How to Find a Therapist in Philadelphia
Your guide to navigating the complex world of counseling, with tips from local therapists.
Need help finding a therapist? Our guide can help streamline the process. / Photographs courtesy of Getty Images
We’re in an era where it seems like everyone is either a) in therapy or b) has been to therapy.
Of course, that’s not actually the case — though it keeps getting closer to true. As of 2023, the Center for Disease Control reported that almost 24% of American adults received any type of mental health services in the previous 12 months, a significant jump up from the 15% that the National Interview on Drug Use and Health reported back in 2018. Still, only around 8.5% of these adults were treated in the outpatient settings we typically associate with talk therapy.
If you’re part of the majority of Americans who hasn’t yet connected with a therapist, but want to, we at Be Well Philly are here to help. We talked to a number of experts in the psychology and counseling spaces, many of them practicing therapists themselves, to guide you through the process of finding a therapist. From navigating insurance to focusing on a specialty to deciding between in-person and telehealth, read on to get your pressing questions answered.
Note: This guide is intended for navigating psychological services. If you are in need of a psychiatrist to prescribe medication, you should consult your primary care physician or the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Why should I go to therapy in the first place?
Therapy is something that has historically been stigmatized, and remains stigmatized to this day, to the point that the CDC has an entire page on its website dedicated to mental health stigma. But people are becoming far more open about their mental health issues, partly spurred on by the pandemic, by celebrity revelations and TV portrayals (think: Showtime’s Couples Therapy), and by increased access to care.
Leeor Gal, a licensed marriage and family therapist and the founder of The Therapy Gal, a practice with offices in Philadelphia and New Jersey, says the rhetoric around therapy used to be that if you went to therapy, there must be something wrong with you. Nowadays, though, it’s much more understood that therapy can provide a range of support, from more deep-seeded struggles to simply needing a guiding hand in a transitional period.
Where do I even begin?
Many of the experts we spoke with agree that you should begin with knowing what your budget is. If you have insurance, ask your insurance company if they cover therapy — or if they’ll reimburse you for a portion of it — and whether you need a referral from your primary care physician. If you aren’t covered by insurance, then you need to determine what you can reasonably afford to pay out-of-pocket for mental health services. Knowing your budget will impact the options you have in the process of finding a therapist.
Then, think about which issue you’re looking to manage or treat. Therapists can receive certifications in some sub-specialties, like anger management, trauma, OCD, ADHD, certain phobias, and much more, that give them added expertise in certain areas.
“It’s very important to have specialties in our field,” Gal says. She says that each individual aspect of potential mental health struggles deserves “specialty care; it’s not an umbrella, no one person can heal everyone.”
“Making sure that the [prospective] therapist has specific training, or has worked with someone like you in the past” is incredibly beneficial, Gal adds.
However, you might not know what condition or challenge you’re struggling with, and that’s okay, too. While identifying your catalyst for therapy can better tailor your search, know that it’s not always necessary. After all, a therapist is there to help you pinpoint as well as manage your issues.
Great, should I start googling?
While Google can be super helpful in some instances, it certainly isn’t the end-all, be-all of finding a therapist. Googling “therapist near me” might be an okay place to start, says Gal, but there’s a lot more specialized searching that people can do to truly find a therapist that fits all of their criteria, not just their ideal travel distance.
Instead, you should contact any of the following organizations, all of which can point you toward finding professionals in your area: American Counseling Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, or National Board of Certified Counselors. (If you’re going through insurance, that narrows the pool down to in-network therapists, but you can look them up via these sites to get more information about them.)
You can also consult free online directories and resources. Psychology Today advertises therapists, psychiatrists, support groups, and treatment centers in and around your area and allows you to sort by insurance, demographic, your particular issue, and type of therapy. The Mental Health Hotline includes numbers for everything from alcohol treatment to panic disorders, including suicide prevention, eating disorders, domestic and child abuse, and drug and alcohol problems. Pennsylvania residents can turn to the Pennsylvania National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) for additional resources and those on the city of Philadelphia’s Medicaid program can see a list of approved mental health providers here.
