How Do I Know If a Therapist Is Right for Me?
So, you are searching for a therapist, psychologist, or a counselor for either yourself or a loved one. It’s difficult to know where and how to begin! Of course, recommendations from friends, family, and other providers are extremely helpful, but oftentimes, it’s not until you make that initial phone consultation that you start to feel if a mental health provider will be a good fit for you.
It can be overwhelming to know exactly what to ask or say to a therapist on this initial call. You may be wondering how you will know if the therapist is a right fit for you, your family, or your child or even what therapy entails. We have put together a list of helpful questions to ask and topics to discuss on the call. Hopefully, this will serve as a guide to help you get the most out of the consultation call and help you in the next step of your journey!
Below are 5 questions to make the most of your phone call:
What qualifications do you have? Discuss what degree, specific training, and experience the provider has.
How do you approach treatment? Ask the therapist to explain what evidenced-based treatments they use and how they believe this approach is helpful for clients.
Do you have experience working with people who have similar experiences as me (or my child)? Every individual's situation is unique, but your therapist should have some experience with treating similar presenting issues and developmental stages and have competence in cultural concerns.
How much are sessions? (and other logistics) Other important questions include if a provider takes insurance, if they provide superbills, and what availability they have for sessions.
What will sessions look like? You can explore the length of appointments, if the provider incorporates activities (games, art, role play) in sessions, and if/ how much the family or parents are included in therapy. Treatment length is variable and there is no fixed timeline, so if a provider gives specifics on how many sessions treatment will take, this could be a red flag.
It will also be important to share a little bit about yourself. Listed below are a few topics you may want to share with the therapist:
A brief overview of why you are seeking treatment. Keep in mind, this is not an extensive history taking, and additional information can be shared during an intake appointment if you decide to move forward with a therapist.
If you have been to therapy before/ what worked and what didn’t work.
Any worries or fears regarding therapy or the therapy process.
At the end of the consultation call, you will hopefully have a good idea of whether you believe the therapist is a good fit for you or your family. The therapist will also discern whether what you are needing from therapy aligns with what they can provide. If for whatever reason, the therapist does not believe they can provide what you are looking for they will make a suggestion to refer you elsewhere.
Are you ready to take the next step? If you would like to schedule a consultation call with one of our providers, head to our contact page. Not sure who you could like to talk with? Check out our team at Intown Psychology to learn more about us!