Tips for Finding the Right Therapist

Finding a new therapist or first therapist can be (and often is) daunting, overwhelming or guilt ridden (if you're leaving a past therapist due to fit issues, ruptures or something else). It's also totally normal to be reluctant to begin the search for someone AGAIN or for the first time. The reluctance and challenge shows up differently for both instances. Those of you new to therapy are looking for a first therapist while wading through a significant number of profiles and marketing and maybe not really knowing what to look for or what the therapists role is in the process vs yours. Clients with prior therapy experience may have had bad experiences, had your therapist take you as far as they could on an issue or you're just ready for a change. If you're in that boat it can feel frustrating due to having to start the process all over again and "catch a therapist up on the basics of who you are" and build rapport. There may also be echoes of the first time to therapy experience, if you haven't found the right fit yet.

Some things to consider/try when searching for a therapist:

1. Take advantage of free meet and greet/consultations. These are there for you to see if you feel comfortable or might feel comfortable with the therapist, ask qustions about how they do sessions, approaches they might take and cover any areas you may be worried about. It's ok to ask personal questions especially if lived experience is important to you.

2. Meet with more than 1 therapist for a consult! I usually recommend aiming for 3 ish consultations. It's not too overwhelming a number and gives you enough to compare and contrast as someone new to therapy or familiar with it. You're not obligated to go with someone just because you met with them.

3. It's also okay to do an intake session or even more than 1 session with more than 1 therapist to really see if it's the right fit. Seriously, we wont be offended :)

4. Consider how you want to feel in the therapy space - cozy and comfy? engaged/invigorated? Something else? Think about how the decor, therapist disposition/energy and approach might fit into this.

5. Would you rather a direct therapist that will confront you when patterns are showing up, or one that subtly guides you to the answers on your own?

6. Are you more comfortable thinking through things or feeling through things? Do you feel ready to be outside that comfort zone or do you want someone who may gently guide you between the two?

7. Are there therapeutic approaches (modalities) I'm curious about? Thinking back to point 6 - am I drawn more to cognitive options or body based ones? HINT If you dont know - ASK the therapists in your consultations which direction they take and or what their pros and cons for cognitive vs body based modalities are.

8. Identity considerations- If you're someone who is marginalized or mutliply marginalized, is it important to you for the therapist to be knowledgeable of those identities? How much are you wanting to educate vs have the therapist GET IT vs do research on their own time about potential niche topics?

9. Geographic considerations + in person or virtual. Are you set on in person? If so how far are you open to commute for the right fit? Does it vary depending on capacity? If it does aim for options within the shortest commute window you think you can handle. If you're open to virtual - consider designations and timezones. Someone on the east coast might not necessarily have great time options for a client on the west coast and vice versa.

10. Budget! What is affordable or slightly uncomfy but not breaking the bank. Would you be happy with an ok fit and therapy feel affordable? Are you okay working with pre licensed therapists? Would you rather be paying slightly more than you'd ideally want to but have a match that meets most, if not all of your criteria? Does direct billing matter to you? If so ask in the consult if the therapist is able to direct bill.

11. Therapist self disclosure - do you want a therapist that will share here and there where appropriate or do you want a space that the therapist is more of a blank slate?

12. Lastly, consider if there's anything else specific to you that you'd want to know before making a decision.

I hope this list is helpful to those in the process of finding a counsellor or even evaluating whether your current one is a good match.