A third option is to ask for a referral of some kind. Some local associations have referral networks — you can reach out and ask for an assist. You can even ask family or friends for a referral if they speak highly of their therapist. This requires a good amount of vulnerability, so it may not be easy for everyone to do, but thankfully, you already know that whomever you’re asking for a referral won’t judge you for seeking the same sort of help that they’re receiving.
That being said, be mindful of the fact that not everyone seeks therapy for the same issues. A therapist who helped your loved one may not be the right fit for you; those aforementioned specializations are key. Additionally, some therapists refuse to see close friends or family members of existing clients. But most are happy to provide referrals to other professionals with similar approaches to their own.
And lastly, some more nontraditional approaches can help you either start your search or home in on a therapist if you’re nearing the end of it. “The big new thing is social media,” says Gal. Therapists are posting (HIPAA-compliant!) content online, and potential clients are able to experience a bit of who they are — what their personality is like, what they specialize in, what values they hold professionally. It’s easier than ever to get a sense of who your therapist could be before you even speak to them. And even if you aren’t a fan of finding someone online, a cursory check on Instagram or TikTok of someone that you’ve found through one of the more traditional routes may give you some valuable insight in making your final decision of who to connect with.
My insurance doesn’t cover my therapy, and I need to be budget-conscious. What options do I have?
Some practitioners offer a sliding scale for payment, which should be included on their website or in the database where they’re listed. Deana Davis, a licensed social worker practicing in Mt. Airy, also suggests finding out what’s available in your local community. “There are programs, such as Black Men Heal, that will service individuals for free,” says Davis. “You should also check with colleges and universities to see if they have a counseling center that provides services to the public, not just their students.” In the Philadelphia area, Drexel University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, and West Chester University have mental health centers — many of which serve as training clinics for doctoral students — that provide psychological services at rates that may be more affordable to area residents. And the Black Brain Campaign is a local organization aiming to destigmatize therapy in the Black community that provides a range of services, including free therapy.
Additionally, Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a nationwide directory of therapists who offer services for $40-$70 per session for individuals, with the option for $30 sessions with student interns. If you enter your zip code, you can see all Open Path therapists within as little as five miles from you (the maximum radius is 100), with optional filters such as specialties, modality, age, and language. Note that there is a one-time membership fee of $65 for Open Path, so your first session will feel more expensive than the rest.
And if you happen to be a student at a college in the area, it’s worth looking into any free counseling services that your school might provide. Even if you don’t (or can’t, some only offer a few sessions) stick with their services, they may be able to help you by referring you to external providers within your budget.
What are the pros and cons of online versus in-person therapy?
If you can’t meet with a therapist in person, there’s always the option of therapy by video, phone, or online. Our experts had varying opinions about the efficacy of remote therapy options; for what it’s worth, speaking about telehealth overall, recent studies have suggested that the efficacy of telepsychology is on par with that of in-person therapy.
Josh Zlatkus, a therapist with a private practice in Midtown Village, says he thinks phone is a better alternative to video, although he ultimately prefers in-person therapy. “There are usually fewer connection issues. The phone isn’t visually distracting to either the therapist or the client, and some people find it easier to discuss vulnerable topics when they aren’t being looked at, he says.”
Obviously, the pandemic has impacted the way that therapy is and can be conducted. A study from last year showed that among veterans, almost 80% of therapy was conducted online during the peak of the pandemic. Now, the study says about 55% of mental health appointments using these services happen online — a stark uptick from the around 20% number pre-pandemic.
Generally, this can be a good thing. Tele services can give people access to resources they may otherwise have been lacking. And even more so than the option to go online if need be with your regular therapist, people are increasingly beginning to start relationships with therapists whose services they utilize entirely over the web.
Keep in mind, however, that not all telehealth services are created equally. A service that seems to have a quantity-over-quality approach to reaching people is perhaps not one that you’d want to trust. (One of the biggest names in telepsychology, BetterHelp, had to settle with the FTC to the tune of nearly $8 million for sharing users’ data with third parties.) Read up on the services that interest you, ensure that the people employed by the telehealth service are legit, and take all the necessary steps and precautions to match with the therapist who is right for you.
What questions should I ask to make sure my therapist is a good fit?
