It can be hard to know if you are choosing the right therapist for you. There are so many different styles and approaches to therapy, which can give you a bit of analysis paralysis. Because of this, we created a list of questions you can ask a potential therapist during a consultation call. Avoid asking too many long and complicated questions, which can make a consultation feel like an interview. Choose a few that you believe are important to you and use them to help you have a better idea whether the potential therapist can assist you with getting the kind of help you are seeking.

1. How do you typically structure sessions? Do you offer homework, cognitive exercises, or tasks between sessions?

2. Can you describe your approach to giving feedback? Are you more direct or more gentle in your style?

3. How do you help clients confront uncomfortable truths or patterns about themselves?

4. What therapy methods do you use most often (CBT, DBT, IFS, etc.), and how do they support personal accountability and growth?

5. Are you comfortable giving constructive criticism if you see me avoiding progress or falling into old patterns?

6. How do you balance listening and validating with challenging clients to grow?

7. What’s your experience working with clients who already have some self-awareness and want to dig deeper?

8. How do you track progress in therapy, and how do we know if it’s working?

9. Are you a trauma-informed therapist? What approach(es) do you use for clients with trauma?

10. What might you do if I start resisting the work or avoiding the hard stuff in therapy? How might you hold me accountable?