Finding a good therapist should not be like finding an empathic needle in a haystack.

But sometimes that's what it feels like. It's hard to know where to start and even if you find some options, it's hard to know if you've really struck a good match.

Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Jade Wu. Every week I'll help you meet

life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Today we'll walk step by step through the process of finding potential therapists including where to start looking, how to narrow down

your list, how to evaluate whether someone might be a good match,

and of course how to find some affordable options.

Recently I was commiserating with a friend

about how hard it is to find the right therapist.

She was spending hours researching therapists near her and even after their websites and names

had begun to all blur in her mind, she was still confused about

how insurance coverage worked and whose credentials matched what she really needed.

Believe it or not, I had a similar experience with finding a therapist, and I'm a therapist myself.

When I was looking a couple of years ago, I both felt like there were too many choices and also no good

options.

And that's such a shame that therapy is so elusive for so many given its many potential benefits. It really shouldn't be

this hard. You're already busy and stressed out and dealing with life drama or

psychological symptoms. The last thing you need is more confusion about a process

that is supposed to bring hope and change.

In the end, I got lucky by basically throwing a dart at the board and landing with a fantastic therapist.

But I want to help you to use a smarter strategy.

So today's episode is going to walk you step by step through the therapist finding process.

...