There were a few discussions here on PC about how therapists advertise themselves, how to find a T etc. I've just come across this YouTube channel where many of the posted T intro videos are relatively new. I actually see a few Ts in my area that I know personally... There is not a good geographical variety currently on the channel.

Not sure what everyone thinks about this type of T directory/advertisement - I've looked through many out of curiosity and have not seen a single T that sounds very convincing to me such that I would consider contacting them (assuming I was looking for a T). I think I personally prefer if they advertise on websites like Psychology Today or their own professional sites.

YouTube

Normally, I would look for a male T, but I noticed one woman I would be comfortable trying out.

I checked out a few others, but they did not spark any interest. Many seem scripted or pretentious, but that is not surprising. The youtube channel is a good idea, but there are pros and cons to using the site for this type of thing.

[feileacan]

I checked the page and looked first few videos and they sounded okey'ish but not anything I would consider myself. The prospect of looking through all of them felt really boring. And so I just scrolled down to see quickly if anyone catches my eye in the first glance. And indeed, one person did and guess what, this person turned out to be a psychoanalyst Sure, it's a possibility that half of all of them are PA's but I highly doubt it and rather prefer to believe that I have a special ability of detecting a psychoanalyst among therapist with a single glance

Sure, the first guy was a Jungian analyst but according to my classification, Jungian analysis falls into different category than the "proper" psychoanalysis and I'm not drawn to it.

He seems ok. He reminds me of my last T with 'empathy eyes' and as a bonus seems genuinely nice.

[BudFox]

I get same feeling from those vids I get from most therapist marketing... how can you possibly trust a person who bills her/himself as an expert in such disparate areas as career, relationships, trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, life purpose, and YOUR FEELINGS. Either they actually believe this and thus are delusional, or they do not but have no qualms hawking their wares in such vulgar fashion.

I noticed several mentioned they work "collaboratively", as if it must be stated explicitly that they are not going to work you like a puppet, as presumably some other therapists do.

I tried to scroll to the end of the vids on that channel, and it just kept going and going. Hundreds of 'em. Apparently modern society is in such a dire state, with gaping holes in traditional social and family systems, that this throng of oppressive life fixers is able sustain itself.

The reason I personally don't like this format very much is, in part, what octoberful mentioned about its sounding uniformly scripted. It's not that there was probably some level of script and they prepared for the recording - that would be a good thing. For me, it's more that it is too boring and lacking creativity, many of them say the same things or parts of the same things with different sentences and I see very little genuine, individual, professional mission in how they present themselves. Of course they are all therapists, so they try to summarize their therapy approaches and interests, but still... I also personally find many of them (basically almost all of the ones I checked) a bit slow and not dynamic enough for my taste in style, which was one of my issues with my first T as well... but that is definitely personal preference. It's not that I would want them to be hypomanic or something, but somehow more appealing or engaged? It reminds me of the Ts who just sit there and contribute little or are not interactive enough for my taste.

I realize that the above opinion of mine reflects me, who I am, and how I like to present myself and what sorts of presentations typically spark my interest more than anything else, so I don't mean to criticize the channel much. I actually think it is a good initiative, especially that one can click on the link below each video and it takes you to a page with more info on each practitioner and contact route to reach them. I think the channel would have a lot of potential as a platform if they expanded the participating Ts locations and structured the selection more.

[stopdog]

All those weird smiles.
I may have nightmares from it.

Yes, and endless throng of life fixers with a weird smile and robotic performance.

This is the main site: Zencare | Find The Best Therapists & Psychiatrists Near You
It's actually not that bad, I think. There are even links to explanations about the types of therapists and therapies at the bottom. I would have made those videos differently though, it looks like they all came to audition for the same role. Which it is, but I personally would not buy the ticket for the full movie based on the trailer.

Originally Posted by octoberful

It is a bit unsettling...

Never mind.

Perhaps they don't want us to express opinions on specific therapists because what if someone else sees them? Or maybe expressing such a selection is considered advertisement? I don't know. Hopefully someone will explain if it is against the rules because I don't quite understand either. We sometimes discuss specific therapists that can be found online on various threads.

I've looked at a few more last night after selecting from the main website based on their written profile and searching for spec parameters and found a couple Ts that I liked better and that are closer to my own taste and preference, although still no one I would confidently say I would be interested in. I think, for me, looking at their complex info instead of just pictures or videos is a much better and more efficient approach, but I already know that in general, one reason why I always google the heck out of people I consider getting into a professional collaboration with. Looking at mainly videos was exactly the mistake I made when I chose my first T a long time ago. I certainly picked a very mismatching T that way. Based on all the complex info available, I found a much better fit in my second T.

