What Questions to Ask a Therapist or Counselor in Santa Rosa
Let’s be honest, when you did your first google search for a therapist in Santa Rosa or Sonoma County, the results were overwhelming to say the least. You’ve started to make a few phone calls, checked out some therapists’ websites, but you are still unsure how to narrow it down.
Most therapists offer a free consultation over the phone, which seems like a good place to start, but, what should you ask? What should you say? How do you get the information you need to make the best decision?
Phone Consultation with Therapists in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County: What to Ask?
Being nervous to call a new therapist is normal; it can feel vulnerable reaching out for help, and even more vulnerable not knowing what the process will be like. Thankfully, with a little bit of information about what is done in a consultation call with a therapist and what to ask, you should feel much more confident scheduling a few consultations to move towards finally getting the help you need.
Question #1: Do you have experience working with the issues I am looking for help with?
While therapists are trained to work with a wide variety of issues and people, we often “specialize” in working with particular diagnoses, age groups, life circumstances, and modalities of treatment. This is a great question to ask during a consultation call.
As for myself, I specialize in relationship stress, toxic relationships (including co-dependency) and breakup recovery. Sometimes I do work with individuals who may not fit into those above categories, depending on the situation. We usually discuss this during the consultation call and possible first couple of sessions. Sometimes you might “click” with a therapist regardless of their specialties, but it’s still a consideration to make during your search process for a therapist in Santa Rosa.
Question #2: Do you offer in-person and/or virtual therapy?
With all the changes that occurred during the pandemic in terms of how healthcare is provided, many therapists have shifted into online-only therapy, some are transitioning back into all in-person therapy, and some are offering a hybrid, depending on client preference. I fall into the latter category, as I am offering both in-person therapy from my office in Santa Rosa and online therapy to my clients throughout California.
Question #3: How long are your sessions and with what frequency do you see your clients?
This is another area in which therapists can range widely. Most therapists (including myself) provide a standard of weekly therapy, with 50-minute sessions. However, some therapists offer longer sessions when engaging in a specific type of intervention, such as an EMDR session, might run 90 minutes or more. This is an important question to ask a potential therapist, so you know what type of time commitment you are making.
Some therapists’ model of care includes a consistent weekly schedule of seeing their clients, and some models of care have much more flexibility. This can be helpful for people who have variable work schedules, or home-life responsibilities that do not allow for a commitment to seeing a therapist the same time of the week, every week.
There are also financial considerations to make- you might want to find a therapist who sees you every other week or monthly for check-ins to reduce overall costs of services. Most therapists in private practice in Santa Rosa have a weekly model, however some large HMO mental health departments might have more variability, but make sure to ask your potential therapist to see if they can accommodate your needs.
Question #4: What fee do you charge per session?
Fees also vary widely, so don’t feel shy or embarrassed to ask during this first phone call! This is important information for you to know right off the bat. For information about my current fee structure, please visit my FAQ page.
Question #5: What times do you have openings in your schedule?
Many therapists, including myself, “reserve” a certain day and time of the week for your ongoing therapy appointment, and some vary week to week. Depending on your schedule, having the variability every week to schedule during the openings in your therapist’s schedule might work great, but most people like to have a set day/time for simplicity.
That said, it would be wise to ask about the openings the therapist has to “reserve” a slot for you, because you likely have a busy schedule and need to know right away if your therapist can accommodate your scheduling needs before getting started with them.
Question #6: Do you have any referrals for other therapists that might be a better fit for me?
If after asking these questions you find out the therapist is unable to meet the criteria you are looking for, ask them for referrals! Many therapists are happy to offer you referrals for therapists that might better meet your needs and may have names of therapists that you would not be able to find on your own. This is always an important part of my consultation calls with prospective clients, and I am always happy to refer you to other therapists I trust and respect if for any reason we find I am not the right fit as a therapist for you.
Book a Phone Consult with Santa Rosa Therapist
Angela Sitka, LMFT runs a private practice for individual adults in Santa Rosa, CA. Her specialties include men’s issues, relationship anxiety, young adult issues, divorce and breakup recovery.
I hope this helps you know what questions to ask during a phone consultation to find the right therapist for you.
If you’d like to learn more about my practice and how I help people, check out my main practice page here.
If you’re ready to take the next step forward in getting connected with a Santa Rosa therapist, schedule a time today into my online calendar for a free 15-minute consultation.
I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and discuss if therapy with me might be a good fit for you.