Top Questions to Ask A Therapist

When you are looking for a therapist you might wonder what the best questions are to ask to get an idea of what it will be like to work with this person, especially if you are starting a therapy/counseling relationship for the first time.  Here are a few ideas for you:

What are your fees?

There is a wide range of fees for mental health support in the Littleton, Colorado area.  Typically you will see fees from $60 a session to around $300.  Keep in mind that this is partly based on the type of mental health professional you see and how much experience and education that person has.  Providers with a master’s degree are usually at the lower end from $60 to $175, psychologists who would have a Ph.D. or Psy.D. will charge a little more and psychiatrists are at the top end.  LifePaths charges $100 for a standard counseling session, and a little more if you wish to do EMDR with your therapist.  (EMDR is a specialized type of therapy and you can find information about this at http://www.emdria.org.)

Do you take my insurance?

Not all counselors bill insurance companies directly.  LifePaths doesn’t.  The best way to find a counselor that takes your insurance is to look them up in the online directory on your insurance company website.  You can also call around and ask the different professionals that you talk to.  When we don’t bill your insurance company directly, we call it “private pay” and most of the time you can expect to pay at the time of your session.

You might wonder why someone would want to see a therapist and pay the entire cost themselves but it is common for either mental health services to not be covered, or sometimes people would rather keep their mental health support as private as possible.

Do you have a cancellation policy?

A cancellation policy designates what the counselor expects if you need to cancel your appointment.  LifePaths’ policy is to expect at least 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment, or you will be charged for the session.   There is more information about our policy in our New Client Packet, which you can find at http://www.lifepathscounseling.com/forms.html.

Do you have emergency coverage?

Therapists can provide emergency coverage in a variety of ways such as a separate emergency contact number, being on-call 24/7, having an answering service, and more.  At LifePaths each counselor is on-call but if we are going to be unavailable for an extended period of time we will provide an alternate counselor to contact for when a client is in crisis.  Always keep in mind that if you are having a mental health crisis or emergency and are unable to reach your counselor or an alternate person, you should call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room for assistance.

What can I expect from the first session, and how does a session typically go?

This question may be particularly important if you are going to a counselor for the first time.  Sessions are typically 45-50 minutes long.  Often a first session may be a little bit longer so that your therapist can gather enough information from you on not only what issues you are facing but also to take care of the intial paperwork and get to know you.  Some therapists call this an intake session, or an initial assessment.  Many therapists also work with you to set specific goals you have for your therapy, to be sure that he or she understands what you want to achieve and how quickly.   The first session will give you a sense of how subsequent sessions will go as well with this particular therapist.

How would you describe your style as a therapist?

This question will also give you a sense of how sessions will go with a particular therapist.  In addition, it will help you understand whether this therapist may be a good match for you personally, and be someone you can trust and work with.   I will share my own style with you, as I think this will help you see what I mean by this question most clearly.

One aspect of my style is that I tend to take an indirect or collaborative approach in working with clients.  More than anything else, this means that I avoid telling a client what to do.   I consider it more important to support you and your decisions for yourself.  I believe my clients have all the knowledge and intuitiveness within themselves to make their way through the challenges of life.  Of course I will offer suggestions, ideas, and my impressions, but ultimately the therapy is for you.   My role is to provide compassion, care, guidance and teaching among many other things, but certainly not to tell people how to live or impose my own judgments on them.

Another aspect of my style is that I do not focus a great deal on the past.  Of course, the past provides us important information about ourselves and our relationships, and we can take this information to make better decisions in the present and future.  I focus more on providing guidance on practical skills and exploring insights that will help you in the present and future. Perhaps the best way to sum up this part of my style is to say that I prefer to learn from the past, live fully in the present, and aim for a future filled with hope, purpose, and meaning.

Do you have a specialty or area of expertise?

Many counselors have an area they specialize in.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she only works with clients coping with that issue.  For instance, my own specialty is working with survivors of domestic violence.  I have a number of clients who are dealing with this but have also worked with clients on many, many other issues as well.  It may be beneficial to you as a client to seek out a therapist who specializes in the issue you are currently facing.

How long have you been counseling?

This question of course will give you a sense of how much experience a therapist has.  You can also expand this to ask about where the person obtained their degree, and what type of counseling experience he or she has.  Each of the counselors at LifePaths has several years of experience working as a counselor, you can find more about each of us on our website at http://www.lifepathscounseling.com/about.htm.

Do you offer a free consultation?

Many counselors will offer some type of free consultation either over the phone or in person, and of varying lengths of time.  At LifePaths, we will do one of two things:  we will either speak with you for 15-30 minutes over the phone to discuss any questions you have, talk about the issue you are having, and determine whether it seems that you and your counselor are a good match.  Or, we can set a date and time for your first session and at the halfway point of that session if it seems that you aren’t sure whether you’d like to continue we can stop then and you will not be charged.  If it seems to be working well, we will continue and you will pay for the full session.

I hope that these ideas have helped you.  Feel free to call or email to speak with me directly, or post a comment with your thoughts.

Catherine Wilson, MA LPC NCC, LifePaths Counseling