When I embarked on my own therapy journey, I did not know how to navigate the complexities of the mental healthcare world at all. I wish I had a guide to help me at that time as I found it a little confusing. It took me three tries to find a therapist that was a good fit for me.  Thankfully, this experience has made it easier for me to help make therapy more accessible for others as I know that I am not alone in this. There are 1,754,000 adults in Illinois with a mental health condition (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021). This is more than 15x times the population of Springfield (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021). In this article, I will be breaking down how to explore therapy options and find an available therapist that you like and can afford in several simple steps.

1. Overcome internal and external obstacles to treatment.

I believe that the journey to finding your best therapy option starts with an open mind and a short burst of courage. After all, It’s difficult to ask for help in a society that stresses individualism and holds on to some very real stigma, prejudice, and discrimination against people with mental illness. In fact, more than half of people with mental illness don’t receive help for their disorders because they often avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently (Borenstein, 2020). A common misconception I still often hear is that therapy is only reserved for people with severe mental illnesses. While it is true that therapy is an effective form of treatment for people with severe mental illnesses it is also beneficial for people dealing with anxiety, depression, and stress. It is common for us to see people who are experiencing life transitions such as divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one. Seeking therapy doesn’t mean you have a severe mental illness; it means you are taking care of yourself and your mental health. 

2. Identify your therapy needs

Identifying your therapy needs can be specific or more general. You can be specific about what you want to get out of the experience and find someone who specializes in that. For example, I am realizing that some of my patterns of behavior are due to my childhood trauma and I want to look into this further so I do not pass this on to my own children. Additionally, you can just find a therapist that you might feel comfortable exploring with. Sometimes our clients come in and say “I am just not happy with my marriage, career, or current outlook on life and I want to know how I can go about changing that.” Both options are seen as a step forward.

3. Assess your financial resources

Most health insurance companies offer a directory of covered therapists on their websites. You might want to note that insurance coverage will typically be limited to therapists in the state of Illinois. If you have exhausted your in-network options through your insurance (and can afford it), you may want to consider paying out-of-pocket. The full price of self-pay for a 53-minute therapy session with a therapist is typically between $100-$200. If insurance or self-pay are not options you might want to look at free and low-cost therapy. Many employers offer employee assistance programs (EAP) that provide five to six sessions (but often more) therapy sessions. You can ask your human resources department if this is a benefit you receive. Also, some health centers that receive funding from the federal government and offer low-cost or free mental health care. Find federally-funded health centers in your zip code using this searchable directory. You can call Heart of Illinois 2-1-1 to help you connect to additional social service organizations and 9-8-8 can be accessed for more in-the-moment crisis support.  Lastly, if you are receiving free care please note that you still have a say when it comes to choosing your therapist and can pick the one that feels like the best fit.

4. Do your research

A great place to begin reading/watching therapist bios/videos is www.psychologytoday.com. There are so many filters that help you identify what providers are nearby, what their credentials are, and that use modalities of treatment they use  (e.g. CBT, EMDR, play therapy). You will want to keep the therapist’s professionalism, credentials, and competence in mind. The therapist’s credentials (PHD, LCSW, LCPC) can determine their specialty. For example, someone with a LMFT is licensed to work specifically with couples whereas someone with a CADC is certified in working with people who are recovering from addiction to substances. This website is a great place to begin collecting names and phone numbers of people you might be interested in. Many of the therapist profiles also include their availability and ability to accept new clients. There are many providers in Central Illinois that operate independently and also in group private practices. Please take time to familiarize yourself with all of the local options.

5. Assess and determine if this person is the right fit for you personally and culturally

There was a time when the assumption was that a therapist was not supposed to disclose who they were. Currently, many therapists do tend to give a sense of who they are as human beings. It can be meaningful to work with a therapist that matches your gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc… After all, many of these factors determine that what might seem like a  “normal” experience for one person can be completely anxiety-inducing for someone else.

Research indicates that racial/ethnic matching (pairing a client with a therapist based on race/ethnicity alone) is not always effective (Kim, 2022). The demand for therapy might mean that you need to prioritize matching goals. Reading therapist’s bios and/or interviewing them are great ways to see if they might be a good fit.

6. Interview a therapist or contact the intake team 

Sometimes it’s easiest to get a feel for a potential therapist by interacting with them. Most therapists do 15-minute phone consultations for this reason. You might want to ask if they can tell you more about their past experiences working with clients. I find many clients explain why they are seeking therapy and ask me to expand on the types of things we might work on together. Some other common questions might be “Is the type of therapy you use supported by research?” or “What is the length of therapy and how often will we be meeting?”. This is also a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about billing or waitlist options.

7. Remain both persistent and flexible

Don’t let the therapy alphabet soup (e.g. PHD, LCSW, LCPC) overwhelm you. I am confident that my 7-step process will help you find a therapist who has the right training, experience, insights, and character for you. I hope you stay persistent in your pursuit by keeping yourself a top priority and reminding yourself that you deserve quality care. At the same time, it is important to set realistic expectations about how long this process might take as the demand for therapists has been high since the pandemic. This might mean that you have to be flexible with some of your criteria. For instance, you might have to weigh out the pros and cons of doing in-person versus telehealth therapy or individual versus couples/family therapy. It might be helpful to rank what is most important to you so you know where you are able to compromise.

In an ideal world, the process of finding a mental health provider shouldn’t be much different from finding a physical health provider. If you have physical symptoms that can not be alleviated with all your tried and true methods you would go to a physical health provider for assistance. When you get there you receive a diagnosis and additional remedies for managing your symptoms/illness. While it may be a bit more intimate at times (depending on what type of physical health provider you are seeing/reason for seeing them), the same should ring true if you are having difficulty alleviating your mental symptoms. We are here to help.

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References

Borenstein, J. (2020). Stigma, Prejudice, and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness. American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination

Kim, R. (2022, March 7). National Alliance on Mental Illness. Addressing the Lack of Diversity in the Mental Health Field. Retrieved 10 03, 2024, from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/March-2022/Addressing-the-Lack-of-Diversity-in-the-Mental-Health-Field

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2021, February 1). Mental Health in Illinois. The National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved 03 10, 2024, from https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/StateFactSheets/IllinoisStateFactSheet.pdf