Once you come to the realization that you want/need to start (psycho)therapy services, you have to face the next step: finding a provider. This can seem like a daunting task – where do you start? I will dive into several options you have – keep reading to the end to see which of these options I recommend most.

• If you’re comfortable, you can ask friends and family for recommendations. It’s fairly likely that someone you know has been to therapy. They may not want you seeing the same therapist they see, but it doesn’t hurt to ask – and it’s possible they may have someone perfect to recommend. I’d definitely recommend googling any recommendations you get to check the therapist out for yourself (or their online presence anyways). Also verify that the therapist is in network with your insurance.
• You can ask social media groups for recommendations. I see moms asking for therapist recommendations in social media groups pretty frequently. My big hesitancy with this is that you likely don’t know the people you are asking, and it’s possible they are just recommending a therapist who is a family member or friend to try to help that therapist out with their case load. This is a possibility, but to be honest I’ve also seen plenty of responses where people are earnestly recommending therapist they have experiencing with. Again, I’d recommend researching any names you get, and always verify that the therapist is in network with your insurance plan.
• You can google “therapist near me” and search through results. This will pull up any therapy offices near you, but you may have to visit their website to get information on the actual provider. Most therapist have a website you can visit to find out more information about them. The downside to this is that it’s fairly easy to get overwhelmed with searching and googling and clicking and remembering which websites/providers you’ve already looked at. Also, there may be a therapist just outside your map search area that would be a good fit for you. As with the above options, always verify that the therapist you find is in network with your insurance.
• You can check your insurance website to find providers who are in network, then do your research on those providers. Again, many therapist have a website with a picture and at least some information about them, their background, education, and therapy style. Doing all that research may be pretty overwhelming though (see above bullet point).
• You can ask your primary care physician (or other specialty doctor) for a recommendation. I would definitely do your research on any name you get to see if the information you can find gives you the impression they will be a good fit. And (sorry if you’re sick of reading this, but…) verify the therapist is in network with your insurance.
• What I recommend most is searching on PsychologyToday.com. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a great search tool. Psychology Today is a subscription site for therapists (and some other mental health providers). Therapist pay a monthly fee to have their profile listed on the Psychology Today site. The reason I love this site is all the filters that help you find a therapist that meets your needs. You can filter by “issues,” insurance, age of client, gender of therapist, types of therapy provided, price (usually applies for cash clients only), language spoken, ethnicities served, religious considerations, and sexuality. If you are looking specifically for a male, Christian therapist in network with Aetna who provides Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), then this site is your best bet. Your results will include a picture of the therapist and a profile full of information – sometimes even videos! The one major concern I have is that not all providers are listed on Psychology Today. As stated above, therapist pay a fee to have their profile listed, but not all therapists do. I currently have a profile up, but there have been periods of time when I cancelled my subscription due to not being able to accept new referrals. I once had a client tell me that she found a therapist on Psychology Today, so she “knew they must be good” because they were listed on that site. Not true! Psychology Today does verify license information, but this is a site therapist can choose to be listed on. (Side note: No, I do not get any sort of kickback for recommending this site. I pay the full monthly membership price just like everyone else.)

Those are all good options for finding a therapist, depending on your circumstances. There are pros and cons for each option, but there’s no rule against employing several of these tactics for finding a good therapist. Many therapist may have limited availability or no availability at all, so it can be helpful to find several providers that look promising, so that if your first choice isn’t available, you can reach out to your second (or third) choice. Once you have a name (or list of names) it’s time to reach out (call, email, send a message through a site). If you needs tips, see Contacting a Therapist for Services.

Disclaimer: I am a licensed independent mental health practitioner and certified professional counselor, but I am not your therapist. The information in this article is for general informational purposes only. This article does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you need specific recommendations based on your individual circumstances, please consult with a mental health practitioner near you.