Such an interesting question! This is therapist #3 for me--the previous two were short lived (one only wanted to do EMDR (just not for me) the other dumped all his clients after five sessions.) After getting burned with being dumped, I tried to be more prudent this time around. I used the directory on Psychology today, which I found to be very useful. For me, the first criteria beyond accepting my insurance was finding a male therapist (I'm female)--I'm dealing with trauma from childhood abuse and my abusive mom and I can't open up to anyone who I view in a mother role. I'm an atheist, so I also immediately eliminated anyone who used the words spiritual, religion, etc in their description. Beyond that, I wanted someone who specialized in my issues (trauma, ptsd, anxiety) and I prefer to see someone on the phd level if possible. I also exhausted anything and everything I could find in google before setting up an appointment. I did a brief phone consult with my therapist before setting up the first appointment, and I was amazed at how kind and compassionate he was over the phone. My first appointment was three months ago, and I was touched after that first appointment how caring and empathetic he was--I had never before been asked at the end of a session if I felt safe, and how I was feeling. My therapist is a clinical psychologist and uses mainly a mindfulness and interpersonal approach, which I really agree with. I know different approaches work for different people, but what I need is someone who was kind and empathetic (previous theorist who dumped me constantly made me feel pitied, which is very different from empathy.) But I also want someone who is more than just a compassionate listener--I love that I am (kindly) challenged and my destructive beliefs questioned. I was an English major and read a lot to understand my own issues, and I LOVE that my therapist is also a big reader and we trade book recommendations constantly.

Anyhow, that's a brief description of what I was looking for upfront, and what I need in a therapist. I thank my lucky stars each week that I won the therapist lottery. I'm slow to trust and just last week after three months, I FINALLY 100% trust my therapist.