The psychotherapy consulting room can feel like a foreign place where a different social rules seem to apply. Most clients with whom I meet for the first time are nervous about being in someone else’s space and beginning the daunting process of therapy; this discomfort often impedes their willingness to ask their most pressing questions.
I created a list of questions that are very much appropriate to ask (and that most people do not ask). Not every question will be relevant to everyone, and I couch this post with the warning that an indiscriminate litany of questions will not elicit the most generous and flexible approach from a prospective therapist. Ask all that seem relevant and important.
If you have sufficiently narrowed down the relevant questions, asked with a sincere curiosity, and avoided a challenging and/or interrogative tone, then any abrupt, non-collaborative responses you get back from the clinician are a poor reflection on the therapist.
Finding the right psychotherapist is important, so I encourage you to ask all the questions you need to feel comfortable with your decision.
FEE, POLICIES, & USEFUL INFORMATION
1. Will I be charged for the consultation session?
2. What is your fee and do you ever make exceptions?
3. Do you offer a sliding scale?
4. Do you/Would you file out of network claims for your clients?
5. Do you offer any discount for clients who pay in cash?
6. Do you adjust your fee when you meet with clients multiple times per week?
7. What is your cancellation policy? How much notice do you require? Do you ever charge for missed sessions?
8. Which days are you in the office? Are there recurring periods where you know you’ll be away? Out of the office?
9. Do you have a policy about phone calls between sessions?
THEORY, TECHNIQUE, & APPROACH
10. What is your theoretical orientation?
11. What is your theory of how therapeutic change occurs?
12. What do you think would be the biggest benefit I would get from psychotherapy?
13. Do you consider yourself to be a more active or reticent therapist? How come?
14. What do you see is my main issue and how do think we should address it?
15. Do you recommend medication/psychiatric consultation for your clients who experience similar problems?
16. Are there other ways of treating my problem and what do you think the advantage is of going the route you are suggesting?
17. Do you feel my issues are something that could be addressed in short-term treatment or is a long-term treatment the best option?
18. Which issues do you think could be addressed in the short-term and which issues require longer-term treatment before I see changes?
19. What books, articles, and/or resources do you suggest for people who have similar issues to me? Who are just beginning psychotherapy?
20. Will you be giving me a specific diagnosis? Why or why not?
21. Is there a difference between the diagnosis for which you would bill my insurance and the one for which you would treat me?
22. Do you think my issue is more situation-dependent (acute) or personality-based (Chronic)?
23. Do you consult with anyone regularly on your cases and might you be speaking with another person about my case?
REFERRALS & OUTSIDE RESOURCES