Guide to Therapist Directories

Why I encourage you to research other providers

Unlike other professions where there’s a competition or sales pitch to book clients, mental health providers tend to want you to find the right provider so you can feel safe to commit to the mental health journey ahead. Therapy is tough work and you will be more successful if you have a safe, respectful, trustworthy, and harmonious relationship with your therapist of choice.

I celebrate the fact that you’re seeking help—that’s truly a courageous thing to do! I encourage you to thoughtfully choose a provider who you can trust to support you as you experience healing from past wounds and compassionately challenge you to grow into the person you are called and created to be.

Things to consider when engaging in phone consultations and choosing a therapist:

• Do you respect and trust their mental health training, experience, knowledge, and skills?

• Are their therapeutic approach and specialized training aligned with your present needs?

• Do their core values and personality align with your identity and your present needs?

• Do they maintain a level of professionalism that is both clear and comfortable?

• Could you allow yourself to be consistently emotionally vulnerable with them?

• Would you (hypothetically) trust a close friend or family member to their care?

• Do you feel genuinely seen, heard, cared for, and understood as you interact with them?

• Do you feel compassionately accepted in your struggles and supported to grow with them?

• Have your feelings of fear, shame, judgment, or discomfort increased or decreased after meeting them?

Finding a therapist using online directories

The most significant factor in therapeutic success is the relationship between therapist and client; however, finding the right person may take time. The following resources may be helpful during the search for a suitable mental health provider. These may be used together with an in-network provider list from your health insurance and/or Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Check out my Guide to Insurance for information on out-of-network insurance reimbursement.

When using mental health directories, be mindful of the following:

• Due to state licensing regulations, you will need to filter the search by your state first, then by any additional preferences (ethnicity, faith, specialties, insurance, etc).

• With telehealth, you are able to work with any therapist who is licensed in your state of residence, even if the therapist isn't located in your city/state.

• The more filters are used at once, the more limited a search will become. Some preferences may need to be removed to yield more results.

• Not all therapists choose to list on multiple directories. Utilizing more than one of the following resources may yield more results.