How Do I Find a Therapist? Help!

One of the most common questions I get as a therapist is, well, how do I find a therapist that's the best fit for me? Whether it's people online or my family and friends, that's a pretty reasonable question to ask, seeing is how I'm a therapist and all right now, finding a therapist is more difficult than ever, especially since the pandemic therapists caseloads are full and we're in high demand, let alone if you're trying to find a specialist. So here are my four tips for finding a therapist that may be the best fit for you.

Whether you're trying to find a new therapist or start therapy for the first time, the first thing you want to do is identify why you're seeking therapy. If it's something like depression or anxiety, most therapists are trained to handle these things. Now, if it's something more special to you, like autism, OCD, an eating disorder, or addiction, among others, you really want to find someone who specializes in this area. Now, once you've identified why you're seeking therapy, now it's time to employ the next three tips.

There's a lot of online search tools for therapists that could be immensely helpful. For example, psychology today or therapy den. These sites have really helped match me with some of my clients and it's been a really good fit. Some of these tools is kind of like searching for a car online. If you're looking for model, make or color, you can click. If you want to see certain specialties, license types, what insurance they take, or even if they have openings, the next tip is to find a recommendation, whether it be from another professional, friends or family.

The only downside to this is if they're too close and they're seeing that therapist. It could be a conflict of interest, but nonetheless, this could be a great way to find a therapist, just like you would finding an electrician. Once you find a therapist, you should do what I call a vibe check. Most therapists, whether it's on psychology today or on the therapy website, have bios read them because they talk about what they specialize in, their approach to therapy and their philosophy. And if it vibes with you, maybe that's a good person to reach out to.

So many of my clients have reached out to me in that way, saying they liked what I said on my bio. And when we meet again, it's often a great fit. Even though I'm biased as a therapist, I really believe in the power of therapy. It's helped me and so many of my clients improve their lives. However, it's really important to find a good fit to maximize the benefit of the process. So I really hope that these tips will help you find a therapist that's a good fit for you and help you along your journey.