Where to Find a Therapist

In this post, I want to focus more on the steps to finding a therapist.

Seeking Therapy

Now that you've decided to embark on this life changing journey, where do you start?

• Check with your Employee Assistance Program. Your job should have an EAP program designed to help you with obtaining support for personal problems affecting you at work. If you're unsure of who to contact about this, start with reaching out to the human resources department at your job.

• Speak to your medical provider. This is someone who should be familiar with your health and can hopefully have resources to point you in the right direction.

• Use Google. Do a search for mental or behavioral health services in whatever town or city you live in. If you're uninsured, there's still hope. They're a few places that offer sliding scale services and will see you regardless of your inability to pay. Which means the cost is based on your income. You can google that as well.

• Try Therapy Websites. Most therapists have or are listed on websites or professional social media pages. These pages give information about their experience, specialties and credentials. Try to find a therapist who fits your needs. A few of those sites can be found here.

• Call your health insurance. If you have health insurance, reach out to your insurance company. There should be a 1-800 number on your card that you can call. When calling simply ask "Do I have mental health coverage?" Other good questions to consider would be questions about co-payments, number of covered sessions and which therapists in my area are partnered with my insurance.

• Reach out for a consultation. Most therapists will provide a free or low cost consultation. This consultation could be a telephone encounter. You would explain what your needs or concerns are and find out if that therapist is a good fit for you.