SEEKING HELP FROM A PSYCHOLOGIST

We members of IABPsi are often asked to provide referrals to people who want to work specifically with Black therapists. We are not averse to these requests. In fact, we are most pleased to give them based on the specifics of the requestor ---- does the practitioner see children? Does she specialize in trauma or depression? Will they accept my insurance? However, we find that it is far more practical to share tips on how to choose a therapist than to refer directly. Most of us are not able to store the vast amount of knowledge about practitioners yet still are most eager to be of help.

The American Psychological Association is the largest organization of psychologists in the world and offers a most helpful resource for people in search of a mental health practitioner (see Psychology Today link below). We offer some guidelines on how to navigate this valuable online resource. The site offers many features to select a therapist based on race and other parameters like gender, practice specialization (e.g., trauma, challenges in children and families, Black adults), sexual orientation, and background experiences.

When is the right time for therapy or counseling?

The right time to begin therapy or counseling is when you feel the need to cope better with past or current life circumstances. You may recognize that you have used good coping skills in the past but for a host of reasons not always fully understood, you want to be more consistent in using them. You may also need to develop new skills. You might find you want not only to feel better, but also to be better overall. These needs also can be extended to your loved ones.

It’s not always an easy step for people to begin therapy. We advise that you begin with the simplest of steps, talking to someone who has experienced therapy or, if you prefer to be more private, going to the Psychology Today site and selecting a few potential therapists. A next step could be reading more about the different therapy approaches, and yet another step is to begin making phone calls to ask questions. Below we offer some suggestions on the kinds of questions you can ask.

The ABCs of selecting a therapist

We mentioned earlier that there are features you can choose on the website in selecting therapists. Many of these can serve as filters, that is, those characteristics that you choose to filter in, such as city, race, and gender. Consequently, you can select from a list of male therapist who identifies as Black/African-American in Indianapolis. As you search further among a narrower list of therapists, you can also determine their credentials and discipline, like psychologist or licensed mental health counselor, specializations, years of experience, and so forth. Although our bias at IABPsi is to refer professionals with doctorates in psychology with the “HSPP” or Health Service Provider in Psychology, we also recognize that there are exceptional practitioners from many mental health disciplines.

The important work lies in a careful reading of what your potential practitioner offers and how to determine it from this site and later, through interviewing. Regardless of what filters you choose, we urge you to read thoroughly about your potential therapist, choosing an initial list of about 5 who meet your needs and specifications. Are the descriptions they provide resonant with you? In some cases, the therapists provide a short videotape of their specializations.

Therapists can select under the category “Client Focus,” that their practice is geared for Black/African Americans. We deem this to be an important category for Black people in particular because it can reflect the therapists’ commitment and desire to work with Black people. Similarly, under the “Communities” category, the practitioner has the option to include descriptors like Racial Justice Allied. We support the inclusion of this category by practitioners as it conveys a commitment to social action in the arena of racism. We also support the inclusion of other justice-oriented categories by therapists, like LGBT-Allied.

Practitioners will dedicate a good portion of their page to Treatment Approaches, or rather, how they view the nature of problems in general and how their practice meets the need to resolve them. Popular options are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBR), both of which are described in detail on the site. Because it is still essential that practitioners attune to matters of culture, race, gender, social class, and other factors that shape our existences as humans, we strongly urge you to select therapists who acknowledge “Culturally Sensitive Therapy” in addition to other approaches.

Questions to ask prior deciding on a therapist

One of the biggest challenges to selecting an exceptional therapist is that once you are comfortable with your filters, you may live in a community where there is no one who meets your most important parameters. For this reason, we strongly advise that you gather the best matches and then interview the therapists on your list.

A short list of about 3-5 people is a suitable task for anyone seeking a therapist. Here are questions you may include in your interview:

  • My particular problem is ____________ (you can begin by sharing how you’ve been feeling and how you’ve been able to cope with your problems thus far). Could you give me a general idea of how you would go about helping me overcome it/them? You’re getting a general feel for how “connected” you feel with the therapist and the therapy.

  • Is your approach to therapy deemed appropriate for Black people based on research/theoretical literature? Exceptional therapists keep track of research and should be able to articulate a response in a satisfactory, coherent manner.

  • Do you take into account how people’s life experiences based on culture, race, gender, and so forth influences problems as well as positive coping? Exceptional therapist appreciate the “whole” quality of human experience.

  • How would you know when it’s time to end therapy? Some therapists will have firm measures to determine when the therapy should end. For example, they may ask that you keep track of certain behaviors you want to change and so that both you and the therapist can chart progress or slip-ups. Others may take an approach of determining when the therapy should end based on your report of how you feel, how you believe your relationships are progressing, how well you’ve been able to comply with your prescription regimen, and so forth.