We’ve got it pretty good in Tacoma, WA. Great parks, great Rainier views, more great restaurants and coffee places all the time—and we’ve got great therapists in Tacoma, WA, too!

But how do you know if a therapist in Tacoma, WA is really right for you? Sure, they seem nice enough. But what questions do you ask to figure out if this person is the right fit to help you achieve your therapy goals?

Questions to ask a therapist in Tacoma, WA

My name is Kate Hagborg, LMHC and I’m a therapist in Tacoma, WA and I’m here to help!

 I recommend you do some online research and find several therapists in Tacoma, WA whose website really speaks to you and the issues you want to work on in therapy.

Most therapists will offer a free 15-minute phone consultation where you can tell them a little about what your issue is, hear about the work they do, and ask questions.

Finding a therapist is a little like dating—it might take meeting a few to find “the one!” That’s ok. In fact, that’s normal. I recommend setting up multiple free consultations with several therapists in Tacoma, WA to see who you feel most comfortable with. You may even want to set up first appointments with your top 2-3 choices if you really want to explore your options and be sure you feel comfortable with someone whose vibe and expertise match what you are looking for.

When it comes time for your free consultation, have your list of questions ready. Here are a few questions I recommend asking:

What are your areas of specialization as a therapist in Tacoma?

If you are looking for a therapist to help you with people-pleasing, who do you think is a better fit for you—the therapist who says they work with everything, or the therapist who specializes in understanding self-abandonment issues and loves helping people learn to set better boundaries? Definitely the second one, right?

No one can work with everything effectively. Find a therapist who has the skillset and passion for the particular issues you want to address. Ask them about their years of experience working with this particular issue and the kind of results they have seen. They can’t talk about particular cases, of course, but they can speak generally about the results they’ve helped people achieve in therapy.

For instance, I love helping people decrease their emotional overwhelm and anxiety, and learn to understand and process their emotions effectively. I also enjoy helping people stop people-pleasing and find alignment with themselves and others. I use brainspotting therapy as a tool to help people find rapid, deep, and lasting healing at the source of their issue. These are some of my specializations as a therapist in Tacoma, WA.

What are your methods as a therapist in Tacoma?

Ask about their therapeutic methods. The world of therapy methods is like alphabet soup—CBT, EMDR, ACT… You don’t have to understand all the different methods that are out there, or even know the kind that would suit you best. But you do want to understand what methods your therapist has been trained in, and what they think would be useful for your goals. Ask them to explain the methods they use so you can understand how these tools can be applied in your case.

For example, one method I like to use is brainspotting therapy. This is an approach based on neuroscience that helps both the body and the mind get rapid and deeper healing than talk therapy alone. I like to tell people a little bit about how brainspotting therapy could help them in my consultation calls. This helps them understand more of how I work and what to expect in a session with me, and helps us both determine if we are a good fit in working together.

You might also want to ask the therapist how structured they are in their sessions. Some people want a structured therapist who will guide the topics of sessions week-to-week in alignment with the treatment plan you develop with them. These clients do not want to come in and talk about the problem of the week—they want more structure.

Other people prefer to work with a therapist who is more in-the-moment with them. They like having a place they can come to debrief whatever is going on week to week and know their therapist has the flexibility to meet them in whatever feels most alive in the moment.

If you know you prefer one or the other, it’s good to find out how your therapist likes to work so that you can be on the same page about your expectations session to session.

How do you measure progress and success in therapy as a therapist in Tacoma?

Ask about how the therapist tracks and evaluates your progress to ensure you’re on the right path toward your goals. There are a lot better hobbies out there than therapy! You probably want a therapist who can help you assess your progress and who has an eye on getting you to the finish line for your goals. You probably don’t want a therapist who just checks in week after week with no assessment of the big picture.

For me, graduation is a part of the very first session. I ask clients how they know they will be ready to graduate therapy. What will be different in your day-to-day life? How do you want to feel, behave, relate differently? We come up with criteria that are measurable and observable in their daily life so we can see if we are getting closer to those changes along the way. If not, we adjust our methods to make sure that our work is impacting their life in a tangible way.

What are your fees and payment options as a therapist in Tacoma?

And, of course, you want to discuss the practicalities of scheduling and payment. Working with someone who is in-network with your insurance may keep your costs low (depending on your deductible). But being open to working with someone out-of-network will broaden your options and possibly help you find a better fit for a therapist in Tacoma, WA.

An effective therapist who is a great fit may get you results faster and help you save more money in the long run, even if they are out-of-network, as compared with someone who does take your insurance but perhaps isn’t the best fit.

You may be entitled to some reimbursement too for out-of-network therapy sessions, depending on the particulars of your insurance plan. Call the 1-800 number on the back of your insurance card and ask them:

• Do I have any out-of-network benefits for mental health?

• If so, what are they are? How do I submit claims?

• Do I have to meet a deductible first?

schedule a free consultation with a therapist in Tacoma, WA today

You deserve support from someone who can deeply help you. Therapy isn’t just for chatting weekly, it is about reaching your goals and getting real support. I hope this helps you find the right therapist in Tacoma, WA who can help you reach your goals.

I specialize in helping people decrease emotional overwhelm, break out of people-pleasing, and connect with their authentically best selves. If you’d like to find out if I’m the therapist in Tacoma, WA who is the right fit for you, call me today for a free 15-minute phone consultation.