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Seeking therapy can be intimidating. Its hard to know what to expect from therapy, how much it will cost, and why it might be helpful especially if this is your first time. Just like anything else, its important to know what to look for in a therapist and how to maximize the benefits it might offer you. Here is some helpful information to help you in the decision making process.
how can therapy help?
how can therapy help?
Therapy can help alleviate distress in many ways, and it works differently for each person. These are just a few common benefits that someone can get from participating in therapy.
Provide a space to express yourself without judgement
Gain clarity on identifying and managing your emotions
Learning more about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
Identifying struggles in your relationship
Decreasing feelings of distress
Increasing self-compassion and self-esteem
Learning about your boundaries
Identifying your strengths and network of support
Decreasing repetitive patterns that may cause you distress
Increase positive interaction between family members
Learning how your environment and experiences may impact your mental health
Gain insight on identifying and communicating your needs
what should i look for in a therapist?
what should i look for in a therapist?
In the therapeutic process, you are the one who creates the change. Your therapist simply serves as someone who guides you in exploring yourself and highlights the strengths you already possess. Here are some things to look for when picking someone to join you on your journey:
Spend some time thinking about what you want to feel after therapy.
This first step is important. It can help you decide if a therapist seems like a good fit for you.
When you walk out of the therapist's office, do you want to feel lighter? Less shame? More clarity? More informed? Like you have a solution?
Once you have an idea of what you are trying to achieve, you can start looking for someone who can help you reach that goal.
Find out what kind of therapy they do and see if it makes you feel comfortable.
This information might be on their website, their psychologytoday.com profile, or their social media account.
It might be listed as a: theory, modality, therapy type, expertise, speciality or certification
Once you find out the type of therapy they do, search it on the internet. You can say something like "What does it mean if a therapist does (insert type here)?" This should bring up some results you can look through and decide if this type of therapy feels best for you.
If this information isn't available, thats ok. You can always ask or feel them out in other ways. We'll go over other things you can do further down on the page!
Learn more about them.
Again, you can visit their website, psychologytoday.com profile, or social media account.
Most therapists work very hard on managing the way they present themselves to potential clients. This typically means that whatever they put in their public profiles, they wanted you to see. What information did they give? Why would they want you to read that specifically? Are they talking to a certain group of people? Are they excluding anyone? Do they have an interest in common with you that feels important? Do they specialize in something you may struggle with?
What do they look like? While we definitely don't want to judge a book by its cover, we also know that to some people, representation can be important. You may be able to get some important visual clues about your therapists identity. One example of a situation in which this can be helpful is if it important to you that you share a racial or ethnic background with your therapist. Seeing your therapists face can also help ease some of your nervousness about meeting them for the first time.
After you learned more about them, check-in with yourself. How does this person's overall presentation make you feel? Excited to meet them? Immediately turned off? This impression might help you make a decision about who is the best fit for you.
Do you have access to them?
Do they offer in-person or telehealth? Does this fit your needs?
Do they accept your insurance and are they in-network? (Here is a great guide about health insurance basics that might help in your decision making process.)
What days/time of day do they offer for appointments? Does it fit your schedule?
Do they have a wait list? Are you able and willing to wait?
Do you have to go through insurance or can you just pay cash? Is the rate affordable? Do they offer a sliding scale or offer a pro-bono (free) option?
Are they located close to your home/work/another convenient location?
I still feel nervous. What can I do?
I still feel nervous. What can I do?
Here are some additional tips to help you feel more comfortable.
Schedule a consultation with them. Most therapists offer a free consultation phone call.
Read their reviews. If they have any, check out what their previous clients saying about them.
Check their license status. If they are licensed in Illinois, you can check it here. If they are licensed in Indiana you can check it here. Some therapists can see clients without a license, but they should be clear that they are an intern, pre-licensed, or practicing under the supervision of someone else.
Give them a chance. Commit yourself to 3-4 sessions to see if its a good fit. If after these initial sessions, you don't feel comfortable let them know that you will be seeking a better fit elsewhere. Some therapists may even be willing to offer referrals to someone who fits your needs better.
Ask around. Talk you your other healthcare providers and see if they can provide a recommendation for a good therapist!
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