How to Find a Therapist: 10 Questions to Ask a Therapist in Chicago or Online Therapist Before Choosing

Questions to Ask a Therapist Before Starting Therapy in Chicago or Online Therapy

Deciding to start therapy is an important step toward feeling better and being more effective in your life, but it is just the first step. Once you make the commitment to engage in therapy, you need to figure out how to find a therapist and how to choose the right one for you. 

There is a wide array of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other therapists available to serve people in Chicago and along the North Shore. Even more therapists are available through online therapy to expand your choices beyond your geographic region. Narrowing the field of potential therapists down to a shortlist can be a process by itself. For tips on factors to consider to help you find some great therapist candidates, look here. 

After you have identified a few therapists who look like they may be a good match for you, it’s time to pick up the phone and ask some questions that may not have been answered on their website FAQ page or their online profile. A quick call is also a great opportunity to start to get a feel for what it is like to talk with each potential therapist. Many therapists offer a free brief phone consultation specifically so that you can get the information that you need to make a confident choice when selecting a provider.

Although the questions that you have will be unique to your situation and your needs, the following ten are ones that get asked and answered often when people call Shore Therapy Center for Wellness to seek out therapy services. The questions have been grouped into three categories to help you get the answers that you need during that important consultation call: Non-starters; Have They Got the Goods?; and What it is Like to Work With This Therapist?

Non-starters: Questions to Ask a Therapist in Chicago or Online Therapist to Discover if You Can Work With Them, Whether You Want To or Not

These practical questions can save you time and limit disappointment, so they are good questions to lead with during that initial call.

Question #1: Does the Therapist Work With People Like You and the Issues You Want to Address?

It is helpful to begin with a brief description of who you are and what you are looking to address in therapy. This will allow you and the therapist to discover if you and your needs fit within their areas of specialization, experience, and expertise. Many therapists focus their work within certain populations, problem areas, or therapeutic configurations (e.g., individual, couples, family, or group therapy), to allow for a deeper level of understanding and expertise in these areas. Additionally, therapists are ethically required to limit their work to stay within their boundaries of competence based on their training and experience. If the therapist does not have experience or expertise in what you need, or they don’t do the type of therapy that you are looking for, this is good to know at the start of the conversation.

Question #2: Where Is the Therapist Located and Do They Do Online Therapy in Your State?

If you wish to have the option of working with a therapist in an office setting, you want to verify that their location is one that is practical for you to get to and accessible for your needs. This may mean asking questions about the specific location as well as proximity to public transportation, and availability of parking.

You may prefer to have therapy online using telehealth on a computer or your phone. There are many reasons why people want to access their therapist online either regularly, or occasionally. Online therapy allows you to expand the scope of therapists available to you so that you stand a better chance of finding someone who has expertise in your area of need, does the kind of therapy that you are looking for, and might be a good fit for who you are and your preferences in a therapist. Online therapy can also be a good choice if you wish to minimize commuting time to and from therapy; allow for greater flexibility in fitting therapy into your schedule; prefer to access therapy from your own comfortable and familiar environment; or anticipate travel out of your area. If you are not sure how to determine if online therapy will be a good option for you, this article may help.

If you plan on using telehealth to stay connected during out-of-state travel, relocations, or to work with a therapist located in another state, you want to be sure to ask the therapist if they are licensed in the state that you will be in for your sessions. Licensing laws require that therapists be licensed to practice in the state where the client is physically located at the time of the session, even when using telehealth. Some therapists are licensed in multiple states, and others are not. Psychologists, in particular, may be credentialed with PSYPACT, an interstate compact designed to promote access to telehealth across over 40 participating states.

Question #3: Does the Therapist Have Availability That Works With Your Schedule?

You want to ask a potential therapist if they have availability during times that will work with your schedule. It may be that you can be more flexible with your schedule if you are connecting to an online session from work or home than if you have to come in for an in-office session. You may also be willing and able to adjust your schedule to fit the availability of a therapist who sounds like they would be a really good match for you and your needs. However, if you are truly only able to connect at very specific times, it is helpful to start by finding out if the therapist has current openings at those times or may in the foreseeable future before delving too deeply into a conversation with them.

Question #4: How Much Does Therapy Cost?

Therapy is an investment in your health. The vast majority of medical insurance plans will reimburse for a portion of the costs of your therapy, but the amount covered or any restrictions on coverage will vary for every individual insurance plan. It will be helpful for you to be familiar with the specific coverage benefits of your health insurance plan before reaching out to therapists. 

When speaking with a therapist, you may want to ask about the length, frequency, and cost of their sessions; as well as whether they are an in-network provider for your insurance plan or an out-of-network provider for your insurance plan. This information, in combination with knowing your insurance plan benefits, will help you to determine what your financial responsibility will be when working with a specific therapist. 

Of course, the cost of therapy is not just measured in dollars. You are investing your time, desire for change, hope, and confidence when selecting a therapist. Ask the questions that you need to in order to make an informed choice about the value, sustainability, and likely return on this investment. 

Have They Got the Goods?: Questions to Ask a Therapist in Chicago or Online Therapist To Learn if They Have the Expertise and Experience to Help You

Once you have determined that a therapist’s services, accessibility, availability, and costs work for your needs, you probably want to learn more about their training and experience to consider if they are likely to be a good fit for you. Formal training, professional experiences, and personal experiences can all enhance a therapist’s ability to work with their clients from a position of knowledge, understanding, and skillfulness. The following questions seek to explore these areas.

Question #5: What Kind of Foundational Training Does the Therapist Have?

