How To Find A Therapist

This has come up for me quite a  bit over the past few days so I decided to make a quick and dirty post about how to find a therapist.

At the end of the day you took a great big step in acknowledging that you many need a little assistance. Be sure to be kind to yourself and understand that therapy is a form of self-care. You do not have to be “crazy

You have reached a point where you simply can not fake it anymore and putting up ‘A brave face” has run its course. You might even be losing hope. Just know that there is help out there. You do not have to go at it alone!

Picking a mental health professional is almost like picking out a boyfriend/girlfriend or “buddy”. You should be selective! This person will be exposed to the most vulnerable and sacred parts of you.

Below you will find the steps I took to find a therapist who best suits my needs, especially after feeling that I was getting nowhere with my last provider. I did not feel as though I was progressing under his care so I decided to pick and leave. My new provider is excellent and she really has been working on my shit.
Steps to take;
1. Decide who you want: Is there a particular kind of person in which you would prefer to service you? I walked in knowing that this time around I wanted a Black woman in my home town.
2. Decide what type of therapy matches your current needs. Are you experiencing anxiety, stress, sexual identity, marital issues etc? There are specific branches of therapy that will be a perfect fit for you. I chose psychotherapy originally but ending up settling on CBT- Cogitative Behavioral Therapy. My main focus is to identify and address blockages that get in the way of me being great. Find your fit here.
3. Locate a provider. You can begin your search by filling in your preferred zip code on websites like Psychology Today where you can have access to thousands of certified professionals. There you can narrow down your search by gender, issue, sexuality, etc.
4. Look for reviews. Are you a professional lurker? Well this will be the one and only time this skill may actually pay off! Found a therapist who seem to fit your criteria? Write down their contact info an proceed to look up service reviews online. It’s like you get to do a mini background check. Too many bad reviews will equal a judgement call on whether you would like to move forward in booking an appointment. Once this is done your list of 10 might come down to three possibles.
5. Check to see if they accept your insurance. Once you created top 5 list go on to your insurance website and plug in their information to see if the therapist(s) in question accept your insurance. This will definitely cut down on the cost per session. Some insurance companies even offer a select amount of visits for free.
6. Call ’em up! Found a therapist who accepts your insurance? The next step is calling to set up an appointment. If they take a bit of time fear not. Give them another call. In the event that they do not answer just move on down your Top 5 list.
7. Get ready for your big date. This whole ordeal is pretty much like dating. This will be the meeting where you will decide if this is your person or not. You will sign consent forms and begin to set goals (i.e. to better manage anxiety) with the provider. The two of you will begin to craft your very own care plan. If you are not feelin’ them you have the option to shop around
8. Decide your frequency. More serious issues might call for a weekly appointment where as non-serious issues may call for bi-weekly appointments. Take a good look at your lifestyle and find the best schedule that you will be sure to stick with and honor it!

At the end of the day you took a great big step in acknowledging that you many need a little assistance. Be sure to be kind to yourself and understand that therapy is a form of self-care. You do not have to be “crazy” to attend therapy but you do have to work toward evolving thus freeing yourself from past traumas, etc.

Until next time,

-Jeane