For many of us, our lives have radically changed recently. We have survived a pandemic and prior to the last few months many of us never even imagine a time where we were not able to leave our homes, or where we were not able to trust what we brought home from the grocery store. Surviving through this pandemic has created an increase in stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, and fear for so many people. People are living with job loss, financial struggles, grief and for some people anger and resentment. 

This is why now more than ever it’s crucial to know how to find a good fit in a therapist. I can’t tell you how many times I have met with a client for the first time and they have told me of meeting with a therapist for countless sessions and just not making any progress. They just kept meeting out of a sense of obligation, because it was comfortable, or because they didn’t know how to end the un-comfortability of something that wasn’t helping them. 

Which brings us to the question, how do you make sure you find a good fit in your therapist? Typically people find a therapist one of several ways: Google, word of mouth, or your insurance panel. But what if the therapist that you get linked with isn’t a good fit, or how do you even know if the therapist is a good fit for you personally? I am going to give you some things to look for when attempting to find someone who’s a good fit for your needs.

1. Ask Family And Friends:  Your family and friends know you many times almost as well as you know yourself. They oftentimes are going to know if someone is going to be a good fit for your personality. Questions I recommend asking your loved ones include: how did this therapist help you, what was meeting them like, how would you describe their style, and what were the sessions like?

2. Know Who They Treat: I’m not a fan of the one size fits all modality. If you are struggling with depression, you are going to want to make sure that the therapist you are meeting with has experience treating people with depression. We actually keep a spreadsheet of which the therapist has experience and training treating which issues because we want to make sure that we are offering people a good fit. Don’t be afraid to ask these questions before setting up an appointment. 

3. Read Reviews: One of the things I recommend doing (and I always do before I see a new provider) is google them. I recommend finding out what other people are saying about them. Find out what the reviews are online about them as well as other sites where people list reviews of mental health clinicians. It never hurts to check out the reviews that people have on mental health clinicians. 

4. Interview Them: Feel free to email the person you are interested in connecting with therapy for and asking whatever questions you have. Or even schedule a phone call to as whatever questions you have to get a good feel for if you would be a good match and how they answer your questions. I am always willing to answer any questions potential clients have and think it’s a great sign if they want to chat before just setting up an appointment. Don’t hesitate to advocate for yourself or your needs. 

5. Don’t Feel Obligated: The worst thing you can do is staying with a therapist out of a sense of obligation. Please know if your needs are not getting met, it’s okay to move on. If your therapist is not meeting your needs, advocate for yourself, communicate for yourself and find a way to ask for your needs to be met. If your therapist is not able to meet those needs than it may mean that person is not the right fit for you. 

This whole thing can be a bit stressful: making a decision to start therapy, finding a therapist, picking out the right therapist, etc. Please know that whatever you do getting help is always the right decision. You are worthy of getting help.

For help with any mental health issue, contact The Mental Wellness Center at 309-807-5077 or email info@TheMentalWellnessCenter.com. Their office is located at 205 N. Williamsburg Drive, Suite D, Bloomington.  They are invested in empowering you to return to -- or achieve, possibly for the first time ever-- a state of complete mental wellness.