How Do I Find a Therapist?
Making the decision to pursue establishing services with a therapist is not an easy feat. The stigma and “shoulding” surrounding asking for help can feel overwhelming. I’m here to tell you that I’m proud of you for taking the time to read this and want better for yourself. Sometimes life can feel heavy and unmanageable. Everyone experiences these moments. It’s okay to want support while navigating through these tough times and lean on someone outside of your inner circle.
Therapy can feel daunting and uncertain. What’s depicted in the movies is quite an exaggerated representation of what happens in my office. While I do have a couch, laying down and answering the magic question, “and how do you feel about that” is not very helpful.
What is a therapeutic modality?
The first thing you should know is that every therapist is different. Some have different styles of building rapport or various therapeutic modalities. You might be asking yourself, what is a therapeutic modality? Great question! Essentially, therapeutic modalities are the tools and techniques that a therapist uses to treat clients. There are many different “modalities” that therapists use and each has their own benefit for treating various problem areas.
What therapeutic modality is best for me?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common modality that is used by many therapists. It also is the big umbrella of other therapy modalities underneath. Using CBT allows therapists to use these tools to treat a wide spectrum of concerns that clients may have. The main takeaway with CBT is educating clients to recognize the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The benefit of this provides two things, allows you to gain insight into where distress is coming from and provides you guidance/education on when to use coping skills.
Commonly used with:
Anxiety
OCD
People new to therapy or with limited insight into problem areas
Little to no education/knowledge of coping skills
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is mostly used to assist clients in managing difficult emotions. Mindfulness, self-awareness and communication skills are the common areas to assist with regulating emotions. Similar to CBT, gaining insight into where distress/dysregulation is stemming from and having a better understanding of why it’s occurring is a main goal.
Commonly used with:
Mood Disorders
Personality Disorders
Difficulty with emotion regulation (ex. Uncontrollable crying, irritability, suicidality/self-harm)
Poor communication strategies leading to relationship problems
Mindfulness based therapy is typically focused on grounding techniques and overall awareness of your body. This typically is used in conjunction with other modalities, however if you are looking for a therapist that solely focuses on mindfulness, meditation or breath work this may be a good option for you. Another modality name to look for is somatic therapy which is similar in the tools used.
Psychodynamic Therapy is heavily focused on gaining insight into how your brain processes various stressors. While exploring the unconscious mind, the main goal is to assist clients in understanding the patterns between the psyche and emotions. Typically sessions using this approach can be open ended and collaborative to explore unconscious beliefs or connections. Reflecting on past and current experiences are used to help determine any connections to current thoughts or behaviors.
Commonly used with:
Depression
Anxiety
Relational issues
Eating Disorders
Personality Disorders
Trauma
Motivational Interviewing/Person-centered Therapy is focused on the client being expert in their own life and how they experience it. Therapists who use this approach are typically more collaborative and pull from many different modalities to use what is best for the client. The goal of this approach is to resolve any ambivalence to wanting to make a change.
EMDR/Brainspotting both are used in treating trauma or other trauma-related issues. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Processing. The purpose of this treatment is to assist your brain in processing traumatic experiences and reducing the sensitivity to the distress that it causes. Brainspotting is utilized to focus on releasing emotional pain related to a traumatic experience by using eye positioning to access trapped emotions.
If you are still unsure on which modality is best for you, it’s okay. The goal of going to therapy is to allow you an outlet to express thoughts and emotions. Each of these modalities meet this goal in different ways.
2. Go shopping
There are many ways to search for therapists in your area. A simple google search, websites that provide a directory of therapists near you, local mental health facilities or clinics, referrals from friends/family/medical professionals. Below you will find a link to two separate websites that offer a wide range of therapists and preference filters to choose from. Both of these sites also provide a brief biography from the therapist discussing how they structure therapy sessions and any specialties they may have. Remember, it is not easy to know who would be a good fit for you based off of a few paragraphs on a website. This is 100% valid and the reason the third step is most important.
3. Discovery Calls
Once you find a few therapists that resonate with you, contact their office. Most sites have links to the therapist’s practice website or contact information (emails or phone numbers). Talking with a potential therapist on the phone can provide you additional information on how they can best support you. Many therapists offer free 15 minute consultation phone calls to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. You may be asking yourself, what questions do I ask? Here’s a list of common questions that I answer when potential clients reach out to me:
Do they take your insurance and can they provide you a good faith estimate?
What does a typical session look like and what should I expect in an initial assessment?
Before speaking with the therapist, write down what reason you have for seeking therapy services. When you speak with the therapist, you can share what you’re struggling with and ask how they could help. This allows you to gather information and get a better picture of what therapy could be like with that provider.
Take notes! Calling different therapists can feel redundant. Many times the same spiel could overlap and it’s important to be able to reflect on what you liked and didn’t like about each therapist. After you’ve compiled your pros and cons list, give yourself time to decide which provider feels best for you!
4. Schedule an intake assessment
Congrats! You made it this far and this last step sometimes can feel the hardest. Remember, the person sitting across from you is a person just like you. The only difference is we have knowledge on how to navigate and support you through difficult times. Not every therapist will be a good fit for you and that’s OKAY. It has nothing to do with who the therapist is as a person or has a negative reflection on you. Sometimes you may feel a stronger pull towards another provider for a variety of reasons.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is you. Be brave in sharing your story and open minded to trying new things. It is always an honor to hear what makes you, you.
I am always willing to help you on your journey to finding quality care and understand the array of emotions that comes with starting therapy. If needed, please don’t hesitate to reach out for support in your search. You will not be pressured to see myself as a provider and it’s important to me to ensure that anyone seeking support finds the right fit for them.
Contact information:
Call/text: 414-436-5488
Email: abby.carncross@everylittlefiber.com
