How to Find the Best Therapist for You

[David Baxter PhD]

How to find the BEST Therapist for you
by Tracey Cleantis, Psychology Today
February 15, 2011

The first time I went to therapy, my parents chose a psychotherapist quickly (an easier decision than which mechanic they took their car to). The way they found this nutter-butter-can-of-cashews was that my first pediatrician didn't know what to do for my nightly all-night/every night nightmares and so he sent me to a therapist. He thought she was good because of her seemingly impressive pedigree, and let me let them tell you as they told everyone who asked, "She did therapy on the Prime Minister from Israel." Even at ten I found this bit of information troubling and logistically dubious, as we lived in a beachside suburb in Los Angeles and the Prime Minister from Israel lived in Israel.

Here are a few examples of her wacky behavior:

1. She ate cottage cheese with her mouth open during our sessions. I feel sure that her mouth full of curds gave me more nightmares rather than less.
2. She read her mail during our sessions. While I get that my 10-year-old chatter was not very stimulating, she was getting paid to listen to me and not to read what the latest edition of Readers Digest said about how to declutter your desk. Good God, do I wish I was making this stuff up.
3. I have since learned that she asked patients for rides to the airport. She never asked me for a ride, but I was only ten and I didn't even have a bike.

I thought, as a public service of sorts, and since I am a therapist and since I write about being in therapy, it might be a good thing if I shared some thoughts about picking a therapist---should you ever find yourself in need of one---as they can be harder to find than a good mechanic.

1. Ask friends and family
Ask friends who are in therapy if they like their therapist. If they do, find out what it is they like about them and ask your friend to ask her therapist for a list of referrals. I have never gotten a good referral that way but I have given out some good referrals because friends have asked me if my therapist knew anyone for them.

If none of your friends are in therapy or if they tell you that they don't like their therapist and how they keep going just because they don't want to hurt the therapist's feelings, it is best to get a referral elsewhere. I have gotten my most of my referrals by calling institutes (Jungian, Psychodynamic, Psychoanalytic) to find out what therapists were in my area. That said, you don't want a therapist who is convenient---you want a therapist who is good. Good and convenient do not often go hand in hand. I could have a therapist that is only five minutes from my house but I believe Igor is worth the hour drive. And, I find the 60-minute drive home to be an important time to process my feelings.

Many institutes have a service in which a clinic director will do an intake and determine what therapist in the community might be a good fit for you. That is a wonderful way to find a therapist if you don't have a referral source.

2. Shop online
While I have never found a therapist online, I do have an ad on Therapist Finder. And I do think (in the Match.com age) it is likely the way that most will first meet their therapist is on Psychology Today's Therapy Finder. When therapist shopping I would look for therapists who are not selling themselves but rather seem to be trying to tell you about their work and their philosophy of working with patients.

3. A picture tells a story
Take a look at therapists' pictures on Psychology Today's Therapist Finder. Red lights for me are therapists who seem to be using a glamour shot or whose portraits seem in any way seductive. I would also steer clear of therapists who chose for their professional portrait shots of them partaking in their favorite hobby or recreational activity. If you have any doubt based on photos, I would listen to that and maybe see if you can find someone who you could easily sit across from. I am not saying your therapist needs to look like a supermodel---just if when you look at them and you feel any concern or apprehension, I would heed that intuition.

4. Gender
I think that when choosing a therapist, almost all people have an instinctive hit on gender they would prefer to work with. For me, my default therapist choice is always male which, in fact, comes out of my relationship with my parents. I don't think there is a right or wrong when it comes to choosing which gender you prefer to work with. However, I think it can be clinically valuable to notice which gender you absolutely wouldn't want to work with. I would make note of that and let my therapist know about my strong feelings of "no way" when considering a certain gender for a therapist.

5. Theoretical orientation
This one is REALLY tricky. There are many theoretical orientations and I certainly cannot explain them all in one single post. Here is what I can say in a huge and gross oversimplification:

• If you believe there is an unconscious motivation for your behavior, you might want to go to a psychodynamic therapist.
• If you want to change your thoughts and you think doing that will change your life and you don't believe in an unconscious---then you might want a cognitive therapist.
• If you don't ever want to talk about mom and dad and you only want the here and now then maybe narrative, behavioral, or solution-oriented therapies are something to consider.
• If you want to work on your family and not on just you then maybe family-oriented system therapists. Let me say again that was an enormous oversimplification. If you want to know a little more read this.

If you still have no idea at all about what orientation you might want, I would then call the referrals you found and ask them to tell you about their orientation. If they say "I am an existentialist" and leave it at that, then have them explain what that means and how you would experience that orientation in the work. Keep calling until you find someone whose style of working resonates with you.

6. Call them
When you find a therapist to call---then call them. It sounds easier than it is; I have had the numbers of therapists in my possession for weeks before I dared to call. Once on the phone I would have some questions handy. I would ask:

• Where did they go to school? The best schools don't necessarily make for the best therapists. When asking this, I am not looking for a certain answer. I just want to know for sure that it is an accredited school and not an online coaching certificate.
• What is their specialty? I tend to be wary of people who specialize in EVERYTHING. One can't be all things to all people.
• Have they worked with people with your issues? Share a little on the phone about your presenting issue and see how the therapist responds.
• What is their training? If they say they are trained, find out if it was a one day seminar in EMDR and/or if they took a three-hour online course in psychoanalysis-- if they call themselves an expert in a modality after such a short training I would likely hang up and move on to someone with a little more experience.
• Are they licensed? If they say that they are, I would still look up their license and make sure. There are people, people I know, people I went to school with who don't have a license and they are practicing and it makes me wackadoodledoo. I have too big of a Superego to ever trust someone who would work outside of the law. Once you are sure that they actually have a license, I would also look on the state licensing boards to see if there are any infractions against their license.
• Are they now or have they ever been in therapy? This is a BIG one. Seriously, do not, repeat do not, get into therapy with someone who hasn't done their own work. Seeing a therapist who doesn't do his/her own therapy is like going to a priest who has no relationship with God. . This is a big one for me. I just feel that unless one has done their own work, they are likely to have issues that create an increased chance of boundary issues, unmanaged counter-transference, and blind spots.

Before I set up the appointment, I would find out their fee and discuss if you need sliding scale or if you are planning on using insurance. If you like everything about them but their rate and is more than you can manage, I would tell them that. If they can slide no lower, then I would ask for referrals. They might know someone who works like they do at a lower fee. That said, cheap is not always better.