“My mama told me, you better shop around…” — Smokey Robinson

Starting therapy can be an intimidating prospect.  People usually have all sorts of questions running through their minds.

Am I ready?

What will this be like?

Who do I see?

The last question, unsurprisingly, is an important one.  A good rapport–or fit–with the therapist has long been known to be a significant predictor of a positive outcome for the client’s experience with therapy.  But: how to find that fit?  The best way to know what a particular therapist is like would be to talk to someone who is or was a client.  Not only could they fill you in on their experiences, but they can also ask their therapist for additional recommendations for people he/she may know, well.  As good as that option is, odds are you’re not going to just so happen to have a friend who’s worked with every sort of therapist you might be curious about.  The next best option requires a bit of legwork.

While search engines like Google will certainly be able to provide names of some of the therapists who might practice in your area, the website for Psychology Today magazine has an extensive “Find a Therapist” feature that will let you search not only by city, but then filter those results by the gender of the therapist, their specialties, and even the insurances they accept.

If you’re reading this and considering treatment, obviously I’d love to hear from you.  That said, I definitely think you should make more than one call to make sure you have a good feeling about your therapist before you start.  Don’t feel awkward about asking questions and letting potential therapists know that you’re still looking around if they inquire about setting up an appointment.  We know this is a big decision for you, and anyone pressuring you to make a choice probably isn’t going to have that fit we were talking about.

Good luck!