What Kind of Therapist Should I See?

If you’re having trouble coping with stressful life developments, seeking the help of a therapist can give you the level of support and care you need to improve your quality of life. That being said, knowing which type of counselor to reach out to is far more important than many believe. Are you currently on the hunt for a psychologist? If so, here are a few tips that will help you figure out what type of therapy you should pursue.

Figure out what issues are currently impacting you.

If you’re dealing with stress or just need someone to talk to, finding a mental health professional in your area who can offer you the support you need is fairly simple. If you’re face-to-face with mental illness, this changes things. Some people may need inpatient care along with medication in order to make their symptoms more manageable. Meanwhile, some may respond well to talk therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) while others may need exposure therapy or mindfulness-based therapy. Put simply, knowing what you’re dealing with is crucial to getting the right help.

Take some time to sit down and ask yourself, “What am I currently struggling with?” Some symptoms of mental illness will be easy to identify, while some mental illnesses make it difficult to identify that you’re struggling with a problem at all. If you can figure out what symptoms are impacting you, doing this will make it easier to get the right treatment plan right off the bat.

Look for both online and virtual resources that meet your needs.

Once you have a better idea of what you’re struggling with, it’s a bit simpler to find the right resources. In this day and age, you’re also not limited to in-person therapy. For example, if you’re a young adult struggling with mental disorders, substance abuse, or something impactful like eating disorders or self-harm behavior, you can find IOP therapy online that gives you the ability to tap into one-on-one therapy throughout the week from the comfort of your own home. With a dedicated clinical team creating a personally tailored treatment plan to meet your specific needs, you can rest assured that you’re getting high-quality care designed to produce the best possible outcome. Whether you want individual therapy or group therapy, there’s help and hope out there for you.

Be particular about who you see if you’re going to a local clinic or practice.

img

It’s important to have the right therapist, as this will impact how well they relate to you, how well you respond to treatment, and whether or not your sessions go in the direction you want them to. If you have a therapist you don’t like, chances are that you’re not going to get the best results. This can be a major blow to your mental health and your bank account once you decide to pursue treatment for your individual situation.

Instead, carefully research your chosen therapist online to see what other people have to say about their experience and learn more about their professional experience. You can even look up people for free if you have a first name, last name, and location. This will then give you a comprehensive background report and reveal more about your therapist (business details, criminal records, etc.) that will give you even more information you can use to make a decision in your treatment journey. Your search results may also turn up social media profiles for a glimpse into their life and their way of thinking. Remember, not every therapist is going to be a great fit for you. It’s up to you to find the right match and keep searching until you get that perfect fit.

Finding therapy is simple. Finding the right therapist, however, isn’t always easy. If you’ve decided to pursue therapy, use the guide above to make the search for physical or virtual therapists simpler.