How to Change Your Therapist

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSigns It Might Be Time to Change TherapistsHow to Change Your Therapist

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Table of Contents

Signs It Might Be Time to Change Therapists

How to Change Your Therapist

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First things first: If you’re currently receiving care from amental health professional, please take a moment to celebrate this feat. It takes a lot of courage to acknowledge you need some support. Finding a therapist who is a good fit for you can be challenging given the United States’therapist shortage,racial disparities in the field, andever-increasing costs of care.

Despite the hurdles crossed to find a therapist, it isn’t uncommon to realize you may not be working with the right provider for you. Sometimes this realization occurs after a few sessions. Other times you may wonder if it is time to switch things up after a couple of years.

Regardless of when this thought comes to mind, it is completely OK to change your therapist. Read on to learn about reasons to get a new therapist, how to change your therapist, and how to navigate the process of starting over with a new provider.

How to Know When It’s Time to See a Therapist

It is completely normal to question if you should get a new therapist. The most important thing to explore is why you’re wondering if it is time to move on to a new provider.

You Aren’t Feeling Better

First,you may have been in therapy for a long timeand are curious why you aren’t “better.” Studies show that the length of therapy varies based on the individual and the type of therapy provided.

For example, some modalities likecognitive-behavioral therapyare considered short-term, sometimes only lasting a matter of weeks.Other modalities, likepsychodynamic therapy, may focus more generally on the human condition, including your past experiences, emotions, and relationships, and digging into this history can potentially last for years.

Moreover, you may feel that talk therapy isn’t working anymore and prefer to explore asomatic modality(physical-based therapy), likeEMDR. You might feel as though you currently need therapy to address a specific condition or problem, like a recent traumatic event; or, vice versa, you might recognize that you no longer need therapy for the issue that originally brought you to your therapist.

Perhaps you’ve been working with your current therapist for years and simply feel you could use a fresh perspective.

You Can No Longer Afford Therapy

If your financial situation has changed, you may not be able to afford your therapist’s full fee. If it would cause you financial distress to continue paying your therapist’s current rate, the best thing to do is to ask if they would be willing tonegotiate the session ratewith you. Many therapists are able to accommodate changes in financial situations and can offer asliding scale rateto ensure continuity of care.

If they are unable to offer you a lower fee, they may refer you to another therapist who offers session fees within your budget.

You Are Upset With Your Therapist

Sometimes you might get angry with your therapist. A rift can arise from disagreeing with feedback received in session, being charged a cancellation fee, or anything in-between.

However, if ruptures aren’t skillfully mended between a client and a therapist, it can lead to clients quitting therapy before they are ready. The client might even stop seeking therapy altogether.

If you’re considering changing your therapist due to a rupture, consider letting your therapist know how you feel first. Even if you decide you’d still like to change therapists, having an open conversation about what occurred can be very healing.

Your Therapist Is Inappropriate With You

While you might discuss uncomfortable things in your therapy sessions, your therapist should never be the one making you feel uncomfortable.

Your Therapist Doesn’t Understand You

If you feel deeply misunderstood in therapy or are exhausted continually doingemotional laborto educate your therapist about an aspect of your identity or the challenges you are facing, it can negatively impact your mental health and healing. For example, if you are of a different cultural background, race, gender, or sexual orientation than your therapist, they might not understand or be aware of how you experience the world.

While all therapists should beculturally sensitiveand have knowledge of the mental health struggles of all communities, that isn’t always the case.

Changing your therapist can seem daunting, so here are some steps you can take to make a change:

If You’re Worried About Starting OverIt is completely normal to dread finding a new therapist because you don’t want to start over. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to.When searching for a new therapist, ask them if they’re willing to communicate with your current therapist. Be sure your current therapist is OK with this, too. This will allow your current therapist to fill your new therapist in on the work you’ve been doing, your therapeutic goals, and any information about potential diagnoses.Most providers are happy to do so and will just need you to sign off on a release of information before they communicate with one another.

If You’re Worried About Starting Over

It is completely normal to dread finding a new therapist because you don’t want to start over. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to.When searching for a new therapist, ask them if they’re willing to communicate with your current therapist. Be sure your current therapist is OK with this, too. This will allow your current therapist to fill your new therapist in on the work you’ve been doing, your therapeutic goals, and any information about potential diagnoses.Most providers are happy to do so and will just need you to sign off on a release of information before they communicate with one another.

It is completely normal to dread finding a new therapist because you don’t want to start over. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to.

When searching for a new therapist, ask them if they’re willing to communicate with your current therapist. Be sure your current therapist is OK with this, too. This will allow your current therapist to fill your new therapist in on the work you’ve been doing, your therapeutic goals, and any information about potential diagnoses.

Most providers are happy to do so and will just need you to sign off on a release of information before they communicate with one another.

How to Change Your Child’s Therapist

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.King M.Duration of psychotherapy has little association with outcome.Br J Psychiatry. 2015;207(2):93-94. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160978Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.Juul S, Poulsen S, Lunn S, Sørensen P, Jakobsen JC, Simonsen S.Short-term versus long-term psychotherapy for adult psychiatric disorders: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Syst Rev.2019;8:169. doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1099-0Safran JD, Muran JC.The resolution of ruptures in the therapeutic alliance.J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996;64(3):447-458. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.64.3.447

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.King M.Duration of psychotherapy has little association with outcome.Br J Psychiatry. 2015;207(2):93-94. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160978Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.Juul S, Poulsen S, Lunn S, Sørensen P, Jakobsen JC, Simonsen S.Short-term versus long-term psychotherapy for adult psychiatric disorders: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Syst Rev.2019;8:169. doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1099-0Safran JD, Muran JC.The resolution of ruptures in the therapeutic alliance.J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996;64(3):447-458. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.64.3.447

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

King M.Duration of psychotherapy has little association with outcome.Br J Psychiatry. 2015;207(2):93-94. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160978Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.Juul S, Poulsen S, Lunn S, Sørensen P, Jakobsen JC, Simonsen S.Short-term versus long-term psychotherapy for adult psychiatric disorders: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Syst Rev.2019;8:169. doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1099-0Safran JD, Muran JC.The resolution of ruptures in the therapeutic alliance.J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996;64(3):447-458. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.64.3.447

King M.Duration of psychotherapy has little association with outcome.Br J Psychiatry. 2015;207(2):93-94. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160978

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Juul S, Poulsen S, Lunn S, Sørensen P, Jakobsen JC, Simonsen S.Short-term versus long-term psychotherapy for adult psychiatric disorders: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Syst Rev.2019;8:169. doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1099-0

Safran JD, Muran JC.The resolution of ruptures in the therapeutic alliance.J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996;64(3):447-458. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.64.3.447

Hannah Owens, LMSW

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