This is the first post in our series based around questions that people have around therapy where we’ll be tackling all the questions that you might have about how therapy works, how to start, and what to expect.
This is probably one of the most common questions we get asked when people find out what we do for work. How do I find a therapist? It’s a good question. There are so many different paths that people often feel overwhelmed or have no idea where they should start when it comes to looking for therapists. We’re going to lay out the three most common paths that you can take to find a therapist for you.
The first path is google. Most therapists have a website and any of the following search terms should help you find what you’re looking for: “therapy (my city),” “therapists (my city),” “counselors (my city),” or mental health (my city).” Just replace the words in parentheses with where you’re actually living. If you don’t live near any therapists or you’re looking to see someone online, you could search “therapy telehealth (my state)” or any variation on the search terms above.
The second path is through your insurance. This is only helpful if you’re wanting to use your insurance to cover your therapy because there are quite a few therapists that don’t take insurance. We’ll go into the pros and cons about using insurance later, but for now just know that you have both options. Most insurances keep lists of providers that take your insurance. You can typically find these after logging onto your insurance portal or app. If you can’t, calling your insurance will typically give you some answers.
The third path is looking through directories. Directories can be more general or very specific depending on what you’re looking for. One of the most popular therapist directories is Psychology Today. It lets you search using multiple filters, like location, gender, and specialty. While Psychology Today is a very generalized directory, there are also other directories that only list people who are qualified to work in specific areas or specialties.
The next few posts in this series will focus on important aspects that can affect your choice of therapist, like telehealth or in-person and insurance or private pay!