[Anne2.0]

I watched a few of the videos and found a lot of "boilerplate" statements and particular words or catch phrases. I think most of the woodenness is probably due to the situation of speaking into the void of nothingness, which I'm not sure can capture what it's like to interact with a person.

I don't think I"m the target audience for this kind of advertisement. I would no more look for a therapist on youtube than I would sign up for online dating. The last time I dated, people called each other on landline phones and left messages on answering machines.

I select therapists by referrals from people in the community I know and/or friends. I did find a consulting therapist on psychology today's website but I'm not sure if I just searched online for info on her after somebody told me. It was a few years ago.

I didn't find any of the few of them I watched so irritating I would rule them out if someone recommended them, but it was like non-information to me. Totally useless, if I were looking.

[sarahsweets]

I am not a fan of direct to consumer advertising for doctor's therapists or medications.

[stopdog]

I would never put therapists in with actual health care providers and I can see that it makes sense for those people to advertise. I do like seeing them first if only so I know about how old they are since I never would have hired one under 55 or 60 yrs old. I don't see this as any different than the psych today site or therapy tribe etc other than it is vapid video rather than just picture and a vapid statement.

Yes, it is not really different from those other websites except the videos, but it is actually the design of the videos that kinda kill it for me.

Referrals can be fine if it is coming from a reliable source, preferably someone who knows me and my preferences (not just my issues) relatively well. I am quite desensitized to referrals though because I see/hear psych referrals all the time in my professional community. I would rather take them from friends but would still want to do my own research and would be reluctant to contact someone if there was no other info available. I like to see their own websites, including a bit about their personal interests if it sounds genuine.

Probably the most informative, for me, is to see how they communicate, but that can be hard to find unless a professional gives interviews, interactive lectures, is active on social media beyond just formal posting. I also usually take a lot away from seeing how a professional responds to my initial inquiries. Again, if I had paid attention to communication, I would have ruled out my first T very quickly. Communication skills were something I especially liked in the second T and poor/messy/sloppy communication can be very irritating for me in a professional, including if it is too contrived and stuck up, let alone obviously manipulative. I also don't like if a professional gives me the impression that they lack reasonable confidence in themselves, what they do and they come across insecure or are not reasonably articulate. That was the impression I kinda got from some of the T videos on that site and I don't think it is merely because they are talking to a blank camera. Again, these are personal preferences but are important because otherwise I would feel dissatisfied. Communication skills and how I feel about them as a person would not be that important if I hired someone, for example, as a consultant for their specific expertise but, for talk therapy, I would want someone I feel is a good interpersonal match with me and not merely a listener or provider of information. So that sense of individuality and interpersonal fit is what I find very lacking on that website, and not just because the videos are not interactive. For me, it is because they are too generic and uniform design. I think a better balance of professionalism and personal information would be more convincing for me - a bit similar idea to how some professionals use social media, where they include some more personal info/messages occasionally. That way it is not so sterile. It is very hard to do well though, I know from my own personal experiences with media and marketing. As a pro, I definitely prefer some advertising rather than just getting jobs/clients via referrals because that way it is more open to new experiences and types of jobs. It s just challenging to do.

[Myrto]

I don't have an issue with the advertising per se. I think it's good to see them in a video instead of just a picture (or often no picture at all, as I have noticed on many therapist websites). What I find cringe-worthy and laughable are all their claims and platitudes. Like Budfox, I find it incredible how these people can even claim to be experts on "life" because that's what it boils down to. No self-awareness and plenty of arrogance/delusion indeed.

[Anne2.0]

Originally Posted by Xynesthesia

Again, these are personal preferences but are important because otherwise I would feel dissatisfied. Communication skills and how I feel about them as a person would not be that important if I hired someone, for example, as a consultant for their specific expertise but, for talk therapy, I would want someone I feel is a good interpersonal match with me and not merely a listener or provider of information. So that sense of individuality and interpersonal fit is what I find very lacking on that website, and not just because the videos are not interactive.

For me, it is not possible to determine what is a good interpersonal fit for me without actually interviewing the potential T. I've done a number of screening interviews everytime I've looked for a new one, the referrals are just a place to start. It was pretty clear to me which I could rule out on a first interview/session (some of them seem to believe in a free session, even if shorter than 45 minutes; others want you to pay for a full session). A little more difficult to find the match per say based on one session. I happened upon my T by accident as my child was doing some short term therapy with another therapist in his office and we could schedule conveniently for me to have an individual session then to work with all four of us. I really didn't think he was a good fit to begin with, but it turned out he was.

