HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT THERAPIST

Embarking on the journey of self-discovery and mental well-being often involves seeking the assistance of a therapist. Whether you're dealing with specific challenges, facing life transitions, or simply looking to enhance your overall mental health, finding the right therapist is an important step in the process. Here are some important considerations when choosing a therapist.

Individual, Couples, Group, or Family?: Before diving into the vast world of therapy, take some time to reflect on your needs and goals. Are you wanting help for just yourself in individual therapy, or would couples counseling or group therapy be a better approach for you? Individual counseling focuses on you, while couples counseling allows both you and your partner to seek help together. Group counseling can be very helpful for certain issues such as social anxiety as it can provide a safe environment in which to interact with a group of people. Additionally, group allows you to gain perspectives from multiple people and can offer you priceless feedback. It allows your therapist to understand how you relate with others, and perhaps why you face certain interpersonal issues that the therapist doesn't have the opportunity to observe in individual therapy. Family therapy is another option if you want to engage in therapy with family members. Consider the specific challenges you're facing and what type or types of therapy you want. Often, people begin with individual and a therapist may then recommend another type of therapy as an adjunct.

Consider the Therapeutic Approach: Therapists utilize various therapeutic approaches, each tailored to different needs and preferences. If you know what type of therapy you want, seek a therapist that offers that type of therapy. If you are not sure what type of therapy the therapist you choose utilizes, you can ask them during your first session. Some common approaches include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy (think Freud), dialectical-behavioral therapy, play therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Having a basic understanding of these approaches can help you choose a therapist whose methods align with your preferences and goals.

How to Decipher the Different Types of Therapists: There are many different types of therapists that can help you engage in meaningful therapy and each have somewhat different training and experience, even if they hold the same type of license. A licensed psychologist (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) has received a doctorate in psychology and has also done a post doctorate fellowship specializing in a certain area. Typically a Ph.D. has done research in addition to clinical work, whereas a Psy.D. focuses on clinical work. Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT), and licensed professional counselors (LPC) all have masters degrees in their chosen fields. All therapists are required to obtain a certain amount of internship and supervised hours of practice after getting their degree (usually 3,000 hours). An LCDC is a licensed chemical dependency counselor and this professional addresses substance use or dependence. If you are seeking medication rather than therapy, then a psychiatrist (MD or DO) is the professional to seek out in the state of TX. While some states allow psychologists to prescribe, TX does not at this time.

Seek Recommendations: If you have heard your friends or family members talk highly of their therapeutic experience or therapist who has helped them, ask them who they see.

Accessibility and Logistics: Check the website to determine whether the therapist accepts your insurance, whether they offer in person therapy or teletherapy, who is accepting new clients, and which therapists are available when you are. Also, will you have to wait before your first session and if so, is that wait time acceptable to you? Does the therapist have availability to see you as often as you'd like to be seen?

Read the Provider Bios: Websites usually have a page that have the bios of the providers, and this can give you information on what type of issues the therapists treat, their approach to therapy, and their background/experience.

How Do You Feel?: In my opinion, the most important factor of all is if you felt a connection with the therapist and viewed them as a good fit for you. A strong therapeutic alliance built on trust and mutual understanding is crucial for therapeutic progress. If after 1-2 sessions you don't feel a connection, it's okay to explore other options.