5 Questions to Ask During a 15-minute Consult with a Potential Therapist.
So you’ve narrowed down a prospective therapist and are scheduled to talk/meet with them to determine if you will work together. But you’re not sure what to ask during this time. “Should I let the therapist do all the talking? Or should I just tell them what I need?” Below are 5 basic questions that can help you secure the right counselor.
Do you work with ____________ symptoms?
Be sure to be honest about your situation so that you can determine the right fit. Withholding information about what brings you to therapy can cause you to have a therapist that may not specialize in what is required to give you the help that you need. Most therapists are trained to work with anxiety or depression. However, some therapists have more training in specific symptoms, and/or disorders than others. For example, if you think you may have complex PTSD, you may want to find a therapist that specializes in that specific diagnosis.
Do you take insurance? If so, which ones?
This is a crucial question to ask, as therapy can be costly. It’s important to know whether or not your therapist takes insurance because if they don’t, you may be paying the cost of therapy out-of-pocket. Now, there may be some benefits to paying for therapy out-of-pocket and not using insurance. For more information on insurance versus self-pay for therapy, check out my YouTube video. A therapist who takes insurance, may bill therapy sessions through your insurance plan, just as the process would be if you went to your medical doctor. For therapists that are self-pay, they may be able to provide you with documentation to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Additionally, therapists who take self-pay only may give you a Good Faith Estimate, which provides a rough gauge of what your therapy sessions will cost you in a year. If you plan to use insurance, be sure to check out this video for information that may be helpful.
Do you offer virtual sessions, in-person sessions and/or a combination of both?
Now that we live in a post-Covid world, the number of virtual therapy sessions has skyrocketed. You may be comfortable with seeing your therapist virtually. However, some people are more comfortable with seeing a therapist in person. Research shows that virtual sessions can be just as effective as in person sessions. Nevertheless, if you choose to go the virtual route, be sure to check with your insurance company to confirm whether or not your policy will cover virtual sessions.
How often will we meet?
A good question to ask your therapist during the 15-minute consultation is whether or not they believe that weekly or biweekly sessions will work better for you. Some therapists provide only weekly sessions, especially in the beginning of therapy, for symptom relief, and to help clients get on track to meeting the client’s goals. Other therapists may take the approach of seeing clients biweekly or even monthly depending on the client’s symptoms, the severity of the symptoms, and/or what the client and therapist are comfortable with.
How do you work?
The final question to ask your potential therapist during the 15-minute phone consultation is how they work. Believe it or not, this is an important question, as it gives you a sense of what therapy will look like. There are a lot of misconceptions about therapy. Some people feel that it is simply talking whereas others think that therapy is just getting advice. You will find, however, that some therapists’ approach to clients is to help them gain insight about past experiences, whereas other therapists treat you by focusing on the future with an attempt to help you find solutions for current problems. Regardless of the therapist’s approach to treatment, it is important for you to have some sense about what the counseling process will look like.
If you are looking for a Christian counselor in PG County Maryland, feel free to contact me at 301-591-7444 or check out my website at www.theartofconnectiontherapy.com where are you can schedule a free 15- minute phone consultation to figure out whether we would be a good fit for your healing journey.
