How to find a therapist (and what to look for in one)

Choosing to see a therapist can be a difficult decision. Whether it’s for anxiety, depression, stress management concerns or anything else - to make the commitment to take time out of your week to seek help can be tough to do.

What makes the decision even more difficult is that once you find yourself googling for a therapist in your area (i.e therapist in bala cynwyd, counselor in philadelphia etc. etc.), your options are limitless. How are you supposed to discern between all of the different credentials (get some more clarity on what the credentials and acronyms mean here), specialties and types of practices that are offered?

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy answer to this because even when you narrow down the type of therapist you want to see, the research continues to show that what is MOST important is the relationship between the client and therapist. With that being the case, how is any website or profile going to help you identify the intangibles that make therapy work? Ultimately, it’s going to come down to meeting with a therapist and seeing how you feel with this person.

Here are some tips for finding a therapist in your area.

1. Go to the Psychology Today Directory. This is the biggest directory of therapists on the web right now. Once you’re on the website, it’s very user friendly and intuitive. You have the option to find therapists in your area, as well as select what insurance you have if you’re using insurance. You can also specify what you’re looking for in regards to specialty and credentials. Once you find a profile that you think appeals to you, call the number provided and ask for brief phone consultation to see if you can get a feel for your prospective therapist on the phone.

2. Google some combination of therapist, counselor, psychotherapist or psychologist with your zip code and see what pops up. For example: “Therapist near me” or
   ”Therapist in Philadelphia”or anything of the sort. Then, browse through some websites and see what resonates with you. But again, we recommend that you try to speak with the therapist on the phone beforehand just so that you can explain what you’re hoping to accomplish through therapy and that you can get a feel for them through this interaction.

3. Don’t be afraid to try a couple of different therapists out. While seeing a therapist won’t necessarily offer you an instant moment of clarity and relief; if you find that you’re not seeing progress after a couple of sessions, don’t give up on therapy! Maybe the therapist you’re seeing just isn’t a match for you. As mentioned, many studies have proven that more so than anything else, it’s the therapeutic relationship that predicts the most positive outcomes in therapy. With that, there’s going to be many intangible factors that might take a couple of different people before being able to find.

So while your options in finding a therapist are pretty vast, remember that it might take some time and effort to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Finally, if you’re looking for a therapist in the Philadelphia or Bala Cynwyd area, feel free to give us a call at 484-278-1230 so that we can get on the phone and see if we might be able to meet your needs!