What to Ask in a Therapy Consultation Call

You’ve got 15 minutes to chat it up with a potential new therapist - what do you say?

Therapists often offer a free 15-minute consultation call to allow potential new clients the opportunity to ask questions that would help the client determine if the therapist is a good fit. This is also a time when the therapist has the opportunity to ask the potential new client questions that would help the therapist discern if they’re a good fit for the client.

Because the biggest indicator of success in therapy is a strong therapeutic relationship, it’s important that both the therapist and the client feel confident that they’re a good fit for each other.

Here are some questions that you as the client might want to work into the conversation.

1. Can you help me with my specific goals?

When working with a therapist, you want to know that they’re familiar with treating your specific concerns, so it’s important to have an idea of the goals you would want to work on in therapy. Here are some examples of therapy goals:

• I want to feel less anxious in social situations

• I want to figure out why my romantic relationship isn’t working out

• I want to heal from the impacts of past childhood trauma

• I want to feel less depressed

• I want to gain more clarity about my career and what profession suits me best

• I want to be able to share freely about my grief and get relief

• I want to feel better about myself

• I want to learn new ways to manage stress so that I can be a more effective parent

The options are endless! The more specific you can be with your goals, the better your potential therapist will know what it is you would need from them.

You might also consider asking the therapist if they have experience working with people like you, who identify with your gender, sexual orientation, age, stage of life, faith background, race, culture, etc.

2. What is your approach to therapy?

This is a great question that helps you to get a sense for how your therapist operates and their perspective on healing. Not all therapists do therapy in the same way or have the same perspective. For example, some therapists value a strengths-based, solution-focused approach and work towards helping their clients identify what is working in life and put their energy there. Other therapists may lean more towards a trauma-informed lens and would focus their work on identifying how past experiences have impacted you. Some therapists value a cognitive (thoughts) approach, while others value a somatic (body) approach.

While there’s no right or wrong approach to therapy, some are more evidenced-based for treating specific mental health conditions. You might not yet know what approach you want your therapist to have, but it’s valuable to hear them share it so you get a sense for what it would be like to work with them.

It’s helpful (especially if you tend to be anxious) to know what you’re walking into, so it’s valuable to get a feel for what the structure of therapy with them would look like. Here are some additional questions you might ask:

• Do they assign homework?

• Do they expect that you’re coming in with things to talk about or do they direct the time?

• What can you expect in the first session?

• What can you expect in subsequent sessions?

• How long does therapy usually last?

3. What is your availability, location, and fees?

Logistics matter. Be sure to ask about the potential therapist’s availability and how soon they have an opening.

You’ll want to make sure their office location works for you, or if they meet via telehealth.

It’s also a good idea to ask about the fees. Some therapists accept insurance, and if they do, you’d want to make sure they accept your specific insurance. You can ask them to walk you through how that process works.

If the therapist does not accept insurance, which is pretty common, you can ask them if they provide a superbill, which is like a receipt that you may be able to submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement (you’d want to make sure you’ve called your insurance company to ask if they offer “out of network mental health benefits” and what the deductible is). You might also ask if they accept HSA/FSA cards if that applies to you.

If needed, you can also ask the therapist if they have a sliding scale option which is basically asking them if they offer their services at a reduced rate. Some therapists keep a few sliding scale spots open in their practice. Other therapists reserve sliding scale spots for current clients who come upon hard times. It’s worth an ask if you feel that cost would hold you back from pursuing help.

Some therapists require their clients to see them weekly or biweekly. Other therapists are more flexible with these requirements - this is typically a decision that therapists make based on what is clinically appropriate. It would be a good idea to ask if the potential therapist has a requirement regarding frequency of sessions.

4. What are our next steps?

If you feel confident about moving forward, you can then explore next steps. If you’re not sure that this therapist is the right fit and you want to think about it, it’s totally okay to say something like, “Thanks so much for your time. I’m going to think on it and I’ll reach back out if I decide to move forward.” There should be zero pressure on a consultation call - what’s most important is that you get the opportunity to assess if the therapist is a good fit for you.

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If you’re looking for a new therapist, feel free to shop around and schedule a few consultation calls. On those calls, be sure to ask some questions that help you to get a sense for if the therapist is what you’re looking for. If it’s your first time in therapy, it’s normal to not know exactly what you want in a therapist. It’s also okay to see a few therapists in person for sessions before deciding who you want to stick with. If you’re interested in scheduling a consultation call, reach out here!