Tips for Finding a Therapist
Personal wellbeing has come into the spotlight more and more in recent years. Finding the experts to support your journey is critical. The goal of this process is for you to end up working with someone you feel comfortable with who is well-equipped to support you. Just like with any relationship, some clinicians are a good fit for some clients, and some aren’t. Every clinician has a different set of experiences and abilities, and they are ethically bound to only work with clients they can support effectively.
About the WorkLife Office
The WorkLife Office partners with the community to create an inclusive, responsive work environment where all faculty and staff are respected and supported toward well-being in work and in their personal lives.
Locating a Counselor:
The goal of this process is for you to end up working with someone you feel comfortable with who is well-equipped to support you. Just like with any relationship, some clinicians are a good fit for some clients, and some aren’t. Every clinician has a different set of experiences and abilities, and they are ethically bound to only work with clients they can support effectively.
If a clinician tells you they aren’t a good fit for your needs, it just means that they think that someone else is going to be better-suited to support you. It is important to keep in mind, social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists offer psychotherapy, also called talk therapy. They do not prescribe medication. All of these clinicians can be described as therapists, but only doctoral level clinicians are referred to as psychologists. Psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses prescribe medication. Some psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses also offer talk therapy.
How to find a Counselor:
Visit msu.thrivingcampus.com and use the filter options to make your search. You can select meeting options, telehealth, practice areas, approaches, languages, race, sexual orientation, age range and community expertise. If I am looking for a therapist that offers in-person sessions, female and who specializes in depression. I will click those specific filter options. Next, I will select apply. A filtered list of the therapists who fit that description will populate. View the profiles of the filtered therapist results. Determine if they are accepting clients and if it would be a good fit for you.
Visit Psychology Today. To begin select the area (city, or zip). If you know the name of the therapist, you can also enter their name. The search results will populate with the therapist having that name. Once you have selected the area you can then filter out your results. You can select the issue, ethnicity, insurance, sexuality, language, type of therapy, faith, age and price. For instance, I would like a counselor who is female and specializes in trauma with a focus on family conflict who also accepts my insurance. I will select these options, gender (show me Women) insurance type (Blue Cross Blue Shield) issue (family conflict). The search will only yield the filtered results. View the profile of the therapist to determine if they are accepting new clients and if it would be a good fit for you.
Information to Provide to Therapist Offices When You Reach Out
Share the following with the therapist or the intake specialist. Give them a brief overview. I am looking for a therapist that offers in-person sessions, female and who specializes in depression. In addition, share what your insurance is and when you can meet. For example: you can meet only Wednesdays at lunch or after 5pm, and you have BCN insurance though MSU.
Helpful Tips
Call the therapist or therapist office on the phone and find out if the therapist is familiar with your needs.
- Verify that the information you read online is correct. Ask whether the therapist has experience dealing with your concerns. Some therapists specialize in working with children or families, adults or older adults. Some may have lots of experience with the problems that concern you.
Find out in advance what the fees will cost you, or if there is a charge for missed sessions.
- Verify the up-front costs you might be required to pay.
- Do they accept cash?
- How may sessions will be covered by your insurance?
- What is your copay?
Find out where the therapist is located, what hours are available for your treatment, and if the therapist will see you in an emergency.
- Do they offer in-person or virtual appointments?
Find out if they offer group counseling or joint therapy for families or couples, if applicable.
Remember that choosing a therapist is a very personal matter. There is no one therapist that is good for everyone.
The MSU WorkLife Office and Michigan State University do not endorse any of the above-mentioned resources nor does MSU control or guarantee the content or continued availability of the sites. They are listed with the intent of providing information to the campus community about available options; users are advised to access at their own risk.
