Finding a Therapist on the Internet: What to Look For

Finding a therapist especially on the internet is not an easy thing to do. There are so many options that during your hunt you might get even more confused than when you began. If you start by asking your friends or colleagues for recommendations, then finding them online will be easier. However, even in this case your friend’s therapist might not work for you, so you will still need to do some research. Here is what you need to do in order to find a great therapist online.

Determine what kind of professional you need

There are several types of therapies and you must determine which one you need before you start searching for the right therapist. If for instance you have been suffering from depression, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, or other similar ailments, you will be better off with a psychologist (instead of a psychiatrist). If on the other hand you are dealing with issues such as major depressive disorder, bipolar, schizophrenia, or even borderline personality disorder, you’’ want to find a psychiatrist.

Look for chemistry

For your therapy to be successful, you need to have a stronger therapeutic connection with the therapist you choose. You might feel that you need somebody who is reliable, warm, and even within your price range. This does not mean that your therapist has to be your best friend, but you do, however, need to be completely comfortable with them as a person so that you can share your thoughts in full. Don’t settle until you find such a person.

Treat the first appointment just like a date

Before going on your first date you probably check your dates Facebook profile and other things so that you get to know them a little bit prior to seeing them. You should incorporate the same strategy as part of your therapist search process as well. Before you go for your first session, do a search for that specific therapist you are looking into. Chances are, you can find them on large directories, such as these: https://www.e-counseling.com/directory/, ZocDoc, and Vitals. Check out the customer reviews. You should be wary of those overwhelming 5-star reviews because chances are they are fabricated. If the website profile looks promising then you can contact them for an introductory session. You should not feel obligated to work with anybody you don’t feel comfortable with.

Be on the lookout for affordable options

First of all, you should be on the lookout for the kind of accreditation your insurance will accept, if your potential diagnosis will be covered, what kind of documentation you will need to have, as well as how many sessions your insurance will cover. You can ask the therapist for a cash rate because usually deductibles tend to be more expensive. Negotiating with insurance providers is usually a complicated process so look for non-profits, as well as other licensed professionals for cheaper services. Universities and colleges always have health centers who suggest therapists with competitive rates. State and county offices do this as well.

If you would like to have discounted sessions then you can use counselors going through training. These in training counselors are generally overseen by licensed therapists. You can also use students who are usually supervised by clinicians.

Talk about a timeline

Just because you have seen a therapist for a while does not mean that they are a match for you. The relationship may change, and so may your needs. Actually, your goal is not to pay for a lifelong therapist. Your goal should be to recover from whatever you’re going through and learn to cope with such issues better in the future. This means that if you keep seeing a therapist without any results, you need to change them as soon as possible. It is better to have a dramatic improvement after a few sessions instead of pondering for months or even years with the same therapist without any changes. Of course, if you are looking for slow progress and someone who will help you for a long time, then you can discuss that with your therapist as well. Determine what timeline is good for you and then go with that.