How to Find a Therapist Near Me

For Everyone
Written By Madeline Thompson

These blogs are written by the author, not ChatGPT or other AI interfaces. The information or opinions contained within may have changed from the time of writing. Always be sure to reference multiple sources or seek personalized professional opinions if appropriate.

July 1, 2024 | By Madeline Thompson Smith, APC

Deciding to seek therapy can be a big decision. If you’re looking for a counselor, you’re likely already dealing with life challenges, so finding the right therapist may feel too daunting. Luckily, the process doesn’t have to be painful. Here are the first steps to follow to find the best counselor to help you move forward.

Step One: Know Your Needs:

Before you start searching for a therapist, answer the answers to these questions:

  • Do I want in-person or telehealth sessions?

  • Do I need weekday, after work hours, or weekend appointments?

  • Do I need to use insurance?

  • If I will not use insurance, what rate is affordable?

These are the four main questions you can use to narrow down your search. Most therapists have the answers to these FAQs on their website, so you don’t have to use your time or energy reaching out to providers who don’t meet your needs.

 

Step 2: Find a Therapist You’re Interested In

There are plenty of options to find therapists near you. Use any of the following techniques to see who is available and feels like a good fit.

1. Therapist Directories:

Many therapists maintain a profile on at least one therapy directory. These directories allow you to filter your search by multiple important factors such as insurance, location, telehealth, and fee range. You can add additional filters, such as specific mental health concerns, the type of therapy the counselor uses, or gender of the therapist. The site with the most therapist listings is Psychology Today, but all are useful.

2. Google:

Therapists must pay to have a listing on the therapy directories, so don’t forget to check good ol’ google. A therapist may be a perfect match and not have a profile on the sites above. When googling, be sure scroll through several pages of results. There may be dozens, if not hundreds, of therapists in your area, so your future therapist’s website may not be on the first page of the results. Try googling [your location] + [type of therapy you’re looking for] + [any other specifications].

Examples:

  • Snellville in-person play therapy for anxiety

  • Georgia virtual EMDR therapy Aetna Insurance

  • Lawrenceville therapy for trans teens

3. Personal & Professional Recommendations:

Friends, family members, or local facebook groups may have great experiences with counselors and be able to recommend a particular therapist or counseling practice to check out. The same therapist may not be able to treat you if you have a close relationship with their current client (i.e. if you want to process a negative relationship with your mom growing up, seeing your mom’s therapist probably isn’t the right choice) but might have a recommendation of a trusted colleague or other therapist at the practice.

Your primary care doctor, psychiatrist, or school counselor likely keeps a list of trusted therapists in the area. Ask for their option to find out who they recommend in the area.

4. Insurance:

If you need to use insurance, the best place to start is your insurance provider. They will have a list of therapists in network on their online portal. This is the best way to ensure that you are seeing an in-network provider.

Step 3: How Do I Reach Out to the Therapist?

Reach out to the therapist through their website, phone number, or email address. Briefly explain what you’re looking for help with. If you couldn’t find the answer to one of the four questions at the beginning of the blog, you can ask that in your initial email/voicemail, or when you first speak to them. The therapist will then be able to tell you how to move forward, often by setting up a brief phone consultation to get more information.

Examples:
“Hi, my name is Jane Smith and I’m looking for play therapy for my 7-year-old son. He is struggling with anxiety, and we saw that you do in-person therapy in the area. Do you have availability before or after school hours? If so, I’m interested in talking more to hear if you think this would be a good fit.”

“Hi, I would like more information on Exposure and Response Prevention therapy that you provide for OCD. I liked the way you described your approach to counseling, and saw on your website that you do 15-minute phone consultations. Can you let me know the best way to schedule that?”

What if I don’t hear back?

If you reach out to a therapist and you do not hear a response within a few business days, it may be because the therapist is simply human. Perhaps they were out of the office, forgot to flag the email to reply to later, or an email ended up in their spam folder. Maybe the admin accidentally missed a phone message, or tech issues meant they couldn’t understand your voicemail. If there’s a therapist you definitely want to work with, don’t hesitate to reach out again if you don’t hear back the first time.

If you don’t hear back after a second attempt, take solace in knowing that perhaps it wasn’t the right therapist for you.  If they are too busy to reply to potential clients, they may be too busy to give you their full attention as a new client. You can find a good fit in someone else.

Step 4: What Next?

The therapist will help you move forward with the next steps to start treatment. Often, you will have a brief phone consultation to see if the therapist feels like a good fit, fill out consent paperwork, meet for an intake session to gather all of the necessary background information and set goals, and then begin counseling.

Remember, if the first therapist isn’t a good fit, there are many more who can help you on your path. Don’t be afraid to try several therapists to find the one that best fits your needs.

Save this page to check back for upcoming blogs about questions to ask in the consultation call, how to prepare for the intake, and what to expect in your first session.

Madeline Thompson