Sometimes new people call me up and just want to make an appointment. This might mean they're making appointments with a few therapists to test the waters in person. Sometimes it's because they've gotten my name from someone who both knows them and whom they trust.
Many people do prefer a referral from someone they know, but what if you're new to town? Or you may need to go to a therapist on your insurance provider list. Many people look for a therapist with Internet searches.
Unless you have gotten a really strong personal referral you may want to talk to therapists on the phone before making an appointment. Most therapists are willing to spend several minutes answering your questions and helping you get a sense of how they might help you. Some questions to ask:
- Do they have experience working with people who want to change what you want to change?
- Does it seem easy to talk to the therapist?
- Can you imagine sitting down with this person and feeling comfortable with her or him?
- If specific modalities or contexts, such as EMDR, Cogntive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or IPNB appeal to you, ask about the therapist's experience with them.
- If you have financial questions, now's the time to ask: How much does it cost? Is the therapist in your network, if that's important to you.
If it doesn't feel right to you, trust your reaction. If you do feel comfortable over the phone, that's a good sign.If you do need to go to someone on your provider list, you can start with the names that are geographically most convenient. Work your way out from there until you speak with someone who fits your needs, someone you can imagine really talking to. Same thing with the Internet, you can start with geography, then make calls. Most of my clients who found me on the web searched for psychotherapy New York City or psychotherapy 10024.
Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
Upper West Side Psychotherapy
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Psychotherapy is a general term that is used to describe the process of treating psychological disorders and mental distress. During this process, a trained psychotherapist helps the client tackle a specific or general problem such as a particular mental illness or a source of life stress. Psychotherapy is commonly used for psychological problems that have had a number of years to accumulate. It only works if a trusting relationship can be built up between the client and the psychotherapist.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, I've just discovered your blog and look forward to reading you.
ReplyDeleteI've had to choose a therapist on a couple of occasions, and the task is indeed daunting.
You definitely want it to be a fruitful investment, a productive process, and a completely safe place.
From my experience as a patient I have put together my own ten tips on how to interview a therapist on my blog The Separate room, and some things are similar to yours but I find other areas very important, such as for example issues of boundaries.
Hi, Lo,
ReplyDeleteI had a chance to read some of The Separate Room and plan to visit it again. I enjoyed your rich sharing of your experience and your humor. The Ten Tips are great - spoken as only someone can who has been there!
Catherine