How to choose a psychotherapist
Choosing
a psychotherapist who can provide you with the right kind of help can be a tricky matter. There
are many approaches to psychotherapy. Even within each school of
therapy individual practitioners bring their own style and personalities
to the process. This means there is a infinite number of ways
psychotherapy is carried out. How can you decide which one is right for
you?
Finding the “right match”
One of the most important factors in a successful therapy is having a therapist and a patient who match well. What does it mean to “match?” What it means for you is that if you have a good feeling about the therapist, listen to that. Alternatively, even if a therapist is the “leader in their field,” and comes recommended by many people you trust, if you don’t have a good feeling about working with that person, you may do better to keep looking.
Important questions to ask yourself are
• Do I feel like this person will value me as an individual?
• Does this person understand what I want out of therapy?
• Does this person seem like someone I can trust?
• Do I feel a sense of rapport?
Getting the right kind of therapy
Not every
type of therapy works equally well for all problems. For instance, people
with panic disorder respond very well to cognitive-behavioral therapy, but take
much longer to get over their panic in psychoanalytic therapy.
Psychodynamic therapy can be very useful in sorting out painful emotions. Sometimes
exploring the options before
entering therapy can increase the likelihood that you will be on the right track.
One way to do this is to get a consultation with a therapist. A consultation is
a one-time meeting in which you and the therapist talk about the difficulties
that are leading you to seek therapy. The therapist then makes recommendations
about what he or she believes would be best for you.
You
might then decide to see that therapist in treatment or get a referral to
another therapist who better meets your needs.
Other considerations
Medications – If you might need medication as part of your treatment, it might make sense to see a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists have a medical degree in addition to training in psychotherapy. This means they can prescribe medications. However, some people prefer to see one therapist for talking and another for medications. This is a perfectly reasonable (and at times preferable) approach.
Finances – A very practical consideration is how much treatment will cost and how you are going to pay for it. If you have insurance, you may want to see someone in your network since this is usually less expensive. Calling your insurance company or checking its website may be a good way to get a list of therapists in your area. (Bear in mind that the information they give you may not always be accurate - always double-check with the therapist.)
Sometimes the person you want to see in therapy is not in the network. In this case you should ask your insurance carrier about “out-of-network benefits.” This term refers to how much you will be reimbursed for the fees you pay to a therapist who is not on your insurance plan. Many insurers will reimburse you for some portion of your bill. If cost is still an issue, you can ask therapists if they can make an adjustments in your fee in view of your financial situation.
Because having the right therapist is so important, it sometimes a good idea to interview a few different people before deciding on one that you want to work with. It’s perfectly okay to tell a therapist after meeting once or twice that you just don’t think the match is right and that you don’t want to continue working together. Any good therapist will understand this. You shouldn’t feel that you’re being rude by discontinuing so long as you cancel at least a few days before the next appointment.
If you find the right person and stick with the therapy, you are likely to have a tremendously valuable experience. Over time you will really see your life change as you break out of old patterns and find the freedom of new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Good luck!
© copyright 2006 Nicholas Schwartz, M.D.