Finding a therapist has become a real obstacle course these days with the internet typically deciding who wins. But what if the internet is wrong? How would you even know? Is telehealth as effective as in-person, and how would you know?

There are so many different licenses now and letters after names that can leave you scratching your head as to which means what. Many people who want to use their insurance get on the phone and start calling therapists asking, do you take my insurance, when their insurance should be telling them who accepts their insurance. Then, the next round of inquiries commences as a person starts calling the list they got
from the insurance company only to get no call back or be told the practice is full or the therapist has retired. Now you aren’t looking for the right clinician for you, you are ready to take ANY clinician.

Before you give up and/or “settle,” consider using an experienced therapist who only works “fee for service,” also known as “cash.” Oh, I hear you! I can’t afford that, but hold on and hear me out. First, people get used to only covering a co-pay that can be next to nothing because insurance then pays a negotiated fee that could be extremely low but never high. The difference appears shocking, but it is misleading. While therapists are in the business of helping people, they still are running a business with bills to pay and need an income to buy their own necessities. Maybe you would do well with an intern, depending on your needs. Maybe you could see an experienced therapist a few times and be good instead of not making the progress you went there to achieve.

I had a couple come in several years ago on the immediate verge of divorce. They had seen another therapist first and were frustrated with the lack of progress. One spouse had found me and the other asked in a less-than-pleasant manner, “Why do you charge so much?” I simply asked a question back. “If you saw another therapist for the past few years and felt the charge was reasonable, why are you here now?” They seemed startled. I didn’t believe the therapist they had been seeing was a “bad therapist,” I just thought it wasn’t a good fit for this case. I checked in after the third visit to see how we were doing and was instantly informed they had NEVER covered anything we had already addressed in the previous treatment. They hugged each other as they left and returned to work on other things.

Not all therapists and not all cases are created equal. It should take some work to find the right place for you to get the best help. THAT IS GOOD THERAPY