Yes of course it is not really possible to determine a good fit without having direct interactions, but I usually feel that I can quite confidently and reliably rule out the misfits if I pay attention to how they communicate in general, even if not with me. And I tend to have a good sense of who might be compatible with me if I see a bit of how they express themselves and communicate in general. Sometimes more interaction reveals it as a misfit and that I was primarily projecting but can be useful to see as a start.

I have found in a fairly unconventional way the person who, while not a paid T for me, was by far the best fit and most helpful for me regarding mental health and self-improvement. I found him in an online peer support community like this. He used to be a T before retiring and was just participating in the forum like anyone else but quite a few of us were drawn to him as a great source of useful views, advice and example of a person with hight integrity. I interacted with him on the public forum in a group and we also developed a one-one-one relationship that ended up being a lot like T and client, at least how I imagine a really constructive and useful T-client collaboration. It is my past experience with him how I know I may not be really therapy-resistant per se, more just very picky and not easy to find a truly useful match for me. My experience with him was also what inspired me to seek professional therapy as he unfortunately died after a short battle with cancer. We never met in person and yet it was by far the best influence on me after my father and a couple mentors in my youth. We had a lot in common. Stupidly (or let's just say experimentally), when I chose my first T, I did not keep that lesson in mind much and decided to go with someone radically different from me in every way - let's choose someone on a very different basis from what I usually do, see what happens. It definitely failed and caused me a lot of frustration. Second T I chose, again, much more with my usual perceptions and preferences and it was much better.

The other very successful professional service I've found was relatively recently with a lawyer. He was originally a referral from another professional that I actually had a very bad experience with, part of a list I was given. I checked them out online and contacted a a few from the list that seemed decent, then chose this one based on my personal impression on how he responded to me. When I went to see him first in his office, it felt like an immediate good connection and I really liked how he considered and explained things. Ended up being a super efficient, successful and also interpersonally very pleasant and satisfying collaboration (I think mutually). Again, I felt we had a lot in common, including in professional values for quality, communication style, expertise and effectiveness. I would choose a T with his qualities on a heartbeat but have never seen one except that online guy in the past. So these were lucky encounters for me in a way, not so easy to just find via systematic searches.

I don't know if we are allowed to post links to specific Ts but this is one I find potentially reasonable for me from that website:
Emily Chaya Weinstein | Life Coach | NYC
She has somewhat similar vibe to my last T but less boastful and different sex. In the past I had a very strong preference for males but it does not matter to me much now. I like the focus of the above T and the practical approach. I don't think I need someone else to promote autonomy for me but the fact she emphasizes that makes me feel we at least might think similarly about it (vs those Ts who promote the relationship and try to come across as saviors or empathy masters). Not sure what I think about her therapy approaches per se but she does not seem to promote a textbook approach much so it is not a turnoff. She also does not appear detached or slow to me like many of the others but relatively modest. Plus her interests seem to overlap with what I would seek help with pretty well. I guess this is all I can discern from this type of information.

[ArtleyWilkins]

I suppose this is the video version of the psychology today search engine for therapists. I never “searched” for therapists that way; I didn’t really have the ability to see anyone who wasn’t covered by my insurance, so my insurance list narrowed it way down for me.

I know when we are narrowing down doctors, I do take a look at their website and any reviews of them I can find. Red flags to me, honestly, are major problems with office management, scheduling, call-backs, etc. For doctors, those kinds of office issues are not what I want to have to deal with.

But no matter what the reviews say, the website says, etc., I really can’t make those kinds of decisions until I actually meet that person, see how they handle me or my husband as a client, how thorough, how conversational, they are. What is their “bedside manner?” That can’t be figured about by any method other than going in and spending some time talking with them, no matter what the specialty.

I can see how some might find the videos helpful. You can see them, hear their voice, etc. And just that can give people a place to start. Just wouldn’t be my place to start simply because I have to start from an insurance list.

[Anne2.0]

I also find myself drawn to the person you posted, some of it is that she is not a psychotherapist but an occupational therapist with different training and more like a life coach than a therapist. I think if I were looking now, I would choose a life coach (with experience, the ones in my small city are all young people that sound more like personal trainers than anything else). My therapeutic issues (trauma, grief) are in the background of my therapy now, and fortunately my T is able to run with whatever I bring him.

[lucozader]

My therapist has a couple of videos similar to this on his website/on youtube. They make me cringe, to such a degree that I can't even watch them all the way through. Most of these videos have the same effect on me. It's just so unnatural.

Originally Posted by lucozader

My therapist has a couple of videos similar to this on his website/on youtube. They make me cringe, to such a degree that I can't even watch them all the way through. Most of these videos have the same effect on me. It's just so unnatural.

