Choosing A PTSD Therapist Near Me: What To Look For In A Treatment Provider

If you’ve realized you may have post-traumatic stress disorder and decided to seek treatment, you may already have taken a significant step forward. Now, you may want to find a mental health professional who can assist with your recovery. However, locating a qualified treatment provider in your area isn’t always easy. How can you find a licensed PTSD therapist and confirm they’re right for you?

Seeking a referral from your primary care doctor or searching through your insurance provider are often effective ways to find a qualified therapist. Mental health organizations like the American Psychological Association can also provide listings of qualified professionals. You may get more relief from therapy if you make sure to choose a counselor who’s trained in evidence-based PTSD therapies, such as prolonged exposure therapy or cognitive processing therapy.

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How to tell if you need treatment for PTSD

Answering the following questions may help you determine whether it’s time to seek help for PTSD:

• Have you experienced a traumatic event, such as exposure to violence, physical or emotional abuse, or a serious accident?
• Do you find yourself avoiding situations that remind you of that event, even when it makes your life difficult?
• Do you make significant efforts to avoid talking or thinking about the event?
• Are you troubled by re-experiencing symptoms, such as flashbacks or nightmares?
• Do you experience hyperarousal and reactivity symptoms like sleeplessness, constant watchfulness for danger, irritability and proneness to angry outbursts, or being easy to startle?
• Have you developed negative emotions or beliefs, such as extreme self-blame or becoming convinced that no one can be trusted?
• Do you find it difficult to think clearly about the traumatic event you experienced — for instance, is it hard to remember significant details?
• Are you engaging in reckless, potentially self-destructive behavior?
• Do you have cognitive challenges, such as difficulty concentrating?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a diagnosis of PTSD requires a combination of the above symptom types, including re-experiencing, avoidance, reactivity, and mood or cognitive symptoms. 

However, you don’t necessarily need a formal diagnosis to benefit from trauma-informed therapy. Counseling can help you process difficult emotions and build effective coping skills, even if you don’t meet the official criteria for PTSD.

Locating a qualified therapist near you

Many people begin the search for qualified mental health providers by asking for referrals. Your primary care doctor may be able to recommend a therapist who’s achieved positive results with past clients. 

To help them recommend the best therapist for your situation, you’ll likely want to be as thorough as possible in describing your history and symptoms. Details like what forms of trauma you’ve encountered, how you’re attempting to cope, and how your symptoms have impacted your daily life may be important to a treatment provider. 

Your health insurance provider might also offer tools enabling you to search for mental health professionals in your network. Many companies allow you to narrow your search by region, specialty, and other relevant factors.

If you have trusted friends or family members who have benefited from therapy, you could try asking if their therapist can recommend another provider, as many mental health professionals won’t take on multiple clients in the same social circle. Those who are religious may also be able to consult with clergy members, who often have relationships with local trauma counselors and mental health specialists.

Once you’ve located a mental health provider who’s willing to take on new clients, you can evaluate them to decide if they’re right for you.

What kinds of therapy can help with PTSD?

One of the first things to consider about a possible treatment provider may be which forms of mental health care they’re licensed to administer. While there are many evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD, they may not all be equally well-suited to every patient. 

Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

Several meta-analyses comparing treatments for PTSD have found that the evidence of effectiveness tends to be strongest for TF-CBT. Though it was originally developed for use with children and adolescents, it can be readily adapted to adults. The process usually involves teaching participants to identify and reframe unhelpful beliefs and thinking styles resulting from trauma.

Some people report that TF-CBT seems too formulaic and rigid, while others may believe that the emphasis on “correcting” their thinking patterns is invalidating. However, many individuals find that it relieves their symptoms and improves their ability to function in day-to-day life.

Prolonged exposure (PE)

Prolonged exposure therapy is a treatment type primarily based on the theory that avoiding thoughts and situations reminiscent of trauma tends to increase the anxiety they provoke. In general, participants are gradually coached to confront reminders of their traumatic experiences, beginning with thoughts and memories, and eventually including real-world scenarios. 

