How to Choose a Therapist

Finding a therapist, counselor, or psychologist in North Carolina and South Carolina

While the Carolinas can be amazing in many ways (I mean, where else can you have mountains AND beach!!), they certainly do have their struggles. Whether you’re living in one of the larger cities, like Charlotte, Raleigh, Columbia, or Charleston, or one of the smaller towns, like Lincolnton, Myrtle Beach, or Wilmington, life still happens, and sometimes you need support. If you’re looking for a counselor, therapist, psychologist, or even a life coach, I’d like to help you find the perfect fit for you. 

• Know what you need

• Figure out exactly what you’re looking for! Whether you are searching for “therapy for anxiety” or “counseling for depression,” using these search terms can help narrow down your search. And don’t be afraid to add terms like “neurodivergence affirming” or “LGBTQIA+” as many therapists will list these terms on their websites if they apply. 

• Get a feel for their “vibe”

• Sure, counseling is about more than the vibes, but check out their website or listing. Does their webpage “speak” to you? Does this strike you as the type of person who you could feel comfortable with? What’s the general feel?

• Finding the right type of professional

• There’s so many different credentials to choose from- how do you pick? Generally speaking, most different professionals can work with similar things, whether they have LCMHC, LPC, LCSW, or LMFT behind their names. These therapists work with individuals and sometimes couples or families on their different concerns. While psychologists can do traditional counseling, generally speaking most of them do more in-depth testing. And if you are looking for medication, you’ll need a psychiatrist or psychiatric NP. 

• A note on life coaching- coaching can be a great resource for people, however it is not a substitute for therapy. Life coaches work with people on wellness goals- think increasing work performance or just general guidance on being your best self. Life coaching is NOT for trauma, severe depression or anxiety, PTSD, OCD, or any other diagnosable mental health concern.

• Types of therapy

• What types of things work best for you? Are you looking for lots of skills and a more directive approach? You’ll likely want a therapist who uses cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Are you wanting to dig really deep into your childhood (similar to what you may have seen on TV)? You’re looking for psychoanalysis. Wanting someone to talk things through with, or a more supportive approach? You want client-centered therapy. 

• Some special things to look for if you have trauma you want to address. While talk therapy can be helpful, most people find it’s not enough. I recommend looking for a therapist who has training in some trauma-specific techniques. Some people like eye-movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma, which is a structured treatment model. Others prefer a technique like Brainspotting, which is similar to EMDR in that it uses eye positioning to address traumas, but is often described as “gentler” and more client-directed. 

• Where are they located

• Are you looking for in-person or virtual therapy? Many in-person therapists nowadays offer the option of virtual, but there are some therapists who are completely online. If you are looking for in-person therapy, be sure to put your city, or even zip code, in your search terms. For virtual therapy, you can search by your state. 

• A note about virtual therapy- while many therapists are licensed in multiple states, our licenses require the client to be in a state we are licensed in during the time of our appointment. So, you could be a North Carolina resident, but if you are vacationing in Virginia at the time of an appointment, a North Carolina therapist would not be able to meet with you while you are out of state. Likewise, if you are a Georgia resident, but work in South Carolina, you could do your virtual sessions at work while you are in South Carolina with a therapist who is licensed there. 

• Insurance and payment

• Ask about insurance and payment! Be sure to ask your insurance provider if you have a different carve-out for mental health. Some people are covered by one plan for physical health but another for mental health, so be sure to know your plan details. 

• Many therapists are moving away from taking insurance at this time. While reasons for this vary, there are some benefits to not using your insurance for therapy. I’ll dig into this more in a later post, but reasons for not using insurance include:

• Not wanting a diagnosis as part of your record. Insurance requires a diagnosis.

• Wanting to address something that is not diagnosable (for example, couple’s therapy is generally not diagnosable).

• Wanting therapy that doesn’t fit the 50-minute once-per-week model. Insurance holds therapists to certain time frames, whereas if you are paying privately, you and your therapist can get more creative with session length. Some people like to have 90 minute sessions, or even a therapy intensive.  

A free therapy consultation in North Carolina or South Carolina

I hope this helps you find the right therapist for you in either of the Carolinas. If you are still feeling stuck, or have additional questions, feel free to fill out my contact form for a free 15 minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what you’re looking for and direct you to the right person. If you are looking for support as an autistic or ADHD adult, you can find out more about that here. And if you are feeling stuck in therapy, and need help breaking through a plateau, you can read about Brainspotting Intensives here.