Yes I have those discrepancy feelings as well since I personally know some of the Ts on the website. My real life impression just does not match the impression I get watching the videos (I don't want to qualify in which direction, but it feels off). I guess the problem with these short, generic, scripted videos is that the viewer naturally wants to infuse them with too much given it's supposed to be closer to real life than still images, but the info they are able to transmit is too simplistic at the same time. Reminds me of why I also dislike video chats (in general, not just with Ts) even though those are actual interactions so more realistic.

Originally Posted by Xynesthesia

Perhaps they don't want us to express opinions on specific therapists because what if someone else sees them? Or maybe expressing such a selection is considered advertisement? I don't know. Hopefully someone will explain if it is against the rules because I don't quite understand either. We sometimes discuss specific therapists that can be found online on various threads.

I've looked at a few more last night after selecting from the main website based on their written profile and searching for spec parameters and found a couple Ts that I liked better and that are closer to my own taste and preference, although still no one I would confidently say I would be interested in. I think, for me, looking at their complex info instead of just pictures or videos is a much better and more efficient approach, but I already know that in general, one reason why I always google the heck out of people I consider getting into a professional collaboration with. Looking at mainly videos was exactly the mistake I made when I chose my first T a long time ago. I certainly picked a very mismatching T that way. Based on all the complex info available, I found a much better fit in my second T.

Yes, me too, but the site can help you weed out Ts and also prompt you to decide on who to search out more thoroughly.

I googled my T extensively, but my motivation was protecting myself. He has written books and articles, and I found him to be very intelligent with the ability to synthesize a good deal of information from which he tended to derive perceptive and insightful conclusions. And also that he had experience working with complex issues.

For whatever reason, after reviewing some of the videos I realized I did not like any of the social workers. This surprised me but maybe it was just a coincidence.

My conclusion is though it can be somewhat unsettling, it is a useful tool that can be used screen Ts and weed them out. It's quicker than phone calls where you might waste time playing phone tag or whatever only to realize you aren't receptive to their communication style, demeanor, or whatever.

Just noticed there is a tissue monster on the forum

[lucozader]

Originally Posted by Xynesthesia

Yes I have those discrepancy feelings as well since I personally know some of the Ts on the website. My real life impression just does not match the impression I get watching the videos (I don't want to qualify in which direction, but it feels off). I guess the problem with these short, generic, scripted videos is that the viewer naturally wants to infuse them with too much given it's supposed to be closer to real life than still images, but the info they are able to transmit is too simplistic at the same time. Reminds me of why I also dislike video chats (in general, not just with Ts) even though those are actual interactions so more realistic.

Yeah I definitely agree with that. It's like you should be able to get a good feel for what they're like in person by watching the video, but you really don't. You get some weird, stilted version of them. Usually because, like most people, they're kind of self-conscious in front of the camera. There is another video of my therapist online, though, where he's in discussion with someone else about a therapy-related interest of his, and I like watching that one. It's much, much more natural and much closer to how he is in person.

Originally Posted by octoberful

Just noticed there is a tissue monster on the forum

Mwahahaha! I'm not even ashamed

I think I mentioned before on the forum... for me, Dr. Ramani is someone I would immediately consider based on interviews online. I watched a lot of MedCircle episodes and everything with Dr. Ramani in them, and signed up because I generally liked the Med Circle topics and style. There is something like an initial therapy session simulated(?) between Dr. Ramani and the host, available to only members I believe, and it just further convinced me about my initial good impressions and how fitting she might be for me.

Just an example about a discussion on BPD (which is not my concern or diagnosis at all):

Or issues around food:

This is a professional I would strongly consider hiring, based on online info.

Originally Posted by Xynesthesia

I think I mentioned before on the forum... for me, Dr. Ramani is someone I would immediately consider based on interviews online. I watched a lot of MedCircle episodes and everything with Dr. Ramani in them, and signed up because I generally liked the Med Circle topics and style. There is something like an initial therapy session simulated(?) between Dr. Ramani and the host, available to only members I believe, and it just further convinced me about my initial good impressions and how fitting she might be for me.

Just an example about a discussion on BPD (which is not my concern or diagnosis at all):

Or issues around food:

This is a professional I would strongly consider hiring, based on online info.

She's a great speaker; her personality and communication style is very appealing. But for me, the content of what she is saying is very unappealing. I couldn't listen to her more than 3 minutes. She thinks in terms of symptoms more than structure, and i'm the opposite.

Overall, she's much too surfacey, and the way she views things reminds me of the ways of thinking demonstrated on the blogs on this site. Which likely just means that I feel strongly about object relations and the psychodynamic way of thinking. I agree with most of what she said about BPD but not everything.

Although night and day for me, I can see where she would appeal to others.