6 Questions to Ask A Therapist, to Know If They're A Good Fit For You

Number 1 recommendation for everyone is: GET A VIBE CHECK. Call/email the clinician and ask if you can schedule a free 5-15 minute consultation to ask a few questions. Most good clinicians will agree to this. That's the first thing you want to look for. If the clinicians don't have time to schedule a quick phone call, then there's a good chance they already have too many clients on their plate.

During the phone call I always recommend asking the following questions:

1. What population do they prefer to work with?

   1. This will help you gage if you're in the age range that they prefer to work with. It also help you have an idea of who they specialize working with.

2. What do they specialize working in (ie. Trauma, depression, anxiety, disordered eating, etc).

   1. DON'T GUIDE THE CONVERSATION BY SPECIFYING WHAT YOU WANT THERAPY FOR! You're looking to see if they specialize in your specific situation or something close to it. That way you know that they are trained and genuinely know how to help you work through your situation.

3. Ask them what modalities they use.

   1. There are many modalities of therapy. If you're looking to do a certain type of therapy- equine therapy, EMDR, IFS, DBT, this is where you're looking for them to list it off.

4. Now you want to tell them a little bit about yourself, what you're looking for in a therapist, what's bringing you to search for a therapist, what modalities you're looking to use.

   1. I often invite individuals to ask the therapist how they see themselves helping them work through this situation and what therapy would look like for them.

5. Verify payment methods.

   1. Do they accept your insurance? What are their cash pay rates? DO they have a sliding scale? Do they provide superbills to submit to insurance? Etc. Keep in mind that therapy is expensive. And usually the clinicians who specialize tend to only accept cash payment which can range from $50-$250/session. This is not because we want to make it a financial strain for individuals to access therap. We have had to invest a lot of money and time in trainings, education, and continual learning to be able to specialize and be good at what we do. We know the value of what we're providing, and we want you to value and invest in your healing and growth as well. As a clinician who has gone to a cash pay specialized therapist, yes it was expensive, and it was ABSOLUTELY worth it!

6. Will sessions be in person or via telehealth

   1. This is a more common question now that many clinicians have moved to doing telehealth therapy only.

Remember to respect the clinicians time. It is valuable, so try to keep the call between 5-15 minutes. Through asking these questions you'll be able to see if they feel like a good fit for you. You want a therapist who specializes in what you want out of therapy. Many clinicians will say they can treat every situation. And there's a good chance that they can! But, you have a better chance at finding something that works for you faster, if you work with a clinician who specializes in your situation. Because they have spent so much time in trainings, personally, and/or with clients to find what does and doesn't work for that situation. And can help you reach that healing and growth much faster.

Last part of the vibe check is gaging the clinicians personality during the phone call. A good clinician will keep their biases out of therapy. Because you want therapy to be focused on you and your situation, not what the therapist would do for their own personal life, since their situation would be different. However, we still have our own personalities. And you want to see if you get a long with that therapist's personality.

Once you've started working with a therapist, you want to make sure that they are focused on what you want. Remember this is your therapy. Make sure you're getting what you want out of it. Make sure that the therapist is goal oriented and focused on helping you reach the goals that YOU have for yourself. You also want a therapist who is open to hearing feedback from you. If somethings not working for you, don't be afraid to vocalize that. Therapist's are trained, educated, and licensed yes- but we are not you and contrary to popular belief, we can't read your mind! So, if something doesn't fit right for you, it's absolutely okay to say something to the therapist about it. And any good therapist will not take it personally (as long as they aren't actually doing something wrong) and will be happy to assess the situation and game plan what's the best next steps for you.

There are many incredible therapist out there. And narrowing it down to find the best therapist for you is exhausting, intimidating, and hard. Especially when you're going through a difficult time. Be patient with the process. Therapy is also hard. And it will often get harder before you start feeling the healing and growth. DON'T GIVE UP! It is worth the pain. Because once you get through it, you don't have to worry about suppressing it for the rest of your life or having the patters repeating themselves. You can start your new healed and happy chapter!