How To Find A Therapist: Embarking On Your Therapy Journey

If you have never been to therapy before, or if it has been a long time since you talked to a therapist, it can be daunting to consider the process of initiating therapy. With so many different providers, treatment options, and methods of getting therapy available, it may seem overwhelming trying to find mental health care.

Breaking the process down into smaller steps may make the thought of finding a therapist feel more manageable. If you reflect on what you are looking to get out of therapy and what specialties you think would be helpful for your situation, you may be able to start narrowing down your options and begin initiating consultations to help you choose the right provider for you. In this article, we’ll be exploring the process of what it may look like to begin your therapeutic journey.

Determine what you are looking for from therapy

Before you start looking for a therapist, it can be helpful to do some self-reflection and ask yourself a couple of critical questions. These questions could include:

• Why am I seeking therapy?
• What am I hoping to get out of going to therapy?
• Am I experiencing any mental health symptoms that I am trying to alleviate or any life challenges I am hoping to find support with? 
• What qualities are important to me for my therapist to have?
• Do I want a therapist whose practice is located within walking, biking, or easy driving distance from my home?
• Do I want a therapist who can provide care online?
• Do I want a therapist who provides a hybrid model, with some sessions online and some in a traditional in-person setting?
• Do I want a therapist who has my gender, racial background, religious faith, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or other aspects of my identity?
• Do I want a therapist with an educational background and experience in particular treatment areas, such as trauma therapy or addiction medicine?

If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.

Consider writing down your answers to these questions and keeping your answers handy when perusing potential therapy providers. 

Meeting your unique needs

The word “therapist” can be an umbrella term referring to anyone who is licensed to provide mental health care. Depending on your specific needs, as identified above, you may want to connect with a specific kind of professional.

• Licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs) or licensed professional counselors (LPCs): LMHCs and LPCs may be thought of as the “general practitioners” of the mental health care world. They are typically trained in a wide range of therapeutic techniques and equipped to serve a range of different patients, though they may specialize in a particular kind of therapy or patient subset.
• Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs): LMFTs are specifically trained to help their clients navigate interpersonal relationships, such as those with close family members or partners (whether married or unmarried). An LMFT may work with both members of a couple or all members of a family together, or they may work with a person individually to help them sort through relationship challenges. LMFTs can specialize further in therapy related to certain kinds of relationships, such as sex therapy or divorce counseling.
• Licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs): LCSWs are trained not just in providing mental health services, but also in navigating local social services that are intended to support clients with needs beyond just therapeutic care. LCSWs may work with clients who are having difficulties with the education or health care systems, who are experiencing financial distress, or who may not have enough support with parenting their children.  
• Psychologists: Psychologists have a more advanced doctoral degree in psychology. They may provide talk therapy services, but many also conduct research related to psychology and mental health treatments and testing. 
• Psychiatrists: Psychiatrists are doctors specializing in mental health care. Most psychiatrists do not provide talk therapy services, instead focusing on medical interventions for mental health. They are the only mental health practitioners who can prescribe medication.

Compile a list of potential professionals

Once you have a sense of what you are looking for in a therapist, you could start searching for individual providers. This process could look different for you depending on whether you want to find a provider that is covered by your health insurance.

The health insurance route

If you have health insurance and you are hoping to find a licensed professional that is covered by your plan, you may want to double-check with the company to see if you need a referral from a doctor to get mental health care. While most therapists don’t require you to come to them with a referral to schedule an appointment, some insurance companies may require a doctor’s referral to cover all or some of your therapy costs.

Most insurance companies have an online directory of licensed mental health care providers, which you could browse as a starting point for your list. You may also ask friends or family to recommend someone – even if your insurance does not cover their recommendation, you could still call the provider and ask if there are any colleagues they would recommend who are covered by your insurance. 

Therapy without health insurance

If you do not have health insurance or you are interested in getting therapy outside of your network, there are a few additional options available to you:

• You could call psychology and psychiatry departments at nearby universities to ask for recommendations from counselors who were trained in that particular program.
• You could call large hospitals or mental health clinics and ask the receptionist for recommendations of providers employed by the health system who specialize in specific areas of therapeutic treatment.
• You could check the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association websites to find a list of providers that are professionally licensed and sorted by area of expertise.

Getting started

Once you have a short list of mental health professionals you think you may connect well with, you might consider scheduling introductory consultation appointments with each to assess the best fit. Many professionals offer consultation appointments for free or for a nominal fee (a consultation should not take long and may even take place over the phone). You can prepare a list of questions to ask each therapist you’re considering, such as the following:

• How long have you been practicing as a therapist?
• What is your educational background?
• Do you have specific training in a particular type of therapy?
• How have you been continuing your education and staying up-to-date on the most current therapeutic techniques?
• What have your experiences been in working with clients who had similar needs to mine?
• What are your policies around communication, boundaries, and professionalism?
• What will fees and payments look like?

After a round of consultations, you may have an idea of who could be the best fit for you. It can be helpful to go with your intuition on this choice – feeling comfortable with your therapist can help you be vulnerable with them, which may allow you to make more progress on your mental health journey. Once you have identified a potential candidate, you can work with them or their office to start scheduling appointments and receiving treatment.

Getting support with online counseling

Booking an in-person therapy appointment may be intimidating if you’ve never gone before or aren’t familiar with the process. In these cases, online therapy can be a helpful alternative. Upon signing up on an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with one of the various online therapists who have training and experience in the area you need help with. Sessions can be conducted from anywhere you have a stable internet connection, and you can choose to speak with your therapist through video chats, phone calls, or in-app messaging. The flexibility, freedom, and convenience of online therapy may make it easier to get the mental health support you need. 

Scientific research demonstrates that attending therapy online is just as effective at treating mental health conditions as participating in traditional therapy sessions in person. One study found that going through online cognitive behavioral therapy led to significant symptom relief for people experiencing a range of mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, phobias, personality disorders, and more. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a kind of therapy that helps individuals identify their negative, automatic thoughts and change them to become more helpful. By doing so, individuals can shift their unwanted behaviors and cultivate more positive ways of thinking.