Find a Counselor Near Me
- 15 hours ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
What to Actually Look for When the Internet Gives You 47 Therapists
By Sarah Plassman, MSW, LISW-S
Sheesh! And Other Thoughts on Being Human
Maybe you typed “find a counselor near me” into Google.
So you've finally Googled it.
Welcome.
Which means one of two things.
Either things have gotten uncomfortable enough that you are finally considering therapy, or someone who loves you has gently suggested it seventeen times and you are now conducting your own independent investigation.
Either way, hi.
You have entered a very strange process.
You are about to choose a person you may eventually tell about your childhood, your marriage, your mother, your anxiety, the thing you said seven years ago that still wakes you up occasionally at 2:00 a.m., and possibly why you cried in the Target parking lot last Tuesday.
And how will you choose this person?
Well, naturally, you will look at a tiny headshot and approximately three paragraphs on the internet.
Seems reasonable.
Welcome to finding a therapist.
First, You Encounter the Therapist Bio
Therapist bios are a strange genre of literature.
We all seem to enjoy coffee (a strawberry refresher in my case), nature, spending time with our families, and “walking alongside people.”
Nobody is entirely sure where we are walking.
But apparently we are deeply committed to the journey.
There will also be words like safe space, collaborative, authentic, strengths based, person centered, and meeting you where you are.
All good things.
Unfortunately, when you are sitting on your couch thinking, “I haven't slept properly in three weeks, I am fighting with my husband, and yesterday I cried because Target was out of the yogurt I like,” you may be wondering:
But do I want to talk to this person?
Which is actually a very reasonable question.
Because when you are looking for a therapist, credentials and experience matter.
But so does being able to imagine sitting in a room with this human being and saying something true.
Before You Search, Ask Yourself What You Actually Need
You do not have to diagnose yourself before calling a therapist.
Please don't feel like you need to arrive with a perfectly organized PowerPoint titled “Reasons I Am Like This.”
We can work on that part together.
But it can help to think about what is making you look for counseling now.
Maybe you are dealing with anxiety that will not turn off.
Maybe grief has changed the shape of your life.
Maybe your marriage feels disconnected.
Maybe your child is struggling.
Maybe something painful happened and you are beginning to realize it is still affecting you.
Maybe everyone around you thinks you are doing great and you are starting to suspect that “great” is doing a considerable amount of heavy lifting.
Or maybe nothing catastrophic happened at all.
You just don't feel like yourself.
That counts too.
You can start there.
Yes, the Boring Practical Stuff Matters
There is also the decidedly unromantic portion of choosing a counselor.
Insurance. Location. Availability. Telehealth or in person. Schedule. Cost.
And whether the therapist actually treats the concern bringing you in.
None of this is particularly inspiring, but it matters.
You could find the most wonderful therapist in Ohio, but if she only has appointments Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. and you are teaching third grade at 11:00 a.m. every Tuesday, we have encountered a logistical problem.
Love may conquer many things.
Scheduling is apparently not one of them.
If you plan to use insurance, ask whether the therapist is in network with your specific insurance plan, not simply whether the office “accepts” your insurance company.
You can also ask about expected costs, although your insurance company is ultimately the best source for confirming your individual benefits.
It is not the glamorous part of therapy.
But surprise medical bills are not particularly therapeutic either.
Look for Experience With the Thing You Are Bringing In
A therapist does not have to have personally lived your exact life to help you.
But you should be able to get some sense that the clinician understands the concern you are bringing into the room.
If you are seeking help for panic attacks, ask whether they routinely treat anxiety and panic.
If you are looking for trauma treatment, ask about their experience and approach.
If you want Christian counseling, it is okay to ask what that actually means in their practice.
If you are looking for counseling for your child, ask about the ages they typically work with and how they involve parents or caregivers.
If you need psychological testing, couples counseling, grief support, or something more specialized, make sure the person you are considering actually provides that service.
You are not being difficult.
You are trying to find an appropriate fit.
Those are different things.
Credentials Matter. But You Do Not Have to Decode the Entire Alphabet
Therapists tend to have a remarkable number of letters after our names.
