How to Find a Therapist for the First Time
How to Find a Therapist for the First Time
Picking the right therapist for you is one of the best first steps to confront and honor your mental health needs with warmth and understanding.
It can be daunting to peruse multiple directories with lists and lists of seemingly qualified people. How do you keep track? How do you know if they’re right for you? What if it feels funny during the first session? Finding the right therapist is about finding someone who is qualified, specializes in the area you are seeking support, and makes you feel comfortable (where you know you can be your unfiltered self).
Did you know it’s not just the sessions that support your healing but the relationship with your therapist, too? That partnership is part of the process!
Here are 5 tips for finding a therapist for the first time:
Take advantage of consultation calls!: Most therapists offer a free 15-minute consultation call. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions and ensure the therapist is the right fit for you. During this call, you can clarify questions, ask about their approach, and share your goals. You have a unique opportunity to interview your future therapist! It’s recommended to reach out to multiple therapists and decide who feels right for you.
Write out what qualities make you feel comfortable: We all have different qualities that make us feel like our most authentic self.It may be someone who gently challenges us, it may be someone who has a sense of humor, it may be someone who has a calming voice, it may be someone who has a really animated demeanor. Take some time to think about what qualities in others make you feel the most disarmed. Use that attribute list and see which therapist fits that list most closely or creates a similar effect.
Check multiple directories: It can be hard to know where to start when finding the right therapist. Checking multiple directories can help you better understand your options. I highly recommend helloalma.com and psychology today. Both of these have capabilities to filter by the insurance they accept, price range, and specialization to ensure you are working off a list that is feasible and fitting for you.
It’s okay to filter for what makes you feel seen: All therapists are trained and expected to gain cultural humility and support your needs on multiple levels. This means, you should be able to go to any therapist and know that you will be accepted, valued, and supported for who you are. At the same time, sometimes clients prefer to see a therapist who looks like them or someone who understands cultural context without you having to explain it. If this is the case, it’s okay to look for therapists that share your ethnicity. There may be directories that filter that for you as well such as southasiantherapists.org
Think about the type of therapy you’re looking for: Each therapist will hone in on a different specialty. Take some time to consider what areas of your life you want to see the most improvement and see if there’s a therapist who includes that in their description. Are you looking to overcome overthinking? Are you looking to find help with catastrophizing thoughts? Search these keywords and see who comes up!
Picking a therapist is similar to finding a primary care provider - it’s important to find someone you feel comfortable with (personally and financially) so that you can openly share your concerns and trust their expertise for guidance and support.
Want to know if social workers make good therapists? Check out the blog post here.
Interested in scheduling a consultation call with socialworkup therapy? Click here.
