Looking for a therapist

Check out these websites:

Psychologytoday.com - enter your zip code at the top; use filters (on the left) for insurance, and issues/specialities

Portlandtherapycenter.com - this is a local, smaller version of the above; use your zip code, etc. for this as well

Findapsychologist.org - national database of Health Service Psychologists

You may also want to check your health insurance website under “Find a Provider.”

Finding a therapist can be confusing with all their different letters after their names. Look for:

LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor

LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker

MFT - Marriage and Family Counselor

More information about the differences between these degrees can be found here.

There is also a wide variety of therapy types to explore. Briefly, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) are good to learn coping skills and leave the session with tools and homework to put into immediate practice. Psychotherapy, Person-centered therapy and Interpersonal psychotherapy are classic talk therapy where you are able to explore what’s going on with a professional using guiding questions to explore the situation. Psychoanalysis is a bit more involved and tends to focus on trying to figure why thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are happening by looking into your past. Please do your own research to explore the nuances between these different modalities if you are inclined. Or, just start calling people and talk to them about what they offer and explain what you are dealing with to see if it’s a fit. If getting bogged down in the details is prohibiting you from moving forward, don’t do it. Just jump in. All counselors and therapist have things to offer everyone.

Do keep in mind, sometimes it takes talking to a few people before finding the fit. Therapists (and PMHNPS!) want to work with people who feel comfortable with them. As such, it is common to see someone a few times and then decide they aren’t the right fit. Professionals expect this and don’t take it personally. On the flip side, if a therapist does not feel they have the skills to help you, they may refer you to another therapist. Again, this isn’t personal. At the end of the day, both parties want a good fit.