Tips To Finding The Right Therapist

Finding the right therapist can be a daunting task. From all the specialities, personalities, and acronyms (LMHC, LCSW, LPC, etc), you may not know what to look for or where to start! In some cases it may even be a reason that you haven't started yet.

Here are some tips that will (hopefully) make finding a therapist a bit easier on you:

-Write down or think about any and all reasons you are looking for support. Here are some examples: "Stress from demanding job/ crumbling relationship", "just moved cities/ feeling overwhelmed and lonely", "constantly anxious/ in my own head in social situations"

Reminder: There is no reason too small/big to start therapy.

-Psychology Today is a popular way to search through reputable providers in your area. You can see qualifications and specialities and narrow down based off of your needs (Take a look at mine here!)

-Check out their professional website, this should also be available from their Psychology Today profile. This is where you may see a lot of acronyms...

- Most therapists offer free consultation calls. Take advantage of this and get them on the phone. This is a great time to clarify what training and experience they have which will benefit you! Are they easy to talk to on the phone? What vibe do you get from them? If you don't have a good feeling in the consultation call then trust your gut.

-Finally, if you start with a counselor and after a few sessions are unsure if it is working for you then bring this up! Your voice and feedback is critical to your therapeutic experience.