Many therapists offer free phone consultations or discounts on initial visits to give you both the opportunity to see whether you gel. (Gal notes that she sees this as a green flag in searching for a therapist; they should be comfortable with a getting-to-know-you trial run.) Vaile Wright, senior director for health care innovation at the American Psychological Association, suggests asking about the therapist’s approach. “Your issue, personality, and level of comfort can impact the kind of approach that you need,” she says. “Do you want a therapy session that is super structured or do you want one that is more open-ended? Do you want talk therapy or inquiry-based therapy [i.e., answering questions provided by the practitioner]?”
If you’re meeting in person, you can also watch out for some qualities that are a sign of a good therapist. “Effective therapists might be accepting or warm,” says Jennifer Yalof-Tufenkjian, a licensed clinical psychologist with offices in Philadelphia and New York, plus online services. “They will have empathy, but they wouldn’t make the session about themselves, for example, or how their week went. The client is the focus. Even if you’re entering therapy because you feel like, ‘Wow, I really have difficulty trusting somebody and I might not trust this therapist,’ you can still look out for does this therapist have good boundaries? Do they have a framework they’re working in? Do you feel safe, not judged, by them?”
Though, according to Gal, the most basic and important question to ask is, “Are they truly listening to you?” A good therapist wants to actually engage with you, not just skate through talking points and push on to scheduling the next schedule. You should be able to get the sense that they’re listening to you and that they know how to help you. If not, you should ask them to refer you to someone else, or otherwise restart the therapist-finding process.
Does my therapist need to be a social worker to be legit?
No. While you should certainly research your potential therapist’s credentials and make sure they have some kind of counseling training, there are a lot of different degrees psychologists and therapists can get — a PsyD, LPC, LCSW, MFT. So far, research has shown that which letters are attached to a mental health provider’s name don’t seem to matter as much as fit. Clicking with your therapist and actually feeling like you’re getting something out of them is the most important factor. However, as mentioned, this can be facilitated by ensuring that you’re looking for a therapist whose abilities match up with your needs. So if you’re looking for marriage counseling, an LMFT might be the way to go. And if you’re seeking assistance for something that you feel a social worker would be more qualified for, that’s the area you should begin your search in.
The therapist I was hoping to choose just told me they aren’t accepting new clients. Argh! Why is that?
This can be a frustrating (and all-too-common) reality; however, it has nothing to do with you personally. Practitioners with specialized training — especially those who take insurance — are in high demand, meaning they likely don’t have room in their schedule to take on any more clients. And any person, regardless of their profession, only has so many hours in their day. Davis reminds us that in order to be effective at their practice, “therapists must set realistic client quotas to prevent burnout and to sufficiently meet the needs of current clients.” It’s unethical for a practitioner to accept more clients than their schedule allows.
Can I try out multiple therapists?
Absolutely! When you initially meet, you’re essentially interviewing your therapist like you would a potential friend or partner. You may realize that someone who seemed great on paper just isn’t right for you when you chat. That’s okay, and in those cases, it’s best to simply move on rather than drag something out. Be upfront and communicative. The therapist may even tell you it’s not a good fit and provide a referral to someone else. Ultimately, it’s less about bruising feelings and more about finding a successful long-term partnership.
What if I’ve been seeing my therapist for a while? Can I “break up” with them?
If something is not working out for you, you have every right to cut ties. Although it may feel frustrating, it’s very normal to not make a perfect match on the first try, and attempting to tough it out with a therapist that doesn’t feel right may even lead to adverse affects on your mental health, says Davis.
Of course, if you feel unsafe in any way, then end your sessions immediately. Otherwise, be upfront with your therapist instead of trying to pretend like nothing’s wrong and seeing others on the side. Essentially, don’t cheat on a therapist you have an established relationship with. As is the case in any relationship: Communication is key. Oh, and definitely do not ghost!
For more insight into how to gracefully end things with your current therapist.
This process seems really daunting. Isn’t there an easier way?
Finding a therapist does take time, given all the boxes you need to check. But prioritizing your mental health is worth the investment. “We often say to ourselves, ‘I don’t have time for this’ and act as though mental health can take care of itself,” Wright says. “We need to prioritize mental health in similar ways we do our physical health.”
