How do you find a therapist that will fit your personality and budget?

Word of mouth is helpful, to start. Then I read the profiles on Psychology today, and the therapists’ websites. I pay attention to the feel of the website, as well as the words. Is it clean, organized, understandable to me? The therapist will likely be as well. If it’s chaotic and disorganized, I move on. When looking for a therapist, it helps if you are clear about what you need, but if you aren’t, that’s okay. I am aware that I like someone who is relational, knows family systems, but works well cognitively. If you aren’t as familiar with the buzzwords, then focus on how you feel when you read their profile. Does this feel like someone you can connect to? Relate with? A good therapist will use language and metaphor in ways that feel good to you. They may mention shared experience, values, or interests that you connect with. It’s not that you will necessarily talk about those things in your session, but it’s a shared world view. For example, I am a gamer…when my daughter was young, I played Halo and world of Warcraft with her. I still game, for fun. Clients who game, play DnD and have other “nerd” hobbies tend to really like that, because I tend to use gaming metaphors when we are doing therapy: leveling up, or fighting trolls, or whatever. For someone else that might be completely wrong, but for those that share that passion, it makes the work easier and more connected. Regarding money, I personally would prefer to see the right therapist less often than a cheaper therapist who does not fit. Discuss fees, and ask if going biweekly is an option. Lots of my clients do. It allows you to choose someone based on goodness of fit rather than budget alone.