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Knowing what questions to ask a therapist during your visit can help reduce anxiety. Knowing what to ask can also help you determine whether there could be a good fit between you and your new therapist. Here are some questions that you may want to ask in order to get a better feel for your new therapist’s background, training, and expertise.
Are You Licensed?
What Kind of Training Have You Received?
Depending on who you are meeting with, theeducational background of therapists can differ. For example, your therapist may be a psychiatrist, psychologist or licensed clinical social worker. All of these professions are able to provide therapy; however, the education they received is different. In addition, it would be important to ask the therapist if, as part of their education, they received training in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
What Is Your Treatment Orientation?
Ideally, you would want to find a therapist that views your difficulties in a way that makes sense to you.
How Many Patients With PTSD Have You Treated?
What Is Your Expertise or Specialty?
Some therapists have received specialized or focused training in one or two disorders. If you are seeking help for your PTSD, you would want to know if the therapist has expertise in trauma, PTSD, or at the very least, anxiety disorders.
What Is the Cost per Session?
Therapy can be expensive, and therefore, it is important to know from the beginning how much each session is going to cost you. You may also want to ask what kind of insurance is accepted and what your co-pay would be. If you are having trouble affording therapy, you may want to inquire if the therapist has a “sliding scale.” This means that the therapist has different prices depending on the client’s income.
Can You Prescribe Medication or Make Referrals for Medication?
People differ in their beliefs on the use of medication for psychological difficulties. However, if you are interested in being evaluated for medication, it would be important to meet with a psychiatrist or to ask your therapist if they can make a referral to a psychiatrist.
Do You Stay Up-to-Date on Research on PTSD?
New research findings on PTSD and its treatment come out almost every day. Therefore, you would want to make sure that your therapist stays up-to-date in their training and familiarity with new research on how best to treat PTSD.
Will Therapy Be Time-Limited or Long-term?
Some PTSD treatments may be time-limited. That is, they may last only for a certain number of sessions. Other treatments may be more long-term. It would be important to talk with your therapist about whether or not your treatment will be ongoing or will end after your symptoms are reduced to a certain point.
Finding the Right Therapist
It can be very difficult tofind the right therapistfor you. Remember, in seeking out a new therapist, you are a consumer, and you should approach the experience as you would making an investment. In many ways, beginning therapyisan investment. It is an investment in both time and money, as well as your future. Therefore, it is important that you find the therapist that is going to work best for you in getting your needs met.
This list of questions is not an exhaustive list; however, it should help you start thinking about what kind of therapist you want and what kind of questions you can ask.
2 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.American Psychological Association.What Is the Difference Between Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers?Watkins L, Sprang K, Rothbaum B.Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:258. doi:10.3389%2Ffnbeh.2018.00258
2 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.American Psychological Association.What Is the Difference Between Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers?Watkins L, Sprang K, Rothbaum B.Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:258. doi:10.3389%2Ffnbeh.2018.00258
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.
American Psychological Association.What Is the Difference Between Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers?Watkins L, Sprang K, Rothbaum B.Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:258. doi:10.3389%2Ffnbeh.2018.00258
American Psychological Association.What Is the Difference Between Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers?
Watkins L, Sprang K, Rothbaum B.Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:258. doi:10.3389%2Ffnbeh.2018.00258
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