2 Questions to Ask a Therapist (COVID edition)

2 Questions To Ask A Philadelphia DBT Therapist (COVID Edition)

Things have been pretty rough and you know you should talk to someone. Yet, just the thought of trying to talk things through with your spouse, bestie, or younger sister makes you cringe and feel even more anxious. You know they love and care about you. But, they just won’t get it. It feels like no one does. You realize that a therapist or counselor might be the way to go. Where to even start?

You want a counselor who “gets it”; a therapist who… “gets you”.

How do you know they’ll be able to help you- like, will they “get it”? The very idea of sharing your personal stuff with a complete stranger makes you feel ill. Yet, deep down you know that need the help; the extra support from someone (like, someone on the outside of your inner circle); someone who can give you a different perspective.

The COVID pandemic has taken away the access to your happy places; limited the very things that helped you cope with problems (or life in general).

Everything feels so awful. The weather sucks. Your favorite places to go are closed. You’re afraid of the uncertain future caused by the COVID pandemic. And now, with greater restrictions, you can’t even rely on your usual, good ol’ reliable things that help you feel better, like meeting up with your friends for a cup of coffee or working out the stress at the gym. Things feel like they’re falling apart.

Confusion & overwhelm with finding the best DBT therapist in Philadelphia

When you sit down and begin to search for a “therapist near me”, it kinda feels overwhelming- there are so many options and you feel nervous about finding the best therapist to help you with what you’re going through. The worrier inside your head keeps reminding you of the “what if’s”. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t find someone to help me? What if I don’t feel comfortable with them? What if, what if, what if???

As a mental health counselor on the other end of the phone, I’ve heard this so many times from people searching for a therapist. Some people who’ve never been in counseling or therapy before- I can feel and sense their anxiety from their own words and voice on the other end of the phone. I totally get it. I get how stressful, uncomfortable, embarrassing… it can be to reach out, especially when you don’t know if the person on the other end can even help.

I’ve written about this topic before (here), about questions to ask a therapist, but I wanted to revisit this again, especially because it’s so important, and things are so completely different now, with us all living through a f’ing pandemic. These are questions and things to keep in mind, in addition to, the very common ones such as ones based on availability and cost; and which I think are particularly important.

 The 2 Most Important Questions to Ask When Searching for a Therapist in Philadelphia (especially now)

1.     Ask about options for virtual or online sessions.

This question, more than ever now, is incredibly important. Imagine finding a great therapist, only to find out that they only offer counseling on an in-person basis. This topic is as salient as ever right now in our current state of living and is twofold. You may have concerns about potential exposure to COVID, or are in a “high risk” group for contracting the virus. OR, you may be forced to quarantine and want to avoid missing any therapy sessions. OR, your counselor or therapist has to quarantine, thus having to cancel your scheduled session.

Along with asking about online therapy, you need to make sure you know how familiar the therapist is with using their chosen platform for providing virtual counseling. In other words, has the pandemic been the first time the therapist started using virtual, online, or Telehealth to provide therapy with clients? If so, do they sound confident and appear to know what they’re doing?

2.     Inquire about their schedules.

In other words, how many sessions a week do they schedule with clients? Why is this important, you ask? You may believe that it’s reasonable and quite admirable for a therapist to have a huge caseload, especially when so many people need the extra support.

I disagree. Most therapists are helpers at heart, and while their desire to help everyone who needs counseling, there is a huge risk of burnout.

If a counselor fills their days with scheduled sessions with clients, on more days than not, I’d wonder how they’re able to possibly make time for their own mental health needs and self-care. Again, you may wonder why this is important?

As mental health therapists, it kinda goes with the territory that we hear and feel a lot of stressful and traumatic stuff while supporting our clients in their own therapeutic journey. It goes without saying that it’s sometimes a lot to carry with us and we need time to decompress, regroup, and get re-grounded.

Philadelphia DBT Therapists & Counselors need self-care too.

If we as therapists don’t make time for our own therapy and schedule our own self-care for overall wellness, we simply won’t be able to “be with our clients” during sessions when our clients need us the most. More now than ever, our country and local communities are fatigued by it all.

If you’re someone looking for a DBT therapist in Philadelphia, ask about this. If you’re a counselor, make time for your own self-care.

If you’re overwhelmed, feel the burnout of the COVID pandemic, and need help coping with uncertainty, please reach out to schedule your free 15-minute online consultation here or call me at 717-685-5074 today.