There are many different routes to becoming a therapist. An individual may have been trained as a counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a social worker, a psychologist with a PsyD. or a Ph.D., or may have taken some other path to become a therapist. These different types of education may mean that they spent under two years in graduate studies to become a therapist or upwards of eight years or more. They may have had 500 hours of supervised clinical work during their training or more than 5000. Additionally, some therapists are still in the process of their therapy training while working toward their degree, or are completing their clinical hours to qualify for their independent licensure while working under the supervision of another licensed clinician. 

You may wish to ask questions about the extent of a clinician’s foundational academic training as well as whether or not they are licensed. Clinicians who are not independently licensed may not be able to submit sessions to your insurance for reimbursement but may offer a reduced fee rate that may be lower than a licensed therapist. You will also want to know if your therapist graduated from a program accredited by organizations with rigorous standards such as the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP); Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE); or the American Psychological Association (APA). Of course, learning information about a clinician’s foundational training does not mean that you know how skillful or effective they may be as a therapist for you, but it is something that you might want to ask about to inform your choice.

Question #6: Does the Therapist Have Advanced Training or Special Skills that Will Impact Your Treatment?

In addition to knowing the foundational training of the therapist, you may also wish to ask about advanced or specialized training or certifications, especially in the treatment areas that you wish to target or specific therapeutic approaches that are of interest to you. All licensed therapists are required to participate in ongoing continuing education for the duration of their careers, and many are passionate about working to increase the depth and breadth of their clinical skills in their areas of specialization. It is very appropriate to ask a potential therapist what specific training they have working with issues such as those that you wish to target, or if they have advanced training or certifications with specific treatment approaches that you hope to utilize such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) or Internal Family Systems (IFS).

Question #7: What Experience Does the Therapist Have Working with Issues Like the Ones That You Want to Address in Therapy?

Beyond knowing about your therapist’s formal training and expertise, you may want to ask about their experience working with people who have circumstances like yours; who were addressing similar issues in therapy; or in working with a treatment modality that is of interest to you. 

Therapists bring their personal and professional experiences to their work in addition to their formal training. Although it is often appropriate for therapists to maintain certain professional boundaries (e.g., they may choose not to share specific details of their personal lives or the extent to which their understanding of your situation comes from personal or professional experiences,) they should be able to speak to the extent of their familiarity with your situation or treatment needs. You may want to ask how many clients they have worked with who have issues like yours or how often they use a particular treatment approach in their work.

Questions to Ask a Therapist in Chicago or Online Therapist to Learn What is it Like to Work With Them

The final group of questions focuses more specifically on the experience of working with a given therapist. There is more than one way to effectively approach a problem area through therapy, so not all therapists will treat your issues in the same way. The therapist will also bring their own personality and style to the therapeutic relationship.

Before making those initial consultation calls, it may be helpful for you to consider what you might be looking for in therapy. Reflect on questions such as, do you prefer a directive therapist or a sounding board? Are you hoping to build specific skills in targeted areas of your life? Is your goal to find a quick solution to a specific problem or explore deeper work to address long-standing patterns?

The following questions may be helpful to clarify expectations and get a sense of what it might be like to work with this therapist on your target areas. 

Question #8: How Does the Therapist Treat the Issues You’re Looking to Address in Therapy? 

This is a great question to ask, especially if you have already done some research and are looking for a specific type of treatment, or perhaps have had positive or not-so-positive experiences with specific therapeutic approaches or styles in the past. You may not have a sense of how your problem may be effectively treated in therapy, and that is okay too.

The therapist probably won’t be able to outline a specific treatment plan based on what they learn about you in a brief consultation, but they should be able to give a general idea about some of the ways that they might address the problems that you are facing. Listen to what the therapist has to say, and consider if their explanation seems clear, makes sense to you, and is an approach that you would be comfortable with. 

Question #9: What Should You Expect From Therapy With This Therapist Online or in Chicago?

The therapist should be able to give you a general idea of how they structure the initial sessions; how they work with clients to establish treatment goals and a treatment plan; and how they monitor progress toward goals and adjust their treatment plan over time. They may be able to give an indication about how frequently they generally meet with clients, and how long therapy might take to begin to show noticeable changes or to achieve your desired goals. A therapist can often talk a bit about their style in working with clients, and answer additional questions that you may have about what to expect from therapy with them; including logistical questions such as when payment is expected, what their cancellation policy may be, or how to access a telehealth appointment online.

Question #10: How Do You Feel When Speaking With the Therapist?

This final question is one to ask yourself following the consultation call. Consider how you felt when speaking with the therapist. It is important to reflect on how the conversation went and how comfortable you felt with the therapist and with their answers to your questions. Think about how you felt talking with them and how they interacted throughout the conversation. Research consistently shows that the relationship between the therapist and the client plays an essential role in therapeutic progress, so this final question is one to be sure that you answer for yourself when making decisions about selecting a therapist. Even if they gave the responses that you hoped for about experience, availability, or cost, if you did not feel comfortable, understood, validated, or respected during the consultation call, this therapist may not be the right therapist for you.

Finding a Therapist in Chicago or an Online Therapist

Hopefully, these 10 questions will help you to move forward with greater confidence when choosing a therapist in Chicago, along the North Shore, or to find a great online therapist. If you have moved forward with scheduling your first session with a new therapist, congratulations! If you are still feeling stuck, contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’m happy to hear about what you are looking for and will do my best to direct you to the right person.

If you are seeking help with parent and caregiver burnout; affirming therapy for LGBTQIA+, culturally diverse, neurodivergent, and other marginalized individuals; stress and anxiety; trauma and PTSD; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); or therapy online in many states across the U.S, in Chicago; or along the North Shore, I welcome the opportunity to answer your questions. I may even be a good choice for you.