How to find a psychotherapist and What to look for
It is really hard sometimes to find a psychotherapist. First, ask
friends and then listen to how they feel about the therapist. If
you're not comfortable asking friends, then you can do a google search
or ask your insurance company. There are several
factors that may be important for you to consider.
- Do you like them
- Years of experience
- Specialty area
- Availability
- Location
Do you like
them?
The most important factor, which has been well researched, is whether
you like the person or get a good sense from the person and feel that
he or she can help you. Therapy is not going to work if you don't want
to see the therapist. Makes sense, right? But it's not something
people always think about. They think they "should" stay there because
their friend likes this therapist. Or they think they "should" stay
because, after all, this psychologist is a specialist in this area.
Therapy
is about You
It doesn't matter if your friend or your spouse or your cousin twice
removed loves this psychotherapist. What matters is if you like
them. I could go on to cite a lot of research around what you should
look for but really it's pretty simple. If you click with them
initially, like within a session or two, then stay. If you don't, keep
looking. Etiquette is to leave a message letting them know that
therapy isn't working for you. Don't worry about hurting their
feelings. Therapy is about YOU, not them. Professionals want
therapy to be beneficial to you and are interested if it's a good
match as much as you are. So don't worry.
Availability
Availability is more of a factor than people usually think
about. When you call them, think about an appointment time that will
work for you on a weekly basis. If not, ask them for a
referral. Psychologists know other psychologists. And amazingly
enough, they usually even have an idea of the psychologist's general
schedule (like, oh yes, she does work some evenings).
Location
With gas prices the way they are, people usually want someone
pretty close to their house or work. So someone in Dade is usually not
going to want to see a psychologist in Broward. An exception may be if
the psychologist in Broward has a specialty area that they are in need
of. Or another exception is if they talk with the psychologist in
Broward and they really like them; they get a good sense that this
person can help them.
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