How to Find a Mental Health Therapist
Seeking mental health services can be a challenging and stressful process. There are financial barriers for individuals seeking therapy, lack of culturally competent practitioners, and the stigma around mental health. Many people wait until they have experienced a significant life crisis to seek treatment. Still, I want to remind everyone that you don’t need to go through a significant life problem to seek therapy. ⠀
As a Nigerian woman, and first-born daughter, I pride myself on being hard-working and responsible. But my goal for 2020 is to release myself from the burden of being a strong woman. It’s okay to admit that I can’t do it all, and I need someone to talk to. Or maybe, I can do it all, but I don’t want to anymore. Either way, there’s no shame in seeking therapy.
In honor of world mental health day, I have provided the steps to finding a therapist:
Search the mental health section of your insurance card
It will help if you are looking for a therapist that takes your insurance to start with. Your insurance will most likely generate a list of therapists in your zip code or people that are currently accepting new clients. This step was unsuccessful because after browsing through many people, none of them seemed like the right fit. How did I know? I read their little excerpts, and none of them spoke to me or the theoretical framework of therapy that I resonated with.
If you do not have insurance
If you do not have insurance, look for people that offer sliding scale payment plans. A sliding scale fee is generated based on your income. If you qualify for sliding scale payment plans, you pay as little as $70 for therapy.
Check for free therapy due to COVID-19.
My job is currently paying 100% of therapy fees due to COVID-19, so I recommend checking with your employer to find out what services r discounts they offer due to the pandemic. If you are in between jobs or do not have insurance, many online services provide free therapy for the remainder of 2020 because of the epidemic.
Search online
There are many excellent online therapy services available now that are more affordable for people with or without health insurance. Through these online platforms, you can find therapists in different states that offer Telehealth services. I found my Christian therapist from TherapyforBlackgirls.com.
Below I have listed a few popular online therapy websites and copied/pasted their mission or vision statements:
BetterHelp: Better Help offers access to licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (Ph.D. / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), and board licensed professional counselors (LPC).
TalkSpace: Online therapy lets you connect with a licensed therapist from the privacy of your device at a significantly lower cost and traditional, in-person therapy.
TherapyforBlackGirls: Find trusted, culturally competent therapists that know our feelings and can help navigate being a strong, black woman.
Ask people
You can also ask around to find out who has a great therapist and if their therapist is accepting new clients. Or read reviews of therapists you found online to see if you may like them.
I hope this helps, and do not give up if the first person you see doesn’t work out, keep trying until you meet someone you are comfortable with. Good luck on your journey to find a mental health therapist.
Stay Original.
