Find the Right Therapist

• 1). Identify who will participate in therapy. Is therapy for you, a partner, or a child? Will more than one person participate, such as in couples or family therapy? Discuss the idea of getting involved in therapy with whoever else may be participating. Everybody needs time to think and talk about the prospect of therapy.
  
  
• 2). Define the problem(s) for which you are seeking therapy. Likely there are issues that are prompting the search for a therapist. Take a step back and identify the central problems, and take note of additional complicating issues.
  
  
• 3). Determine what kind of therapist you are looking for. If you are looking for someone to prescribe medication, then find a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have additional psychiatric training. Appointments will be occasional, brief and focused on medication management. Licensed Clinical Psychologists, Social Work Counselors, Certified Counselors, and Certified Therapists all conduct talking therapy. They tend to have 45-60 minute sessions, and meet more often depending on treatment issues. Psychologists have more extensive training that includes testing and psychological evaluation. Consider if the gender of the therapist makes a difference to you, and follow your gut instinct on this.
  
  
• 4). Call your insurance company. Get a list of names of therapists that your insurance company will cover. Considerations you should inquire about include the following. Is there a deductible? How much is the co-payment? Are there out-of-plan benefits? Is there a limit on the number of sessions or amount of coverage per year? Is there coverage of specialized therapists, such as marital, family, child, addiction specialists?
  
  
• 5). Get further recommendations regarding possible therapists from friends, family, physicians or other providers. If you are paying out-of-pocket or have an insurance that doesn't limit providers you can also utilize online therapist identification resources such as Locator.apa.org.
  
  
• 6). Call the therapists and if possible, talk with them directly about your needs, their services, their fees, and their times of availability. If you are comfortable with them and their availability coincides with yours, then schedule a session.
  
  
• 7). At the session, inquire about how long they have been providing therapy, their training, background, and approach. See if they get defensive or if they are open to your queries. Most importantly, monitor your own experience of the session. Does the person seem to understand you (or your child) and your problem? Did they listen to you? Overall, you want to ask yourself if you feel comfortable with the therapist and with their approach.