Starting Therapy: Our Guide to Nailing the Consultation Call and Finding A Great Therapist

Whether you’ve been in therapy for years or you’re looking for a therapist for the first time, finding a new therapist can feel like a daunting task. At our practice, we always recommend a  consultation call before starting therapy. These calls are complimentary and can help you determine if the therapist would be a good fit for you. They also help your provider to make sure they feel equipped to support you in reaching your goals. We know that a strong relationship between client and therapist is one of the best predictors of therapy success, and that this relationship can start forming from that first contact.   

What to Expect in a Consultation Call 

While not all consultations will look the same, there are some things you may want to think about before you speak with a therapist, so that you can make the most of your call with them. The therapist will likely ask you for a brief description of what is bringing you to therapy. Being able to briefly describe what you are looking for in therapy will allow your prospective therapist to better understand the challenges you are facing and to frame how they may be able to help you. At your first therapy session and throughout the process of therapy,  you will have many opportunities to share more about your therapy needs, and it’s OK if those needs evolve. However, this brief call gives you and your therapist a mutual starting point. 

The therapist will likely also ask what has helped you before. If you have been in therapy in the past, it is helpful to share what worked (or didn’t) with your previous thearpist. Effective therapy can look many different ways, and there are a myriad of evidence-based, effective treatments and styles. It’s important for your new therapist to understand what approaches felt helpful (or didn’t), what you are less open to, and even how you feel about starting therapy again. Don’t worry if you don’t know the “jargon,” just share what you can.

Our Top Three Questions to Ask During a Consultation Call

While you have limited time on these calls, it is important to remember that they are largely for your benefit.  It is important that you feel comfortable with the person you decide to work with, and asking questions about the therapist’s experience and approach can be a helpful way to do this. We suggest you ask the following questions. 

3 Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist 

1. What experience do you have treating/supporting people with challenges like mine? 

While our training covers a lot of ground, no therapist is an expert on everything. Many of us have a specialty area or areas, such as Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders or trauma treatment using EMDR. Knowing what training and experience your therapist has with the problems you are seeking to solve can help you make an informed decision about working with them. 

2. How might you approach helping me meet my goals? 

As mentioned above, there can be many effective ways to do therapy. While, of course, the therapist will not know the full scope of your challenges from a brief conversation, they should be able to talk about how they might go about supporting you, or approaches that they may try. 

3. How will I/you/we know if we are a good fit for therapy? 

Of course, you can only learn so much about a person from a brief phone call, so it is helpful to think about how you might know if things are going well in therapy. It takes time to establish trust and a relationship with a provider, and you may not know after one phone call (or even one session) if you are a good fit. Asking the provider to talk about what progress and fit might look like to them and how they will follow up on these things can help you set expectations going into therapy. 

Finding a new therapist can feel intimidating, and there are no guarantees that the first person you speak to will suit you. We recommend that you speak to multiple therapists before picking a provider to give you some different perspectives on what might be helpful.  If you can make the most out of a consultation call, you may feel more confident in your choice of provider and better able to discern if a therapist is the right “fit” for you.