How to choose a therapist who fits

Start with the license

A license tells you a therapist has met the state's requirements to practice and answers to a licensing board. In Florida, you can look up a license with the Florida Department of Health and confirm that it is active. It takes a minute and it is a reasonable thing to check before you book with anyone.

Different licenses come with different training and scope. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor, or LMHC, provides counseling and psychotherapy. My Florida LMHC license is verified active with the Florida Department of Health, and I am also a National Certified Counselor. If the letters after a name are confusing, what LMHC and NCC mean explains them in plain terms, and the about page covers my background.

Look at the approach

Therapists work in different ways, and it helps to know the broad strokes before you start. Some approaches are structured and skills based. Others are more open ended and exploratory. Neither is better in general. What matters is whether the style suits you and what you want help with. Here, the work usually starts from solution focused therapy and draws on three other approaches where they help, and how I work describes the mix in more detail:

• Solution focused: Starts with where you want to get to and what is already working. See solution focused therapy.
• CBT: Looks at the thoughts and behaviors that keep a difficulty in place. See CBT.
• ACT: Makes room for hard feelings while you act on what matters. See ACT.
• DBT skills: Practical tools for intense emotion, distress and relationships. See DBT.

Notice how it feels

Approach matters, but so does the relationship. After a first conversation, ask yourself a few simple questions. Did you feel listened to rather than rushed? Did the therapist explain how they work in a way that made sense? Could you picture telling this person something difficult? You do not need instant chemistry, but you should come away feeling that the two of you could work together.

That is what the free 15-minute consultation is for. It is a short, no-obligation conversation, and it works in both directions: you are checking the fit as much as the therapist is.

Check the practical details

The best fit on paper will not help if you cannot get to sessions. Think about location, schedule and format. Psi Wellness sees people in person at 400 N. Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa and by telehealth anywhere in Florida, with office hours that include Wednesday evenings and Saturdays. Cost matters too. Fees and the in-network plan list are on the rates page. If your plan is not listed, ask anyway.

Questions worth asking any therapist

Whoever you contact, a short list of questions can make a first call more useful:

• ΨAre you licensed in Florida, and what type of license do you hold?
• ΨHow do you usually work, and what would a typical session look like?
• ΨHow will we know whether therapy is helping?
• ΨDo you offer telehealth, in person sessions, or both?
• ΨWhat are your fees, and do you work with my insurance?

Common questions