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Investing your time and money into therapy can substantially impact your bank account and free hours, depending on your life circumstances.
However, the investment will repay you in ways you could never have imagined. Let me help you find a good therapist, so you can see that therapy is worth it.
To find a good therapist, you will need to follow these rules:
Be patient
Do research online
Commit to a minimum of 4 therapy sessions to start
Break up with your therapist if it doesn’t work
Be prepared to do this multiple times until you find the perfect therapist for you
At this time (2023), the explosion of online therapy via Zoom calls and telehealth has taken over one-on-one therapy interactions. Online therapy growth is positive because it has made it easier for more people to find time to see a therapist and has decreased costs.
However, I believe talking with your therapist in person gives the most fruitful return for your mental health help and mental growth.
Start searching for a good therapist by googling “therapists around me” and emailing the first three options provided to you to see if they have space to see you and if they take in-person therapy sessions.
Use my email template on how to email a therapist for the first time.
The quickest and easiest way to see a therapist is to sign up for one of the handful of online therapy platforms like BetterHelp, Calmerry, and Talkspace.
When choosing an online therapy platform, you get rid of the initial emails back and forth you would do with a local therapist. Also, these businesses have made their system for booking much more streamlined than the commonly outdated therapist around you.
Asking a friend and family member is third on this list because it can be a mixed bag in value if you get too much insight from someone. The potential problem with going this route is that your friend’s positive/negative views of their therapist can alter your expectations.
If you ask a friend or family member, use these three questions and end it at that.
Do you like your therapist?
Is your therapist available to take more clients?
Can you please give me their email address?
Before we find out if the therapist you chose is a good fit for you, take a second and pat yourself on the back. The hurdles you overcame to sign-up for your first therapy session were no easy feat!
Whatever form of therapy you choose (there are many types of therapy) and how you choose to do your sessions (online therapy or in-person therapy) doesn’t change how you engage with these next steps.
The first rule is not to make any judgment of your therapist until you have had four therapy sessions within the first 30 days.
Four therapy sessions will give you 4 hours with your therapist (not much to base a judgment on someone, but for the cost/session, it’s the best you can do.)
Four sessions within a month will allow you to bring your emotional and mental connection from your previous session into the current one. If you allow weeks or months between sessions, you will spend the first half of each session reviewing what happened last time.
After your fourth therapy session, you will have a pretty clear feeling about how the therapy work is going.
This is going well
This is not what I was hoping for
If you decide the therapy sessions are not going how you desire, you will want to follow these steps.
At the end of the fourth session, tell your therapist you are going to stop working with them
Ask them if they would be able to recommend any colleagues that they think will be better for you
If you feel uncomfortable telling them in person, email them after your last session to let them know you will not return and ask for help finding a good therapist.
Therapists are professionals and will not be hurt or offended by you doing this.
Repeat these steps until you find a good therapist for you.
You got this!
To find a therapist that is a good fit for you takes patience and acceptance. It may take going through a few therapists until you find the perfect one.
Choosing a therapist is as easy as googling “therapy around me” and emailing the top three choices to see if the have availability.
There is no set feeling that triggers the need to see a therapist. A therapist has value for you, no matter how good or bad life is going.