Looking for a Therapist: Tips and Advice

I used psychology today as well, & my therapist had a free intro session. I asked about the format of therapy & what our time together might be like & otherwise we just talked about stuff I wanted to address/the reasons I wanted to see a therapist. Like everyone has said its trial & error but amazing therapists exist & make a world of difference

psychology today is a great website. also, if u have insurance, u can check with them to find people who are covered. i think the hallmark of a good therapist is someone who accepts you and what you have to say but can also challenge you to rethink and reconstruct. good luck!!

It's a lot of trial and error and just trying to find a therapist you feel you can connect with naturally. The best therapists are the ones who are non-judgemental and supportive of your choices and validate your feelings while also telling you the things you don't always wanna hear (not being mean, more like the hard reality behind situations that's unpleasant to address). They should be educating you on coping mechanisms for your symptoms, encouraging you to make informed decisions in your life, and helping you learn how to communicate.

i didn’t really ask any questions just trail and error. i’d say try and give them a month but if they’re really bad get out of there. had a therapist tell me i was selfish and put me down for wanting to commit suicide. I understand where she was coming from as a person, but therapists should be much more professional about that. they’ve seen this stuff way too many times to not be understanding about how someone feels. anyways that was on week 2 or 3 and i got out of there. sometimes u get a rlly good one the first time and sometimes like me u gotta go thru 3 or 4 before u find someone who can help you that you click with.

There is a website called Hellodowntime where you can fill out a form of what you are looking for in a therapist and they will help search for you. It’s made the process smoother for me in the past. Good luck with your search ❤️

The website psychologytoday has an awesome search engine to find therapists based on tons of criteria. I like to ask questions in my initial email inquiring about becoming a new patient, things like what is your approach, what is your experience dealing with this problem, etc. That way, you get a couple basic answers early. Most good therapists will also offer a free consultation, a like 10 minute phone call where they will see if they are a good fit and you can ask initial questions.

I’m still looking but I’m narrowing down my search by looking at what they specialize in.