It’s time to start counseling.
You are at the point where you need to start going to counseling and are looking for a therapist and how to go about selecting just the right one can be challenging. Do you pick a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or a Marriage and Family Therapist? Do you pick someone who does Psychoanalysis or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? Or should you use a Life Coach? Are you supposed to just call up a stranger and share your most private and painful parts and then make an appointment? You may not even know what your problem is which makes it even tougher to get just the right help. This whole process creates a vulnerability challenge! It can leave you feeling alone, helpless and avoidant of picking up the phone to schedule. I want to tell you don’t worry you are in good company! Most of us aren’t great at asking for help, especially when feeling badly about ourselves.
When you are struggling with the loss of a loved one, an affair, erectile dysfunction, trauma, or marital discord it’s hard to get through the day let alone go shopping for a clinician. I’d like to offer you some of that Doylestown spirit by helping you find someone who can help you as quickly as possible.
Therapists and counselors abound in Doylestown.
This can be a blessing and a curse when your struggling and need of just the right professional to support you through a challenging event. Research shows that it is not the model of care that creates change but is actually the connection between the client and the helper that creates a positive outcome. So, finding just the right person involves using your gut and noticing your feelings when you are making your final selection. That being said there are some guidelines that can help you make your best decision.
Here are my tips in finding a therapist that is a good fit for your treatment goals.
Use a Therapy Directory
If looking for a therapist or counselor the easiest way to compare them is to use a therapy directory. The largest one is called Psychology Today. Therapists advertise on this site by sharing the particulars of their practice. The clinician completes a profile using standardized questions. You can quickly get a vibe on who they are by reading their personal write-ups on themselves, what they offer, their hourly rate, years of experience, which insurance plans they participate in, their training, and specialties.
You can set the search parameters to cull through the must-have criteria you are looking for. I recommend talking with at least 3 clinicians to explore your goals for treatment. Although it’s tempting to email a counselor to discuss your goals for treatment in a less awkward way, I suggest that you speak to them by phone so as to get a live experience of how they respond to you and your set of problems.
Interview a Therapist
Interview possible therapist candidates by asking them questions about the way that they work. How would they treat your identified problems? What sets them apart from other therapists who treat the same issues? What do they do when the therapy gets stuck and progress isn’t being made? How long is the average client in treatment with them? A clinician ideally knows their own style and process and can communicate this to you with relative ease.
Look for a Specialist
Find a therapist who has a chosen population they work with. Be cautious if they have listed many specialties and populations they have experience working with. Be sure to ask questions about their training in the problem area you are seeking therapy for. To become skilled in therapy, most therapists study and have post- grad training in how to deliver a model of care. Completing a Masters degree or even a PhD. program doesn’t necessarily give a clinician a road map or ability to operationalize the change process for the potential client because the educational programming is heavily book learning which includes a part-time practicum to give the student client experience.
Most skilled therapists have engaged in post-grad training in some area of interest which has included lectures and skill building exercises to provide a road map for change for the client. Certified therapists have completed even more education in their area of specialty and have been required to hire a master therapist who is certified in supervision review their cases. This helps the therapist “grow their clinical eyes”by having the supervisor observe their work or review their cases with them to check on their blind spots (we all have them) and to offer suggestions as it relates to both the interventions that can be offered to the client to help them grow as well as feedback on the therapist’s style and missed therapeutic moments.
For example, I am an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist who helps couples and men. To be certified as a sex therapist I was required to be licensed in the state of PA to provide mental health care as well as complete one full year of post grad education (90 clock hours of academic coursework) in sexual health. I was also required to complete 50 hours of clinical supervision in sex therapy. This program enables me to help to treat client challenges - both individual and couple related-related to sexual problems and concerns.
If you are looking for therapy that focuses on couples or family work make sure you find a counselor that has specialized training in this modality of care. Working with more than one client in a session requires using a different set of strategies and interventions. The couples/family therapist is usually tracking what is going on BETWEEN two people and is “the relationship’s therapist” rather than taking sides. This means they are tracking the risks to the relationship in session for all people and highlighting the interplay between two people. An individual therapist is focused on your experience and organizes around helping you notice the pattern of behavior you engage in to get your needs met. They might have you sit with your loved one’s experience as part of treatment but the therapist is aligned with your wants and needs and is going to offer strategies around that.
