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Writer's pictureNidhi Trivedi

How to choose a therapist/psychologist?

The good news is that unlike a soulmate, there might be several therapists who might be a good fit for you. There is no pressure of selecting The One. These are some factors to consider while short-listing therapists:

  1. Finances: If you have financial stressors, it might be beneficial to see a provider who accepts your insurance. You may be able to seek therapy services from providers or psychology students on a sliding scale. I can understand why some people may be cautious about seeing students for therapy. Having been a trainee myself for five years, I can assure you that trainees are well-supervised and most of them will work relentlessly to provide you with the care you need. Affordable therapy with a supervised student is better than no therapy, trust me!

  2. Proximity: Therapy requires a consistent time commitment, and it is beneficial to be motivated to work towards keeping the commitment. It might be helpful to find a therapist whose office is easily accessible by car, train, or other modes of transportation. If the distance to the therapist’s office might deter you from consistently showing up to appointments, it could be helpful to reconsider options that are closer.

  3. Right-fit: It may be difficult to determine if the therapist is the right fit for you through their online description or a brief phone call. You could still attempt to gauge whether their style might be the right fit for you. For example: A person who copes through use of humor might benefit from a therapist who welcomes humor as a part of the therapeutic process as opposed to viewing it as a defense. While not all therapist’s might have humor as a part of the description, I will be biased towards the one who has it. In a similar manner, a person is recovering from an interpersonal trauma might be more inclined to meet with a therapist who has had several years of experience working with trauma patients.

  4. Therapist shopping: It is probably a good idea to have initial meetings with 2-3 therapists to see what is out there. Like any other relationship, trust and rapport takes time to develop, or you might find yourself inclined towards a certain therapist in no time. If you have difficulty with commitments or attachments, it might be more beneficial to stick with a therapist and explore your feelings and relational pattern, as opposed to jumping from one therapist to another.

  5. Conflict of Interest: Even if a close friend or a family member strongly recommends their therapist to you, I would not recommend choosing that therapist. What if that family member or friend ends up being a stressor you would like to discuss in therapy?

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