LISW. LPCC. LPC. LSW. PhD. PsyD.
Sometimes our business cards look like we lost a fight with a Scrabble bag.
Those letters matter because they tell you something about a clinician's education, license, training, and scope of practice.
But you do not need to become an expert in professional licensing before making an appointment.
A counseling practice should be able to tell you who the clinician is, what license or training status they hold, what they treat, and whether their experience is appropriate for what you are seeking.
And if you are unsure?
Ask.
You are allowed to ask questions before telling us your life story.
Five Questions You Can Ask a Potential Therapist
You do not need to conduct a formal interview.
Please do not arrive with a clipboard unless that brings you joy.
But asking a few questions can help you get a much better sense of whether someone may be a good fit.
1. Do you have experience working with what I am dealing with?
You do not need someone who has treated your exact life story before. You do want someone whose training, experience, and scope of practice make sense for the concerns bringing you to therapy.
2. What does therapy with you usually look like?
Some therapists are structured. Some are more conversational. Some use specific treatment approaches or teach particular skills. Some give homework.
Some will apparently send you home with enough worksheets to start a small office supply store.
It is okay to ask.
3. How will we know if therapy is helping?
There should eventually be some shared understanding of what you are working toward.
Therapy does not always move in a perfectly straight line, but you should have some idea of why you are there and what progress might look like.
4. What happens if I disagree with you or something in therapy isn't working for me?
This one matters.
A healthy therapeutic relationship should have room for questions, disagreement, clarification, and repair.
You should not have to perform “good client” in therapy.
5. Is there anything about what I am looking for that makes you think another therapist or type of treatment might be a better fit?
A good clinician should be able to recognize the limits of their own training, experience, and scope.
Sometimes one of the most helpful things a therapist can say is:
“I think someone else may be better equipped to help you with this.”
That is not rejection.
That is good clinical care.
Now We Get to the Part That Is Harder to Measure
Fit.
I wish there were a scientifically precise filter on Google that said:
“Must be clinically competent, appropriately credentialed, available Thursdays, accepts my insurance, understands my sense of humor, won't stare at me strangely when I make inappropriate jokes during uncomfortable moments, and somehow knows when to challenge me and when to leave me alone.”
Search.
Unfortunately, we are not there yet.
So sometimes you simply have to meet the person.
You might prefer someone warm and conversational.
Someone structured.
Someone direct.
Someone gentle.
Someone who gives homework.
Someone who does not give homework because you already have three children, a job, laundry on your couch, and frankly enough assignments.
Some people want a therapist who talks quite a bit. Others need someone who leaves more room.
Some value humor.
Some want their faith incorporated into counseling. Others want no religious integration at all.
None of those preferences automatically makes one therapist better than another.
It means people are different.
Which is terribly inconvenient for algorithms.
What Should the First Session Feel Like?
Probably a little weird.
You are meeting a stranger and discussing things most people do not usually cover within the first hour of acquaintance.
So if you leave your first session thinking, Well, that was vulnerable, congratulations. #Therapy.
But there is a difference between normal first session awkwardness and feeling genuinely dismissed, judged, pressured, unsafe, or consistently misunderstood.
You do not have to know during minute twelve whether this person is going to change your life.
Give the relationship a little room to develop.
But pay attention.
Does the therapist listen?
Do they seem interested in understanding you rather than immediately fitting you into a theory?
Can you ask questions?
Can you disagree?
Do you understand what you are working toward?
Do you feel respected?
And perhaps most importantly:
Can you imagine eventually telling this person the thing you are currently hoping you will never have to tell anybody?
You don't have to tell them today.
But can you imagine getting there?
That matters.
What Should Healthy Therapy Feel Like Over Time?
Hopefully, not comfortable all the time.
I know.
Terrible marketing.
A healthy therapeutic relationship should feel respectful, collaborative, and emotionally safe enough for you to become increasingly honest.
But safe does not necessarily mean easy.
Sometimes your therapist may ask a question you would rather not answer. They may notice a pattern you were perfectly content not noticing. They may gently challenge something you believe.
You may leave a session feeling relieved.
You may leave thoughtful.