Find A Therapist Who Never Stops Learning
Ask the therapist if they are currently receiving clinical supervision. They may reply that, “Oh I did that in the beginning but I don’t need that anymore.” If this is their response please beware. Although it truly is the connection between the client and the clinician which creates the change, the use of supervision creates a razor- sharp ability to assess your situation and know how to operationalize the change you need. What makes a great therapist is someone who gives you feedback that helps you figure out how you are shooting yourself in the foot from getting your needs met. A therapist who states that they are currently getting supervision is a GREAT sign that the therapist is invested in their continued growth as professional and it also offers a second set of clinical eyes/ears on your set of problems. In this case, two heads are better than one. Supervision is not for beginners, it’s for life!
Find A Counseling Schedule that Works for You
Discuss the therapist’s style of scheduling. Will you get an ongoing appointment time that you can plan around or will you be jockeying for a slot every other week because the clinician’s schedule is overbooked? How long are the appointments? Most therapists offer a 50-60 minute clinical hour. Remember that change takes time and space for you to be able to notice what isn’t working in your life and to implement the changes. From my own experience in offering therapy, I have noticed that if you aren’t seen weekly it will slow down your ability to make the changes you need to feel content in life. You will end up reporting the events of the past 2 weeks feeling like you need to explain what happened so that the therapist will understand today.
Clients often end up frustrated and often complain that the therapy isn’t working and they aren’t getting anywhere when they come in less than weekly. This is because you need the time to focus on the changes you want to make instead of telling the story of what happened. Having the space to have your feelings heard,validated and challenged allows you to receive the corrective emotional experience therapy is meant to offer.
Ask your Friends or Doctor for a Therapy Referral
Get referrals from people who are in the know. Ideally speak to either people who have been treated by the therapist or ask other health care professionals who have referred their own patients to them. Find out what their experience was. Ask the person what were the strengths and weaknesses of the clinician. Know that no one is perfect and select a therapist whose weakness you can tolerate.
Get the Right Form of Therapy - In Person or Virtual Therapy
Find out if the therapist offers telehealth. Telehealth is the latest way to deliver counseling but you may not know what that is. It’s a HIPAA compliant video platform that you can access in the comfort of your home. This enables you and the therapist to participate in the therapy without you leaving your home. There are pluses and minuses to this experience. The convenience is wonderful, especially if you are feeling sick or if your area is experiencing bad weather. It can also enable you to work with a clinician who may be inconveniently far away. The downside to telehealth is that for some there is something lost without the face to face session, at times it can be experienced as a more distant experience. Ways to combat that are to make sure that both you and the clinician’s video camera are close enough to your faces to ensure good eye contact is made. It makes all the difference!
Investing in Yourself through Counseling
Embarking in therapy or counseling is an investment – it’s a worthy one because it can change your life. If you don’t have the funds to pay out of pocket, asking a therapist which insurance plans they are paneled under will allow you to know if your plan will pay part or all of the costs. Should the therapist not be paneled with any insurance plans don’t pass them by! They may be willing to offer you what is called “out of network billing”. This means that you would pay the therapist their fee and they would provide to you a “superbill” which is a document they prepare which includes the diagnosis of the patient and other codes which signify the specifics of how the service was delivered (individually or family), the dates of treatment, and the fees paid. You would submit this to your insurance plan to get reimbursed for the money you paid to the clinician directly. You will need to call your insurance plan to find out if you do indeed have out of network benefits built into your plan as not all plans offer this benefit
It should be noted that some therapists work pro bono or at a reduced rate for people who are struggling financially. If you are financially challenged ask the therapist if this is something they offer. They may require documentation as proof of your need or create limits to reduced rate care for example, should you miss appointments or not be engaged in the process they may end treatment or offer you less desirable appointment slots that are usually difficult to fill.
Need a Therapist?
I hope this helps you find the right therapist in Doylestown. If you are still feeling stuck, feel free to call me at (215) 272-1161 or click here for a free 15- minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with sexual health problems or support in navigating your couple’s relationship you can read more about how I can help here.