Choosing a Therapist in Las Vegas
Starting to see a therapist can oftentimes be a daunting task. Finding someone who is a good fit often requires a bit of research and calling/ emailing around, which can be emotionally draining in itself, even if you weren’t dealing with whatever your presenting issue might be. Successfully choosing a therapist that you can be confident is an important part of healing and can be relatively simple when you know what to look for.
What Should I Look For in a Therapist?
Your Comfort Level, First and Foremost
The number one determiner of success in therapy is probably not what you might think. It is not that you therapist is the same gender as you, it is not that the therapist has a similar background to yours and it is not even the approach that the therapist uses to the counseling process. The number one determiner of successful goal attainment in therapy is that you feel comfortable with your therapist and that you have confidence in their abilities. If you feel that your therapist is someone that you can work well with and that you can trust 100%, chances are you have found a good fit.
Usually it takes at least one face-to-face session to determine how comfortable you are with any particular therapist, although speaking over the phone can provide some insight as well. Pay attention to the way that you feel during your first session. It certainly is normal to feel nervous, but did the therapist’s presences put you at ease? Did you feel respected and valued by them? Did you feel that you could trust them? These are all great questions to ask before really setting out to do the therapeutic work together.
Have the therapist helped people in situations similar to yours?
A second indication that a therapist may be helpful to you is their successful track record with similar issues to whatever you might be seeking therapy for. While a therapist is legally obligated not to go into much detail about other clients, they should be able to give you a general idea of their experience level with similar situations, specifically whether or not they have been able to be helpful to other clients. Check a therapist’s website to see if you can find specific issues that they can skillfully address, as well as any writing that the therapist may have written on the topic.
Check Their Photo If Possible
Most therapist will have their photo listed on either their website or a professional directory. I would not say that a picture is really enough on its own to determine if a therapist is a good fit, but sometimes it is enough to determine if you would rather work with someone else. Trust your gut intuition, if somethings seems off, it may be a sign that you are better off with another therapist. Personally, I would view selfies, glamour shots, or photos of therapist participating in their hobbies as red flags. Your therapist doesn’t need to look like a supermodel, but it does need to be someone that you could easily see yourself comfortably talking to for an hour.
Warning Signs
Their office is cluttered and unkempt.
Therapy is a place of healing and peace and the environment should reflect that. You should not feel uneasy or distracted when entering their office. This seems fairly basic, but I have seen offices that had empty soda cans and other trash littering the floor. I wish I was kidding.
Communication around setting up the initial appointment was confusing or lacking.
Finding a therapist can certainly be emotionally draining, especially if communication around setting up the first meeting together is unclear or difficult. You want to find someone that it is easy to communicate with right out the gate.
They kept talking about themselves during your time together.
While there may a time and a place for a therapist to talk about their own experience, therapy is about you, the client. If you find that a therapist keeps bringing up irrelevant stories or details from their own life, it can take the focus off the reason why you are decided to seek out therapy in the first place.
They make you feel judged or unsafe
In order for you to heal, you need to first feel safe. If a therapist makes you feel judged or in anyway unsafe, that should be a big red flag. Both you and your therapist are a team when it comes to reaching the goals that you may set for yourself. If you have a teammate that consistently makes you feel uncomfortable, it may be a sign to move on to someone else.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the therapy process is about you and your experiences. The therapist role is to create a safe place for you and to help guide you in the process, not to actually solve your problems for you. At the end of the day, if you feel that you can trust your therapist and that they will be able to help you, commit to the process and begin your journey towards healing.
