Choosing the Right Therapist near Virginia Highland, Old Fourth Ward, Decatur, and Morningside
There are more therapists available to work with you than ever before, especially with the advent of corporate mental health platforms and teletherapy. The selection pool decreases substantially for those who are seeking in person therapy, but there are still thousands of options in a large metropolitan area like Atlanta.
In this article, I’m going to identify three factors to consider when choosing a therapist, starting with the most important:
Choose the therapist who makes you feel understood. Just like most relationships in life, choosing the right therapist is a personal decision. This means that your own intuition and self are the most helpful guides as you seek a therapist. Can you imagine eventually letting this person into your internal world? A challenge with this factor is that sometimes you need to see a therapist for several sessions before you can truly discern the goodness of fit. It is perfectly okay and normal to switch therapists after several sessions if your gut tells you that you will have trouble feeling understood and safe with the therapist that you are seeing. Sometimes you simply do not resonate with the therapist’s presence or style of connecting with you. Conversely, when you do notice that you feel understood by your therapist and find yourself wanting to share more with them, these are the most important indicators that you have found a good fit. For my practice, I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation so that potential clients can begin to get a feel for what it’s like to connect with me.
Look at the therapist’s experience and specialties. Many therapists, especially those who have been practicing for years, tend to specialize over time. Choosing a therapist whose niche aligns well with your needs will increase the probability that it will be a helpful experience. One of my niches or specializations has become young adults, especially men, who feel stuck in patterns of addiction or unhealthy relationships. Having worked successfully with this population countless times, I have refined my approach along the way and feel very well equipped and comfortable working with this population.
Consider the therapists’s approach to therapy. With more access to mental health information including different approaches or theories of psychotherapy, many clients look for therapists who practice from a specific theoretical orientation, such as CBT, EMDR, DBT, IFS, etc. The theoretical orientation of the therapist is a helpful factor to consider, especially if you already know which approaches resonate most with you. I intentionally placed this as the least important factor because good therapists are able to adapt and customize their approach in order to best help you. Many of the approaches work in very similar ways, they just use language and implement techniques for getting there.
Finding a new therapist who is a good fit for you can feel overwhelming. Instead of getting stuck in a never ending cycle of analysis, reach out to several therapists and speak with them on the phone. Notice what it feels like to talk to them and to what extent they understand you and your reasons for seeking therapy. Feel free to reach out to me if to see if I’m a good fit for you!
