Finding a therapist isn’t something most of us have much experience with doing. On top of that when we’re needing to find a therapist for the first time, it’s most likely coming at a time when we’re frazzled, distressed, sad, and feeling super vulnerable.

Needless to say it can be hard.

To help with that here are 3 things you may not know to consider when you’re looking for a therapist. When you picture working with a therapist do you picture:

1. Someone who speaks and describes things more ‘clinically and academically’ or someone who presents ideas, etc. in a more casual way? We may not know we are biased to favor one way or the other. We also may not realize we attribute more expertise to people sounding one way or another. Or can connect better with people sounding one way or another. To figure out which you might prefer, think about how you’ve responded to other situations in your life and that may indicate which way you’ll want to lean.
2. Someone who has you do all the talking and figuring things out or someone who shares ideas and connects some dots too? Are you needing a sounding board and picturing long sessions reclined on a couch? Or are you tired of trying to figure out all of this stuff on your own and want someone to jump in and give you some pointed direction for you to try out? You’ll want to know what you’re expecting in this area so your expectations can match your experience.
3. Someone who is available at times outside your appointment time or someone who isn’t? Some therapists allow text message, email or phone questions between sessions and others don’t. Figure out what type of availability you are looking for and make sure the therapists you are checking out fit the bill.

Have you discovered any others? What are somethings you’d add to this list?