How To Find A Nashville Psychologist, Therapist Or Counselor Who’s Right For You
Are you looking for a Nashville psychologist, counselor or therapist but don’t know where to start?
Most people don’t seek out help when they are feeling great, so by the time they recognize the need for some support, they want it as quickly as possible. The best thing you can do is to act swiftly, but try to be somewhat patient in the process. By doing a little bit of digging at the beginning of your search, you can save yourself a good deal of extra time later on. For example, if you are feeling depressed and do a quick google search for the closest psychologist, who you don’t realize happens to specialize in exposure therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder, you’re going to have to start your search again after your first meeting. Or if you are on a very tight budget and need to find someone who is in-network with your insurance company, it helps to get that information upfront to save you time and energy.
Here are some tips for finding a Nashville psychologist, therapist or counselor:
- Ask for a referral from friends and family members.
If you have a friend or family member who has personally been to a psychologist, therapist or counselor in Nashville and has had a positive experience with that person, asking for a referral is a good place to start. It’s important to remember that finding the right mental health professional has to do with fit. Does your therapist or counselor specialize in your issue? Do your personalities mesh well? What may be calming for one person may be uncomfortable for another. A good fit means not only that a therapist or counselor has a certain level of training (at least a master’s degree is required for licensure in every state) and specializes in a particular area, like anxiety or ADHD, but that their unique characteristics, (i.e. personality, demographics, theoretical orientation) will make you feel safe and comfortable to do the work that is involved in psychotherapy.
- Ask your doctor.
If you don’t have friends or family members who can help with a referral, or don’t feel comfortable bringing up the subject, you might reach out to your primary care physician, ob/gyn, psychiatrist or your local health care system for a recommendation. Medical doctors can often help you find someone in your area who treats your presenting issue. You may also want to ask your doctor if he/she has patients who have seen positive results from the therapist.
- Search The Web For Psychologists, Therapists or Counselors in Nashville.
The next place you can look is on the internet. Most therapists these days have websites themselves, but there are also search engines that have listings and profiles of a significant number of therapists, such as Psychology Today and GoodTherapy.org. These search engines are widely used tools which can help you find a helping professional by neighborhood, specialty, experience, fees, gender and more. However, locally, there may be organizations that also list therapist profiles. For example, the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute is a networking organization for therapists, which provides a directory and profiles of their members. Look at each profile carefully and cross-check them with the therapist’s own website to see if a particular therapist is someone you could work well with.
- Consider Your Budget.
One important consideration is cost and how you intend to pay for services. If your plan is to pay for services through insurance, you should start at your insurance company’s website where you can search for providers who are in-network in your local area. Once you have developed that list of potential therapists, you can begin to look them up on different search engines to see if what they offer appears to be a good fit for you. Because of the complexity of the insurance industry, many therapists have opted not to participate on insurance panels, or are increasingly opting out. It is important that, if you must utilize your insurance benefits to pay for therapy, you confirm with the therapist that he/she is in-network.
- Check In With Yourself
Once you meet the therapist for the first time, I would not assume that your search has ended. In the initial sessions, you will get a better sense of the therapist. If you are offended, strongly disagree with something they say about you or do not like their approach, I encourage you to give your therapist direct feedback. If nothing changes and you continue to feel uncomfortable, you have a right to ask your therapist for a referral to another therapist who may be a better match. At the same time, please keep in mind that if you are hearing the same thing from a number of different therapists, it may be time to take a step back and really reflect on the feedback you are hearing.
Finding a therapist or counselor for the first time can be challenging, but with the right approach and a little bit of patience, you can find a therapist who is right for you and ultimately experience relief from suffering.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at clientcare@nashvillepsych.com or (615)582-2882 to schedule an appointment.
Thanks for reading.
Take good care,
Dan
