Seeing a professional for mental health treatment is different from seeing a doctor about a broken leg or a cold. When you’re suffering physically, there’s usually only one cure for what ails you. When you’re struggling with mental health concerns, there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment.
Your success in therapy often boils down to how well you and your therapist mesh. You’ll be disclosing deeply personal thoughts and feelings in therapy, and if you don’t feel connected with the therapist or aren’t sure you trust them, your therapy may be ineffective.
We’re offering some tips to help you determine whether your therapist is an effective fit for your needs.
Prioritizing Your Needs and Goals
Therapy should have an end goal, such as helping someone in active addiction achieve and maintain sobriety or develop ways to cope with an anxiety disorder. Not all therapists specialize in the same kinds of mental health concerns, so it’s important to find one with experience in your diagnosed condition or symptoms.
Your initial session with the therapist should cover your goals and needs, which provides the therapist with a framework to build your therapy sessions around. If you’re unsure what you need or where you want to be, that’s OK. A good general therapist will know the right questions to ask to identify your struggles and help you clarify how you want your life to look.
Essential Questions to Ask Your Therapist
So, what should you ask a therapist to see if they’re a good fit?
First, you should cover the basics. Assessing the therapist’s credentials and discussing the cost of treatment can be uncomfortable for some people, but having this conversation up front can help you see if they’re qualified to help you get your needs met. Some questions to ask a therapist include:
- What kind of certifications and licenses do you have? Do you belong to any professional organizations?
- How long have you been practicing?
- Do you accept my insurance? If not, what are your fees? If you’re unsure if you can afford therapy, ask about sliding scale payments. Many therapists offer reduced rates for people with low income.
- How often do you work with people like me? Have you worked with anyone who shares a similar circumstance?
- What is your ideal patient like?
Next, you can talk about your therapy goals. As mentioned above, it’s important to find a therapist qualified to help you meet your goals, but a good therapist can also help you set therapy goals if you’re unsure how to start.
When you’re considering therapy, questions to ask might include:
- How long do you anticipate seeing me? How often would we meet?
- How do you help clients determine therapy goals? How would we measure whether I’ve successfully met them?
- What is a typical session like with you?
- Will you assign “homework” or reading to help me outside of our therapy sessions??
- What can I expect from my first sessions?
Finally, it’s important to determine if your personality and the therapist match well enough to help you achieve your goals. When you’re interviewing a therapist, you might ask some get-to-know-you questions like:
- What is your approach to therapy and counseling? Do you typically guide clients, or are you more direct with your approach?
- What are your strengths as a therapist? Your limitations?
- Do you seek peer consultation for clients?
- Have you been in therapy? Did it change how you approach clients like me?
You’ve made a very important first step by looking for a therapist. Many people don’t even get this far! Don’t be afraid to interview a few therapists who treat conditions like yours. You don’t have to settle for the first one you meet.
Assessing Therapeutic Relationships
The therapist you need today may not be the therapist you need a year from now. It’s important to assess the relationship as you start meeting therapy goals to see if your therapist is still providing the valuable help you need to grow and improve your mental health.
For example, someone in early sobriety may need multiple weekly individual and group therapy sessions as they start the hard work of getting and staying sober. However, after a year of continued sobriety, they may not need the intensive sessions they did before and so may transition to weekly individual sessions as more “maintenance mode.”
Or, perhaps you initially thought the therapist was a good fit, but after a couple of months, you haven’t made much progress with your goals. Perhaps your therapist’s approach isn’t the one you need for success and healing.
Do You Need Help Finding a Therapist Near You?
Mental Health Hotline offers extensive resources for people seeking counseling and treatment for a mental illness. When you call one of the hotline numbers in the sidebar, you’ll be connected with a trained mental health professional who’ll listen to you in a confidential space. They can also direct you to resources in your town or online so you can find a therapist who meshes well with you.