I've never had much of the luxury of searching for therapists: my pool was always very limited by insurance. I have never been in the position to pay out-of-pocket without insurance helping out, so that limited my search quite a bit. Under those circumstances, I knew I couldn't be too particularly picky. I'd either find someone on the list I could work with, or I wouldn't do therapy at that time.

Working from my insurance list, I had other factors that further narrowed things down. Distance, for instance. I have always worked full-time in a job I cannot just leave to go to an appointment (teacher), so I needed someone generally pretty close by that I could get to after school hours.

Honestly, by this point, I had the list down to maybe three or four therapists. I looked at experience, credentials, type of practice, gender, etc. and went for what looked right.

I've tried a few that after a couple sessions I decided weren't worth my time or money, and I've been known to decide therapy was just not in the cards at that moment and just go without until circumstances like my location or insurance list changed at some future date.

Last time, I chose off the list, and the first therapist I went to was the one I stayed with for 10 years (and I no longer need therapy), so I got very lucky that time.