I find there are two time periods in the year when people start thinking more about getting assistance for their mental health. These two time periods are January and around mid-August to September.

People start seeking counseling around August/September because summer has ended and the holidays are approaching, plus the shift in weather. Then in January the holidays end and all the conflict, trauma, or overall mental health issues are at the surface for people.

Now whether you are looking for a therapist during these two time periods or at a different time, it can feel really daunting to decide who to go to.

In this blog I hope to make the processes of finding a therapist easier. Below I am going to discuss five points that could help you on your journey to finding a therapist.

1.  What is Bringing You to Therapy?

The first point you’ll want to consider before looking for a therapist is to ask the question why you are seeking therapy in the first place.

You don’t have to be seeking therapy for only one reason. If you have multiple reasons for desiring a therapist that is totally fine.

It is important to find your reasoning(s) for seeking therapy so that you can choose a therapist that specializes in your pain points. For clarity, when I refer to pain points, I simply mean the things that are causing you distress and making you seek help.

Like in many industries therapists are encouraged to find their niche. Just like you wouldn’t go to a foot doctor to get your heart worked on, you wouldn’t go to a therapist who specializes in depression when you are wanting couples counseling.

Finding out your pain points allows you to find the therapist that has the niche that fits your needs.

2.  Therapist Demographics

After you decide what is prompting you to desire therapy, you’ll want to think about any demographic requirements you’d like the therapist to possess.

Here are some examples. Do you want a male or female therapist? Do you want a therapist of a particular nationality? Do you want a therapist that is within a specific age range? Do you want the therapist to have a specific degree/training?

As I am sure it goes without saying, it is important to think about these pieces because it is going to help you get clarity on what you desire.

Furthermore, figuring these pieces out will help you save time as you search. Now, I am not saying that these above items or any other demographic pieces will indicate whether a therapist is good or not.

These are simply tools that can help you make the most informed decision for yourself. Furthermore, if you know what you want then you should have an easier time feeling comfortable in the room with the therapist, which will allow for a better healing environment.

3.  How are you Paying?

Another huge point to think about is how do you plan to pay for therapy. Typically, there are two ways to pay for therapy, which is private pay or through insurance. Private pay is when a person pays for therapy out of their own pocket.

Why one therapist takes insurance and the other does not is because of a myriad of reasons, of which we are not going to address today.

However, there are some pro tips I would like to offer for the financing side of therapy. The first pro tip is regarding those who have Medicaid.

You want to be cognizant that most states will not allow you to see a private pay clinician. It is actually illegal, in most states, for a private pay clinician to do so.

If you would like to read further information on this topic, I recommend clicking this link and reading the article written by Timalyn Bowens, EA found on the GoodRX website.  

One last pro tip is about a document called a superbill. This document, provided by a therapist, is created to send to your insurance company to get reimbursement for therapy sessions attended.

A superbill is only utilized should you want to see a therapist outside of your network. In saying this, you need to be aware that not all insurance companies will take a superbill.

Plus, the amount to which the insurance company will reimburse is subject to the insurance company. Finally, not all therapists utilize superbills. If you would like to read further about superbills click this link for another GoodRX article written by Aja Evans, LMHC.

4.  Faith Integration

If you are a believer and it is important to you to have faith integration in your therapy, you will definitely want to keep this in mind as you search for therapists.

I always like to give the visual that the amount of secular therapists in the world is like size of Texas and the number of Christian therapists is the size of a state in Texas.

There are not a lot of us Christian therapists out there so just giving you a warning that you may have to look a bit longer to find one, but don’t give up!

If you are confused on the difference between secular counseling and Christian counseling, click this link to read my blog post on this topic.

As you search you will want to be aware that there are two different types of therapists when it comes to integrating faith. The first type are those who have not adopted the niche of Christian counseling but are a believers.

Then there are the therapists who have taken the niche as a Christian therapist. The reason it is important to know about this is because those that advertise themselves as Christian therapists typically have more training on how to properly incorporate faith into their sessions.

Moreover, Christian counseling is their bread and butter. That is not to say that a therapist who is a believer but doesn’t advertise as a Christian therapist couldn’t do a fantastic job.

I make the distinction because how intense these two types of therapists incorporate faith into their session could be different.

5.      Style of the Therapist

The final point I encourage you to think about is the characteristic traits you want your therapist to possess. What I mean is do you want someone who is softer?

Do you want a therapist that is going to incorporate self-disclosure into their sessions? Do you want a therapist who utilizes humor? Do you want a therapist that is more forthright? I’ll give you an example from my own style.

In everyday life I am a very sarcastic and forthright person. I can be very self-deprecating and utilize humor to help lighten a mood, if appropriate. These characteristics are core to who God made me.

Due to this, I often bring these characteristic into my counseling. Any new client I have a consultation with I tell them I will challenge you.

I take a forthright approach because I believe part of my job is to challenge my clients and have hard conversations, when necessary, so that my clients heal and grow. Does my approach work for every client, no! And that is completely ok!

My final statement to you is don’t be afraid to vet these therapists. Like in any industry not all therapists are created equal.

It is ok for you to advocate for your healing and make sure that the person you are going to be working with is going to make you feel safe and heard in your sessions.

If you have any further questions about how I work, here are the links to my service pages: women’s counseling, couples counseling, family counseling, and premarital counseling.

If you would prefer to chat over the phone, I offer a free 15 minute consultation that can be scheduled through this link. I am praying for you on your journey to finding your therapist and pray all the blessings over your healing.