Written by Empowered Living Collective and originally posted on empoweredlivingcollective.com.

Finding a therapist can be a stressful process, especially if you have never been to therapy before. There are a few ways to go about looking for one. To start, most therapists offer a free consult call to get an idea of what you want to work on in therapy and for you to hear about their therapeutic style. This would be a great time to ask them some questions and share with them what you are looking for. 

Here is some helpful information to know before starting. 

Search By Insurance & Payment Type: 

If you are going through insurance there are certain sites like Psychology Today, Mental Health Match, Sondermind, Headway, and ZocDoc that let you filter providers through insurance. Each insurance has different processes so you will likely have to fill out a few forms within the first few sessions of seeing this therapist. 

Your options are in-network with insurance, out-of-network with insurance, or private-pay and sometimes therapists partner with foundations that fund certain individual’s therapy. There are affordable therapy options out there like Springhealth for in-person and online like Open Path. 

By Education Level:

There are student interns that are also available to work with. In order to complete coursework for licensure, these students need to complete a number of hours. In this, they have to work with clients and often offer lower out of pocket rates than a licensed professional. These students are in weekly supervision, so their skills and work is overseen by a trusted and established professional. 

Some people opt to see someone with a PhD or PsyD, while others will choose LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) or LPCC (Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate). If using insurance (either in-network or out-of-network) clinicians are required to diagnose. All interns, pre-licensed, and licensed individuals are able to diagnose. All LPCC’s, LCSW’s, or LPC’s have completed a Master’s Degree. 

By Modality or Skill Set:

This will likely be the best way to look for a therapist that suits you. There is a therapist out there for whatever issue you are looking for. Some work with very niche populations. For example one may work with children of immigrant parents who are experiencing intimate partner violence, or another may work with people with broader struggles such as depression. Depending on your presenting issue, this is where you will likely find someone who is skilled in exactly what you are looking for. Other examples of struggles you might be facing include:

• Trauma 

• Anxiety

• Depression 

• Domestic Violence

• Addiction

• LGBTQ+ issues

• Life Transitions 

• Grief 

• Eating Disorders

These are just a small range of specialties that therapists work with. Therapists also work under certain modalities. If you have been to therapy before, you would likely know what your therapist’s was but if you have never been this can be a bit confusing. 

Person-centered, DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), mindfulness, EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and IFS (Internal Family Systems) are just a few of the possibilities. These are the theories or frameworks that your therapist uses to understand clients. These also can vary depending on what you are in therapy for. They will use interventions related to their modality in your work together. 

Sessions can range from 45 to 60 minutes in length. 

In-person vs. Telehealth & Frequency:

At this point, you will also likely have to pick between in-person and telehealth. There are benefits to both and it depends on what will work best for you. Some therapists only offer one or the other, so this is something to keep in mind. 

When starting to see a therapist, some people go weekly, some go every other week, and some go on a monthly or as needed basis. You and your therapist can work together to determine what will be the most effective for you based on why you are coming to therapy.

People often decrease their sessions when they feel better suited to handle the issues they came into therapy with. It all depends on what you come to therapy for. If you’re coming for extensive trauma work, this would likely be a longer commitment to therapy.. 

Questions for a Consult Call:

Important questions you may want to ask: 

• What is your experience working with someone with _______ ? 

• How long would we work together for? 

• How do you communicate with your clients regarding appointments? 

• How long are the sessions? 

• How do you structure sessions?

• What would we talk about/work on? 

• What are your thoughts on challenging me? 

Ready to get started? Feel free to contact Empowered Living Collective for more information, or book a free 15 minute consultation call with one of our therapists!