How to Find a Psychologist or Therapist

San Francisco Bay Area is a beautiful place but if you live here, you also know how stressful it can be. There can be so much pressure: whether its pressure to work hard, achieve more, find a relationship, get kids into good schools, be fit, and mentally balanced, all at the same time. Let’s face it, with the pandemic, stress just multiplied. As a result, depression, anxiety, and stress are at a new high. Now more than ever, we need to focus on our mental health, and we need support for that.

I want to help you find a psychologist in San Francisco Bay Area, California

Looking for a therapist in the San Francisco Bay Area isn’t always easy. It’s hard to know where to look, who to ask, and how to know if a therapist is right for you. It can feel even more difficult to want to start therapy when you don’t know how to find someone right for you. Whether you’re looking for a psychologist, therapist, counselor or coach, I want to help you find someone who can help you.

A right therapist can be different for different people. What’s important is to find the right fit for you. When searching for a therapist, your search will depend on what you’re struggling with. You want to find someone who can help you with those issues, for example, anxiety, depression, relationships or stress. With the myriad of psychological and mental health issues that exist, many psychologists and therapists specialize in certain areas. Find out if the therapist has experience working with the issues you are dealing with.  

Finding the right fit also has to do with you feeling a personality match with the therapist. I find some clients like a more directive approach while others like a less directive approach. When considering a therapist, do you feel like this person could understand you? Do you feel they are compassionate, care about how you’re doing and helping you with your therapy goals? Do you feel like you can open up to them and trust them? Feeling comfortable with a therapist will allow you to open up to them so they can help you even more.

Sometimes asking the people around you for recommendations can be really helpful. If you feel comfortable, find out if friends or family members know anyone they might recommend. If looking online, you can do a Google search or there are plenty of reputed therapist directories with profiles that help you know more about the therapist. Type in what specific issue you are looking for help on, the location of where you are, and the term “therapist” or “psychologist.” For example, “anxiety therapist in San Francisco” would help you find a therapist who is based in the San Francisco area and can help with anxiety.

What about Online therapy?

If you’re open to a therapist who conducts online therapy, you can work with anyone licensed within your entire state, regardless of which city they are in. Psychologists and therapists are licensed by state. For example, as a psychologist licensed in California, my clients can be anywhere in California and I can work with them via online therapy. Post-pandemic, you might decide you want to start meeting your psychologist in person, in which case you may want to find someone closer to where you live.

Do I need a therapist or a coach?

Sometimes, we need support but we’re not sure if we need therapy or coaching. Therapy can help you if you have some mental health symptoms that are impacting your mood or the way you feel in some aspect of your life. Therapy can help you decrease those symptoms so you feel better. On the other hand, coaching is more useful if you are not dealing with mental health symptoms, but could still use support to meet certain goals you have or improve in some area of your life. If you’re unsure, speaking with someone could help you determine whether its therapy or coaching that is more useful to you.

How do I pay for it?

Find out about the therapist’s fees and whether or not their fees work for you. If you are certain you want to use your medical insurance, you can reach out to your insurance company to find out what therapists are in-network with your insurance company. Otherwise, you would pay your therapist their fees. If you have out-of-network insurance benefits, you may be able to get reimbursement for some part of the therapist fees. It all depends on your health insurance plan, so contact them to find out your benefits information.

FREE therapy consultation for a Psychologist in San Francisco, California

Hopefully this information helps you find a psychologist or therapist in San Francisco Bay Area, California. But if you’re still struggling, feel free to contact me here for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person.

If you are looking for help with depression, anxiety, or work stress, relationship or family stress, find out more about how I can help here.