How to Find a Therapist to Help With Your Anxiety
When you think about it, you’ve had anxiety for as long as you can remember. You’ve always felt “on high alert”, nervous and even fearful about certain things. As an adult, you’ve finally been able to match a word to the feeling – anxiety. Maybe your anxiety has reached the point of paralyzing panic attacks and have decided that you’re done trying to manage your symptoms on your own and are ready and are trying to figure out how to find a therapist to help with your anxiety. But let’s face it, finding a therapist is not something that you’d ever thought you’d need to do, and you’re at a loss for where to start.
Decide what your options are:
Ask a friend or family member, your medical doctor, your pastor, or other people you know if they can recommend someone great.
Make Google your friend. You can Google “Therapist near me” or “Therapist to help with anxiety” and go from there. This will also give you an opportunity to peruse websites to see what each therapist offers.
Also try sites like psychologytoday.com and goodtherapy.org, which are sites that therapists pay to be listed on. You can search therapists by distance and services offered to get an idea of what options you have, so you can find a therapist to help with your anxiety.
Choose who to see:
Start by giving the office a call (I know! This can be a hard step!!) and see if the therapist offers a free consultation (many do, and sometimes this information is listed on the website). If calling is super-difficult for you, see if you can send an email (from the therapist’s website or their directory listing) to set up the consultation call.
Ask questions about the therapist’s availability, policies, and experience treating anxiety, panic attacks, and trauma. Share what you feel comfortable with sharing during this phone call, possibly letting them know you're looking for a therapist to help with your anxiety.
Schedule an appointment:
When you find someone who feels like a good fit, schedule a time to meet face to face.Know that the first session is uncomfortable FOR EVERYONE. It’s normal to be nervous. Hopefully, your therapist will help you feel at home in their office.
Know that the first session is usually spent gathering history from you, understanding what brings you to therapy at this time, and getting an idea of what your goals for therapy are. If you’re not clear about your goals, the first session is a great time to talk through that with your therapist. What would successful treatment look like for you? What do you want to be different at the end of therapy? That way, there’s a road map for you and your therapist and a guideline to measure progress.
The most important thing:
Research indicates, time and time again, that the greatest predictor for successful therapy is the relationship you have with your therapist. Now, this doesn’t mean that therapy is always easy, but it does mean that your relationship and comfort level with your (perspective) therapist should factor in as much, if not more than, things like location and cost. Basically, you can very realistically save time, energy, and money by choosing the therapist that is the best fit for you.
At Harper Therapy, we want to be your Home for Hope, Growth, and Healing. Our therapists are trauma-informed and offer specialized care for anxiety and panic attacks. Our office is nestled in a quiet professional park, and our Therapy Dogs Toby and Hobbes are here to help welcome you.
Call us today at 813-434-3639 to see how we might be a good fit for you!