And occasionally you may sit in your car afterward staring through the windshield thinking:
“Well. I did not particularly enjoy learning that about myself.”
Also therapy.
What matters is that challenge happens within a relationship where you feel respected rather than shamed, pressured, belittled, or controlled.
Over time, you should generally understand what you are working on and have opportunities to talk about whether therapy is helping.
Goals can change. Progress can be uneven. Difficult seasons happen.
Therapy is rarely a beautiful upward trending graph.
But the process should have purpose.
You should increasingly be able to bring more of yourself into the room, ask questions, disagree, talk about what is and is not helping, and participate in decisions about your care.
A good therapeutic relationship is not one where you agree with your therapist about everything.
It is one where there is enough trust to talk about it when you don't.
You Are Allowed to Say, “I Don't Think This Is the Right Fit”
This part can feel surprisingly difficult.
Especially if you are a people pleaser.
You may find yourself worrying about hurting your therapist's feelings.
Which is adorable.
But no.
You are not required to remain in an unhelpful therapeutic relationship because you do not want your therapist to feel rejected.
Please do not attend six months of counseling you dislike because you are trying to protect the emotional wellbeing of the person you hired to help with yours.
Therapists understand that fit matters.
Sometimes the clinician is perfectly competent and perfectly nice and simply not your person.
That is okay.
Sometimes we can even help you find someone who may fit better.
Also, You Do Not Need to Be Falling Apart
I want to say this because people sometimes wait until life is on fire before deciding they are “allowed” to go to therapy.
You can come before the fire.
You can come because you are anxious.
Because you want healthier relationships.
Because you are facing a transition.
Because you keep repeating a pattern you do not understand.
Because you want to communicate better.
Because grief is heavy.
Because parenting is hard.
Because you are functioning perfectly well and would like to understand yourself better.
Because your life is actually pretty good and you would like to keep it that way.
Therapy does not require an audition.
There is no panel in the waiting room scoring whether your problems are sufficiently problematic.
So... Find a Counselor Near Me
There you go, Google.
I said it again.
But if that phrase is what brought you here, maybe what you were really looking for wasn't simply the counselor with the shortest driving distance.
Maybe you were looking for someone who understands what you are carrying.
Someone appropriately trained to help with it.
Someone you can afford to see and realistically fit into your life.
Someone who feels human.
Someone you might eventually trust enough to say:
“Okay. This is the part I usually don't tell people.”
That is a much better search.
And yes, it may take a little more work than clicking the first smiling headshot Google gives you.
How. Rude.
Looking for a Counselor in the Dayton Area?
If you are looking for counseling in Centerville, Dayton, or the surrounding area, Agape Counseling Center has a team of mental health professionals with different backgrounds, personalities, specialties, and approaches.
Which is helpful because, as it turns out, human beings do not come in one convenient therapeutic flavor.
Our administrative team can help you think through practical questions such as insurance, availability, age, scheduling, and which clinicians may be appropriate for what you are looking for.
Then you get to decide whether the fit feels right.
Because finding a therapist should not simply be about finding a counselor near you.
It should be about finding someone who may actually be able to help. Wherever and however you find them.
Find the quick guide for finding the right therapists here:
Sheesh.
For Further Reading
A helpful overview of psychotherapy, what to expect, and how the relationship between therapist and client contributes to treatment.
General information about psychotherapy, common treatment approaches, and considerations when looking for mental health treatment.
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About the Author
Sarah Plassman, MSW, LISW-S, is a therapist and owner of Agape Counseling Center in Centerville, Ohio, and the author of Sheesh! And Other Thoughts on Being Human. Being a therapist has shaped the way she sees people, relationships, pain, joy, growth, and all the complicated things we carry with us.
Through her writing, Sarah shares some of what she has learned from years in the therapy room, her own life, and simply paying attention to what it means to be human, with clinical insight, compassion, curiosity, and usually a little humor.
Because apparently, if she goes too long without saying something weird, she starts becoming suspiciously well adjusted, and nobody wants that.
Educational Disclaimer
This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized mental health assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or professional advice. The therapeutic relationship and appropriate treatment approach will vary based on each person's needs and circumstances.