Quick Overview: Yes. Trusted recommendations and your own priorities can both guide a therapy search. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says a trusted person can offer recommendations and that a search can include qualities important to you. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says therapists may differ in background, specialty, and approach. NIMH also notes that an early conversation can help you understand how treatment would proceed and whether you feel comfortable with the therapist. A recommendation can help you identify options; your priorities can help shape what you ask.
When considering how to choose individual therapy, it may be useful to treat recommendations and personal priorities as related but distinct parts of a search. A recommendation may give you a place to begin. Your own questions can help you learn about an option directly.
Recommendations Can Help You Begin
SAMHSA states that people may ask a doctor, social worker, loved ones, or friends they trust for recommendations for mental-health care or support. It also says that talking with more than one person may be helpful because many types of support are available.
A recommendation does not determine personal fit or outcomes for an individual reader. The research notes state that trusted recommendations can be considered alongside the qualities that matter to you.
SAMHSA identifies several search considerations. These include whether a professional or program accepts insurance or offers free or low-cost services, is taking new patients, has open appointments or meetings that fit your schedule, and includes qualities important to you. These considerations can help you decide which options you want to contact.
A recommendation can therefore be one starting point rather than the whole decision. You may also want to ask the recommended practice questions that relate to your priorities.
A Recommendation Can Be One Source of Information
If a person you trust suggests a therapy option, you can decide whether you want to learn more. You might also seek more than one recommendation, as SAMHSA suggests, and identify options you want to reach out to.
The available sources do not say that a recommendation predicts whether a particular option will suit a particular person. They do support using recommendations as part of a search that also considers qualities and practical details that matter to you.
Personal Priorities Can Shape Your Search
SAMHSA says to look for treatment or support that includes qualities important to you. The source does not define which qualities should matter most for every reader. That boundary leaves room for your own questions.
NIMH explains that therapists may differ in professional background, specialty, and approach. It states that the approach a therapist uses depends on training and experience and on the condition being treated. These differences can provide topics to ask about when you are considering therapy options.
NIMH also identifies questions about fees, insurance, and a sliding scale for fees according to income as possible topics when talking with a prospective therapist. SAMHSA separately identifies insurance, free or low-cost services, new-patient status, and appointment availability as search considerations.
Reflection Questions for a Therapy Search
| Reflection question | Information to consider or ask about |
|---|---|
| What qualities are important to me in a therapy option? | SAMHSA suggests considering qualities that are important to you. |
| What would I like to understand about the therapist? | NIMH notes that therapists may differ in background, specialty, and approach. |
| What practical information do I need? | SAMHSA lists insurance, free or low-cost services, new-patient status, and appointment availability. |
| What do I want to learn before moving forward? | NIMH says an early conversation can help explain how treatment would proceed. |
| How comfortable do I feel with the therapist? | NIMH identifies comfort with the therapist as a consideration in a preliminary conversation. |
These questions do not establish whether any particular therapist is right for you. They can help you identify the information you want to gather.
Early Conversations Can Clarify Approach
NIMH states that, after identifying one or more possible therapists, a preliminary conversation can help a person understand how treatment will proceed and whether they feel comfortable with the therapist. NIMH says these conversations may happen in person, by phone, or virtually.
NIMH also states that rapport and trust are essential and that it is important to feel comfortable with the therapist and have confidence in the therapist’s expertise. An early conversation does not determine personal fit or outcomes for an individual reader.
You can use this conversation to ask about the therapist’s approach, specialty, background, treatment goals, fees, insurance, or other topics identified by NIMH. If you are considering more than one option, asking similar questions may help you gather information from each practice.
Questions to Bring to a Consultation
- How would you describe your approach to individual therapy?
- What information can you share about your background, specialty, training, and experience?
- How would treatment proceed?
- What are your fees, and do you accept insurance or offer a sliding scale?
- Are you taking new patients, and are there open appointment options that fit my schedule?
These questions reflect topics NIMH identifies for conversations with prospective therapists and search considerations identified by SAMHSA.
Practice Note: Rooted Integrative Therapy offers individual therapy. Alina Hovsoyan, LCSW, provides in-person therapy near Orem and Provo, with virtual therapy across Utah.
The practice’s FAQs describe scheduling a consultation call as the first step, with an opportunity to ask questions and consider fit. Its Connect page invites inquiries and appointment requests through the page’s contact details or form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can trusted recommendations and my own criteria both matter?
Yes. SAMHSA says a trusted person can offer recommendations and that a search can consider qualities important to you. The sources do not say that a recommendation determines personal fit or outcomes.
What differences can I ask therapists about?
NIMH says therapists may differ in professional background, specialty, and approach. You can ask a prospective therapist for information about those areas.
What can an early conversation help me understand?
According to NIMH, a preliminary conversation can help you understand how treatment would proceed and whether you feel comfortable with the therapist.
Can I ask about costs and appointment availability?
NIMH identifies fees, insurance, and sliding-scale questions as possible discussion topics. SAMHSA lists insurance, free or low-cost services, new-patient status, and appointment availability as search considerations.
Sources and Further Reading
Sources used for this article:
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Health Care Or Support
- National Institute of Mental Health: Psychotherapies
A Grounded Next Step
If you are considering individual therapy, you can identify the qualities and practical information that matter to you, then contact a practice with questions. Rooted Integrative Therapy’s Connect page invites inquiries and appointment requests, and its FAQs describe a consultation call as a first step for asking questions and considering fit.
Please do not include urgent or highly sensitive clinical information in a general inquiry.
This article is for general education only. It is not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or substitute for individualized mental-health care. A qualified mental-health professional can help you consider what fits your circumstances.