New to psych: How'd you find your therapist?

So how did you all find a good therapist? I live in LA so they're everywhere, but it's my first inquiry into it all. I've gone through psychology today's listing, which is set up by insurance, but what other avenues are out there to find a good therapist?

My initial issue is some grief. GP already has me on Zoloft, but I'm thinking some talk therapy (personally researched most techniques on my own). I want to get off the Zoloft and get something more for anxiety, I think.

So where can I start online to find someone? Thanks.

I used psych today. But there is also therapy tribe Find a Local Therapist, Psychologist or Marriage Counselor, Goodtherapy and Theravive and others if you do a google search.. Therapists pay to be listed on these sites so it is not like screening is done on them other than maybe if they are licensed or not. I found one from psych today and the other I see was a referral from a therapist I know.

I think it helps to narrow down the field if you can ask someone you trust, and who's been in therapy, if they can recommend someone. At least, that way, you're on the right track to find a type of therapist that suits you (that is, if you generally like that person's recommendations). I found my current one, and best match ever, from a referral by a therapist that a colleague had suggested--so, not a direct route, but a thread that I followed. Mostly though, you have to be prepared to contact several and follow up to see who meets your needs.

I just used my insurance provider list since therapy wasn't a possibilty for me without insurance coverage. Chose one from the short list of providers in my town.

My mom is a middle school teacher. She had a student one year that had issues with depression and self harm. My moms coworker eventually refered this student to my current T. My mom knew how much my T helped this student so my mom set up the appointment for me.

i just googled therapists near me. counselling directory and itsgoodtotalk are good sites.

My PCP recommended her. They had worked together a few year ago in a hospital ER and she knew my T had a private practice and would be perfect for me.

With my kids therapists (they have each seen somebody short term at one point or another). My therapist recommended one of them. One I use to work with at my job and the third one I called a local office that specializes in children and found a somebody who took our insurance then discussed with my T if this person would be appropriate.

I called up my insurance, and they gave me 3 names (they onlt give 3 at a time). I Google'd all 3. Right away, 2 of the 3 I knew I probably wouldn't like. But one, I found her website, got to see her picture, found her on LinkedIn, and just had a good feeling about her. Thankfully, I found my T first try.

So did I. Straight off the insurance list. First one I tried. He is amazingly good at what he does.

My personal opinion is to seek out a therapist with a lot of experience, like 20 years plus. I think regardless of education the best ones are those with the most experience. Also, try a handful and see how you feel talking with them. Keep in mind the relationship is said to be most important factor for success, more so than the technique used. That being said some techniques IMO foster more of a relationship than others, for example psychodynamic therapy involves a lot more relationship than CBT (again IMO). Trust your gut on which therapist is best for you. For me, I think finding someone I thought I had a lot in common with, that I trusted was key. A lot of it was totally subjective.

Good advice. I never "shopped" for a therapist based on their particular therapy approach; in fact, I was totally clueless about such things which I think may have been an advantage. I DID deliberately choose a therapist with a good mid-range of years of experience: too few or too many are possibly fraught with their own issues. (I pick my medical doctors the same way.) I learned that my current therapist, who by far has been my most skilled and most effective, is very behaviorally based, and we have a very strong and healthy relationship, so it really isn't about the approach so much as it is about the connection and dynamic you have with the therapist, whatever their modality, sex, experience, etc.

The first 2 that I saw were many years ago and those basically my parents got the names from their insurance at the time. But I found my current t on psychologytoday.com, actually I was researching the profiles of t's that my pdoc had recommended, and while I was doing that I stumbled upon her profile - and liked what I read, and she looked so caring in her photo, so I ended up calling one that my pdoc recommended and her, and she was the first one to call me back, we clicked immediately on that first phone call and the rest as they say is history! I've been talking to her for 3 years now and have made such huge progress it amazes me sometimes. I love telling this story.

I do like the photos on psych today and other places - I like making sure they are old enough for me. And, for me, I chose one who did not look to me like they were caring at all.

I got references from people I trusted (a doctor for my 1st therapist) and a professor at the university who is in the Counseling Psych department for the 2nd. Both were good. My 1st therapist recommended the psychiatrist I see, who I think is the best around. I've been lucky.

ETA: Neither of the therapists I've seen in my current locale advertise at all because they're generally always full. It was comforting for me to know that someone recommended them who had worked with them before.

I totally stumbled upon my psychiatrist. The first time I had to be admitted to the hospital, I was randomly assigned to him. He offered to take me on as an outpatient (something I found out later he doesn't usually do with inpatients--not sure what possessed him that day), and I've been with him ever since. Amazingly skilled pdoc. I agree; I've been very lucky that way.

I downloaded a list from my insurance company and then asked my psychiatrist to recommend some. I've also asked my medical doctor for referrals, too. After that, I just picked one of the ones recommended.

My psychiatrist treated in the hospital, so that's how I met him.

Check out this article about how to select the right therapist for yourself How to Select a Therapist | Therapy Consumer Guide

By the way, I live in LA too. I can recommend some people if you are interested but I won't do it on the public forum. PM me if you want names. Even though LA is huge and is overfilled with therapists, few of them are good enough for me to recommend. I, of course, talk about the people I know.

^^^ i agree with the experience part. new t's can be annoying amongst a bunch of other things.

Taking meds for grief? Is it complicated grief by any chance? I mean, if you've had a recent loss, grief is a very natural and normal reaction to have and doesn't require pills unless it's a more complex / unbearable reaction. Just saying.

Many people ask people in real life that they know and trust - friends, family, GPs, ... Or you could find some therapists that match your criteria and then look up their websites / blogs to see how they describe themselves as professionals and their services, see who you seem to resonate with. Good luck!

I've used insurance lists (tough with that I called about 30 names and only 1 got back to me at the time), I've tried Web searches, and done the referral sites. When I lived up north, I also used referrals from friends and coworkers. Down here I've been limited to community resources, so I've done searches for sliding scale or free therapy. I've also searched for specific specialties (trauma, sexual assault, eating disorders, etc).
I can't settle on a preferred experience level. I think at the moment I'm leaning towards more experience. If I get the sense that they are burnt-out or very rigid in their treatment ideas, I will look elsewhere. I don't have much choice lately though. The only therapists available at the community clinics are interns or fresh out of school. They have their merits, but I think I would prefer someone with more experience...
also, I second the idea that the relationship (or lack thereof in stopdog's case) is a huge determining factor. Trust that the t will respect your way of working goes a long way in making therapy work.

I agree about steering away from new therapists. I shudder at the bad experiences I have had with them. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but I've never met one. It bothers me to have paid them to learn how to be a therapist at my expense. My bottom range is 15 years in full time regular practice (20 + is preferable). The new ones have a lot of gall to charge the same rate as an experienced therapist. I never again want to hear how much a therapist has learned from me, unless it comes with a refund.

I use referrals along with a list of providers from my insurance company. I also look up reviews online.

i think my T is fairly new (maybe like 10 yrs idk). hes only 10 yrs older than me and im 27. but he is a great T, the best T i have ever had,. he is a super T.

i found him while i was in a residential treatment facility. he was the clinical director . we have both since left that program but still do therapy together in his new private practice

I asked our HR manager at work and she told me someone she knew took our EAP. I went to her but it was more problem solving/short term. When I needed someone long-term, I went back to her. So, I didn't shop around and got lucky I guess. I did go see someone else once a few months ago to talk about some issues I was having with my T. That T. and other well known people in town said mine is considered the best so I'm content now.