Once you’ve figured out what type of therapy will serve your child best, even five minutes on the internet will reveal a vast number of therapists to choose from. You’re not alone if you find it confusing: Even psychology professionals admit that the range is overwhelming.
“It’s really hard for me, as a practicing psychologist, to look through websites of community therapists and determine who’s going to be the best, so I get how overwhelming this is for a parent,” says Jocelyn R. Lebow, PhD., L.P., a pediatric clinical psychologist at Mayo Clinic. “I would start by searching professional organizations associated with evidence-based treatments or best practices for your child’s condition. Usually, practitioners don’t bother with paying to be members of a professional group unless they’re at least somewhat engaged in staying up on the literature and using evidence-based interventions.”
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reaffirms this approach, recommending that parents visit accredited therapist directories provided by trusted organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). Directories that are more generic, such as Psychology Today, offer listings for therapists with a wide spectrum of accreditations, some of which may be harder to quantify.
“There are different academic degrees people can have,” Dr. Lebow elaborates. “A therapist can have a counseling psychology degree versus having a clinical psychology degree. I don’t know that it matters as long as the therapist or counselor has the right kind of training for your child’s issue. I’ve seen certain buzzwords — such as coaching — in a therapist’s bio that I think are more likely to be used by people who have not had as much specialty training.”
Other considerations when selecting a therapist
- Will the location of the therapist’s practice room fit your schedule if you need to drive your child to appointments?
- Can you offer your child a private space at home if the sessions will take place online?
- If there are considerations around disability, religion, ethnicity, sexuality or language, does the therapist’s profile meet those needs?
How to screen a therapist for your child
“It’s really hard to get appointments with therapists,” Dr. Lebow cautions. “And it’s hard to find ones that are in your insurance network. So while it might be ideal to have two or three candidates and test them out and interview them, I don’t think that’s realistic for most families.”
Instead, Dr. Lebow recommends narrowing the choice to one candidate and trialing that therapist for 2 to 3 sessions.
“The first session is almost always an intake,” she explains. “And unless there’s something really alarming or a red flag, it takes a session or two to really get going, to know if you’re going to be able to talk to the person and know whether the person is really understanding you.”
During that period, it’s also important to make sure the therapist is using the best treatment for your child’s needs.
“What people are delivering really matters and I don’t want to undersell that,” Dr. Lebow says. “You can be the best therapist in the world, but if you are working with a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder and you’re not doing the first line evidence-based treatment, the patient is not truly going to get better. The best treatments in the world can also be delivered by someone who isn’t a good personality fit with your child, and that’s also very difficult. You have to weigh it out. In the end, getting the first line treatment, if one exists, is the most important thing. If there’s only one provider of evidence-based treatment in your area, I think you’re kind of stuck with that choice. But if there’s a broader range of treatments you can get, then finding someone who clicks with your child and provides those treatments can be easier.”
After the pandemic, many therapists began offering in-person and video therapy.
What about effectiveness of video versus in-person therapy? “I really think it’s individualized,” explains Dr. Lebow. “Some kids have no problem fully engaging in online therapy. And for some people it’s the only way therapy is possible due to barriers around mobility, time, cost and transport. The data shows that online therapy can be just as successful. With really young children, though, and kids who struggle to engage, online therapy can be difficult. It’s a case-by-case basis.”
Related articles in the Mayo Clinic Press Series: Navigating therapy for your child
Part 1 What kind of therapy is right for my child?
Part 3 The parents’ role in their child’s therapy
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