy in their own words, as well as listing any professional credentials. This will give you a sense of what to expect from the therapist and whether or not you will be comfortable with the therapist. Their profile should also list their specializations, which can be helpful if you are looking for therapists who deal with a specific type of experience.
5. Contact the Therapist Or Set Up an Introduction
It can be difficult to know just how well you will mesh with your future therapist until you speak to them. You may be able to contact them with a short phone call to ask any questions you might have about their therapy approach. At Rivia Mind, we offer free 15-minute consultations that will allow you to get a sense of what our therapists can do for you. Other therapists may suggest setting up an introduction where you can meet face-to-face and get a feel for each other.
6. Consider What Other Mental Wellness Services You Might Need
Sometimes you just want therapy or counseling to coach you through some difficult situations in life and help you learn the coping skills you need. Other times, however, you may want a combination of different mental wellness treatments. If you’re interested in medication, for instance, you might need a psychiatrist.
Some psychiatrists will also do therapy, so you may be able to get both services from the same provider. To do this, you will need to make sure you’re looking for a psychiatrist rather than simply a therapist. A psychiatrist will have at least a doctorate of medicine (MD) or doctorate of osteopathic medicine (DO).
7. Only Schedule With a Therapist You Feel Comfortable With
Therapy is hard work. You will be challenged every session to look at your maladaptive thought processes and behaviors and to change those. You need a therapist that you feel comfortable with, someone that you can work with week after week.
Sometimes, especially for those struggling with mental health, it may seem “picky” or difficult to turn down a therapist because of a little bit of discomfort. But it is important that you can have a good working relationship with your therapist. If you feel as though that might be difficult with a particular therapist, there is nothing wrong with searching for a therapist elsewhere.
Rivia Mind works with dozens of licensed therapists with a variety of specialties who are here to help you on your journey to mental wellness. You can schedule a 15-minute free consultation or browse our provider profiles to find a provider who best fits your needs. We believe in tackling the whole picture of mental wellness, from your individual strengths and challenges to your interpersonal relationships and more. Contact us today to learn more by calling: (212) 203-1773.