PE is considered a first-line treatment for PTSD, and many clinical studies support its effectiveness. That said, it may be less effective for military veterans than for civilians with PTSD.

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)

Another CBT-based method, CPT usually encourages the client to question, challenge, and rethink unhelpful beliefs and “automatic thoughts” related to their past trauma. 

Research has repeatedly found that this method can lead to substantial improvements in people with PTSD. Like PE and CBT, it’s one of several treatments strongly recommended by the American Psychological Association. 

CPT typically involves revisiting painful experiences, and some people find that their symptoms of PTSD get worse before they get better with this type of treatment. This doesn’t seem to negatively affect the long-term results, but it can be unpleasant in the short term and can make some clinicians hesitant to recommend CPT. 

Cognitive therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD)

CT-PTSD is another first-line PTSD therapy. Closely related to TF-CBT and CPT, this approach usually places a strong emphasis on helping patients rethink the meanings they’ve given to traumatizing experiences. Therapists may also encourage patients to modify counterproductive coping mechanisms like excessive alertness or repressing unwanted thoughts. 

CT-PTSD can share some of the potential drawbacks of the above methods. Success may require thinking rationally about emotional responses that seem like they’re out of your control, which can be frustrating and difficult, and progress may be hard to perceive at first.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)

A patient receiving EMDR therapy may be prompted to recall memories of their traumatic experiences while performing certain physical actions (usually specific eye movements) at the direction of the therapist. The process is generally intended to disrupt the physiological sensations associated with trauma. 

Emerging evidence suggests that EMDR may be equally effective as other trauma-informed therapies and might sometimes produce faster results. That said, the evidence and theoretical underpinnings for EMDR aren’t necessarily as well-established as those of other PTSD therapies.

Assessing a possible PTSD therapist

The first step in receiving psychotherapy for PTSD usually involves meeting with a mental health professional to assess your compatibility and talk about the specifics of your treatment plan. Asking insightful questions at this stage can help you choose the right therapist and set you up for treatment success.

Some potential questions to ask include the following:

• Do you specialize in PTSD and other trauma-related disorders?
• Are you certified in the type of therapy I’m seeking? (For example, CPT or EMDR)
• What’s your educational background, and how long have you been practicing?
• Have you worked with clients who’ve experienced the same types of trauma as I have? If so, can you describe the outcome?
• In your experience, what kinds of things help patients get better results from therapy?
• How would you describe your approach to treatment?
• What kinds of patients do you prefer to work with?
• How will I be able to tell that therapy is working?

These questions don’t necessarily have correct answers, but paying attention to how your treatment provider responds — and how their answers make you feel — can give you a sense of how well you’ll work together. Research indicates that the interpersonal bond or “therapeutic alliance” between the client and the treatment provider can be a significant factor affecting the effectiveness of PTSD therapy.

Qualities that may make a therapist more effective at delivering trauma-focused therapy include those listed below:

• Compassion and empathy
• Patience
• Willingness to admit what they don’t know 
• Respect for your boundaries
• Openness and honesty

What if you can’t find a PTSD therapist nearby?

Mental health services may not be equally available in all areas, and shortages may be becoming more severe. Depending on where you live, it may be challenging to find a trauma-informed therapist near you who accepts your insurance, has availability for new clients, and meets your needs. 

Find effective online therapy for PTSD

Connect with an experienced therapist

Receiving treatment over the internet may be a viable alternative option. Since you won’t be limited to treatment providers you can reach by car or public transit, it may be easier to find someone with availability. In addition, online therapy platforms typically provide questionnaires and filtering options that can improve your chances of finding a therapist with whom you’ll have a constructive rapport.

Although the evidence to date is somewhat limited, meta-analyses of online therapy suggest that it can be effective in treating PTSD symptoms. Multiple clinical trials have reported significant reductions in symptoms, and effect sizes tend to be similar to in-person treatment.