Trying to find a therapist can be a challenge, especially if you do not know what you are looking for or what types of services you need. Then once you are looking, each therapist has their own paragraph or two of what they are like, what they have to offer, and how they will help you. While these are great, it does not really help you decide if this therapist will be a good fit for you. So the next step is to set up a consultation with them for a phone call or meeting in person. Now you’re about to meet them in person and you may be thinking to yourself, “What am I supposed to ask them,” or “How can I prepare for a consultation?” Continue reading below to help you better prepare questions for a consultation with a potential therapist.
General Questions
Here are some general questions to help guide you through your consultation with a potential therapist:
What is your general philosophy and approach to helping? Are you more directive or more guiding?
This response might include things like “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy”, “Dialectical Behavioral Therapy”, and “Client-Centered Therapy”. Do not be afraid to ask what these styles of therapy include, look like, and how it will help and challenge you.
How do you set up my counseling goals?
This might involve you sharing what you are looking to get help with at therapy. This is called a presenting concern. This can include emotions, behaviors, situations, and people you are dealing with and want to talk about in therapy. This can also help the potential therapist answer about goals. They may also have a general way for creating goals. There is no right or wrong answer for how a therapist creates your goals. You are allowed to have some say in your goals as well. If you know what you want out of therapy, voice that to the potential therapist and see if that is something they can help you with.
Do you provide homework and what does it look like?
Some therapists make suggestions for things you can work on in between sessions so that progress can be made and can continue on the days when you do not have a session. Some therapists provide “homework”, some may not, and others may do a combination. Homework might look like reading something that will help you, having a conversation with someone, or focusing on yourself with a coping skill.
What is a typical therapy session like?
Each therapist has their own way of running sessions. This can help give you an insight into what you can expect when you sit across from the therapist. This can be an important question so there are no surprises when you are in the therapy room.
How can I prepare for the first session and what can I expect at the first session?
The first session is called an Intake session, and these might look different from the second session and so on. The intake session may look like finishing up any incomplete documents, going over policies, answering any further questions, and explaining what the process of therapy will look like.
What are ways to know therapy is working?
This question can help you see how a therapist works and what they are looking for. Progress may be very visible, and some progress may not be super visible. Some progress may move quickly, and other progress may move slowly.
How often do you plan on us working together?
This question is important to help you mentally, physically, and financially prepare for a commitment to therapy. Sessions can be 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 53+ minutes long. Go into this question with an idea of what you are looking for, but also remember the therapist is a professional and will be able to provide some idea of what might be best for you and your progress. You are able to go against the therapist’s recommendations, but know that progress might be significantly slower in that case. This question can also help prepare you for if you will be meeting one time a week (which is standard), two times a week, every other week, bi-monthly, one time a month, or as needed. This will help you know how often your therapist expects to see you in a month to also help you understand the financial commitment you will be making.
Are you religious and will that impact our sessions and your approach?
Not every therapist is religious. Some therapists will incorporate theirs and your religion into sessions, if that is something you are comfortable with and want. If you do not want religion involved in your sessions, that is okay too. Express this to your therapist to make sure you are a good fit for what you are looking for and if you are looking for a religious therapist.
What is your licensing and what does that mean?
There are many different licenses out there that allow individuals to practice psychotherapy. Different licenses mean various educational backgrounds. If this is something that is important to you, talk with the therapist about what you are looking for. For example, an LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has significant schooling on marriage, family and couples. An LPC is a licensed professional counselor and is more generally trained.
What insurance do you take? How much does a session cost? Do you have a no-show/late cancel policy?
These questions are extremely important as every practice has different insurances, varying prices, and different cancellation policies. This can help set you up for financial success when committing to therapy and help you know how to add this to your budget. It is also important to know the answers to these questions so there are no surprises when you have already started seeing a therapist that you know is a good fit for you.
Review
Finding a therapist that works for you is important, but it is even more important to know about your therapist, what a session will look like, what you can timewise and financially commit too, and how the potential therapist will work with you through your mental health journey. Write these questions down the next time you have a scheduled consultation with a potential therapist and you will never have to worry about what to ask a therapist and what you should know before signing up with a therapist.
About Therapist Bethany Winter, MA, LPC Barnum Counseling
MindWell Counselors and Therapists in New York City. (2021, July 1). 19 revealing questions to ask a therapist before your first session [2022]. Mindwell NYC. https://mindwellnyc.com/questions-to-ask-a-therapist/
Bloudoff-Indelicato, Mollie. (2016, March 3). The 14 questions you should ask a therapist before your first appointment. Washingtonian. https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/03/03/the-14-questions-you-must-ask-a-therapist-before-your-first-appointment/
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