Finding THE ONE; The Search For The Right Therapist

At this point, you have probably been searching high and low for a therapist that will just feel right. This part of the search feels more like a succession of terrible blind dates and you worry that you’ll never find THE ONE.

We have our list of requirements for a good therapist – informative but we don’t want a lecture, empathetic but we don’t want them crying on our shoulder by the end of the session, challenging but we don’t want to leave feeling raked over the coals, and on and on. So how do you choose?

Well, my best advice is to find a therapist who has experience with what you are dealing with. Not a therapist with a list of issues they treat that’s a mile long. A counselor who specializes in a few.

My second criteria is that we both feel like we click. Technique and models are important, however without that piece of the relationship we will struggle to work together. We can tell you’re still wondering about techniques and models. Yes, they are important. Certain issues are best treated within a range of protocols. However… we are also individuals.

Your unique personality, learning style and temperament is important too. If you are more of a worksheet kinda person, the CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) might be a good fit for you. If you have experienced trauma but are truly reluctant to voice it, EMDR or experiential therapies such as Art Therapy, Play Therapy or Equine Assisted Psychotherapy might be a fit. If you notice that you become dis-regulated and either zone out or get activated quickly, then mindfulness and working with horses through Natural Lifemanship skills might work for you.

Sometimes parents are working so hard to help their children that they seek therapy for them. They see their child floundering, not using their gifts, keeping to the middle of the road instead of soaring. It may seem counter-intuitive, but we would typically work with the whole family, not just our stuck kiddo. When children and teens see that their adults have to “do work” too, it opens them up to growth and allowing that support in.

​Here’s where a lot of people start to really flounder. People would like to go through their insurance. Look, we get it. We’re paying into a fund monthly so we can lower our out of pocket expenses for a reason! While we do not accept insurance, we can provide the necessary paperwork to seek reimbursement. However many of our clients choose not to. There are a few reasons that our clients decide not to go through insurance.

One of the biggest sticking points is that we would need to provide your insurance company a diagnosis to treat you. Quality of care, availability and training are also factors for choosing a therapist not on your provider’s list. You’re probably wondering why we don’t accept insurance. While there are a lot of factors involved, it comes down to having the creative freedom to treat our clients the way they deserve. Instead of cookie-cutter interventions and worksheets.

At Berger Counseling Services, we keep our census small. This lets us provide a personal touch and keeps us from disengaging through burnout. We know that our decision to not accept insurance can be difficult financially. All the more reason to know that we’re a good fit before moving forward. We will have had at least two conversations before ever deciding to formally begin our relationship.

In order to make sure we are a good fit for both you and us, we schedule a free meet and greet after we have talked on the phone. No high pressure sales tactics either. We send you home to make an informed decision without feeling the pressure to make a decision in front of us. If we are not a good fit, then we will seek to understand what you are looking for and provide your with referrals.

​The next time you or someone you know is struggling, reach out to us to see if we can be of service.