Shopping for a Good Therapist? 4 Questions You Must Ask

Finding the right therapist is right up there with finding the right spouse when it comes to securing happiness and serenity. And while friends and siblings can help you screen candidates for a permanent place at the Thanksgiving table, you’re left solo when recruiting a therapist.

Marriage and family therapist Ilyana Romanovsky offers four helpful questions to start with in her book, Choosing Therapy: A Guide to Getting What You Need. It may be helpful to keep these in mind when shopping for a therapist…

1. How do you stay current in the latest research?Therapists are obligated to attend a number of workshops a year in order to keep their licenses current; however, they don’t have to stay up to date with the latest research. Romanovsky encourages clients to ask therapists whether they have attended recent conferences, conventions, consultation groups to ensure that they are familiar with the latest well-researched treatment methods. A therapist is limited by his current knowledge and skills when trying to meet a client’s need. More information, then, increases overall effectiveness.

2. Do you consult on cases with others and, if so, how regularly do you consult?One of the reasons I feel confident that I am getting the best treatment for my bipolar disorder is that my psychiatrist regularly consults with a team of doctors from Johns Hopkins. If she’s unsure about what to do next with one of her patients, she has a set of heads ready to help her.

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