Lisette Lahana,MSW,LCSW
Consultation, Psychotherapy and Training
TIPS FOR FINDING A THERAPIST
from Lisette Lahana, MSW
- Finding a psychotherapist, psychologist or mental health clinician that is a good fit for you may take time, sometimes weeks. Keep at it, don't get discouraged and try to talk to a number of therapists before choosing one.
- If a therapist doesn't call you back, don't assume anything. They could have accidentally deleted your message OR your phone number could have been hard to hear. Call again, preferably not with a cell phone-repeat your number twice, clearly. Calling again also shows them you are motivated to seek help.
- Pay attention to how you feel while you listen to their outgoing voice message or during your first phone conversation. Trust your instincts. How does their voice make you feel? Did you get a good or bad feeling from the brief conversation? Use that information to figure out if you want to schedule a first appointment.
- Use your community resources. Ask friends, spiritual leader, doctor, nurse, or health care provider if they can recommend a particular therapist to help you with your issues.
- Whenever possible, make your decision based on recommendations *from people whom you trust* Any therapist can take out a big ad in the yellow pages, but often what really counts is if you notice the same therapist keeps coming up when you ask around. Be especially careful when you read opinions about therapists online as often there is no screening of those entries. You have no way of knowing if that person's report about a therapist is accurate.
- Take notes! If you are going through a list of therapists from your insurance take detailed notes about who you spoke to and if they had room for new clients. Save those notes to go over when you call your insurance company. Let them know if everyone is full and they can often help you find you other names to call.
- Don't be afraid to schedule more than one first time appointment to "shop around" for your therapist. Its OK to let therapists know that you only want to meet with them once, to see if it feels like a good match. Therapists understand that finding someone you
feel you can connect with is the key to therapy that works.
- Think of the types of people you felt most safe or connected to in the past. For instance if you want to see someone of your same ethnicity or race, don't be afraid to ask a therapist if they share the same background.
Psychotherapy, Consultation and Training - San Francisco East Bay Area
(510) 915-4795