How to Find the Right Therapist for You in Ontario
Looking for a therapist can feel overwhelming, especially with so many options available. Whether you’re seeking support for anxiety, depression, relationships, or personal growth, finding the right therapist is key to making meaningful progress.
How to find the Right Therapist
If you find yourself searching “how to find a therapist near me” "or even “how to find the right therapist near me”, here’s a simple guide to help you make the best choice for your needs.
1. Identify What You Need Support With
Before you start searching, take a moment to reflect on what you’re looking for in therapy. Are you dealing with stress, trauma, relationship issues, or something else? Some therapists specialize in specific areas, such as trauma-informed care, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), or couples counselling. Knowing what you need can help narrow down your options.
Key Areas to Explore:
Emotional & Mental Health Concerns
“How have you been feeling emotionally lately?”
“Are there specific thoughts or feelings that have been particularly distressing?”
Daily Functioning & Impact on Life
“How are these challenges affecting your day-to-day life?”
“Are they impacting work, school, relationships, or self-care?”
Coping Strategies & Strengths
“What has helped you manage difficult times in the past?”
“Who are the people or activities that bring you support?”
Risk & Safety Considerations (If Applicable)
“Have you had any thoughts of harming yourself or others?”
“Do you ever feel unsafe in your home, work, or relationships?”
2. Consider Therapy Style and Approach
Therapists use different methods and approaches, so finding one that aligns with your preferences is important. Some common approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps with changing negative thought patterns.
Psychodynamic Therapy: Explores past experiences and unconscious patterns.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Uses mindfulness techniques to manage stress and emotions.
Trauma-Informed Therapy: Focuses on healing from past trauma.
EMDR and Brainspotting: Methods for accessing traumatic memories in a safer and gentler way, and rewriting your relationship with these memories.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT): Is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals identify, experience, and process their emotions to improve emotional regulation and resolve psychological distress.
There are numerous others and each has their own set of principles and each therapist applies them in a different way. You don’t have to know exactly which approach will work best for you, it’s part of a therapist’s role to figure that out with you.
3. Check Credentials and Experience
In Ontario, therapists may be registered as social workers (RSWs), psychotherapists (RPs), or psychologists. Ensuring your therapist is licensed by a governing body like the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) or Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) helps ensure they meet professional standards.
These Colleges ensure public safety by keeping therapists accountable to a code of ethics, ensuring they engage with continuing education and handle complaints and professional discipline (if it ever comes to that).
Are you hoping to find someone with a specific type of experience? This can be anything from lived experience with something that you’re dealing with (divorce, postpartum depression, social anxiety, etc) or specific experience working with a concern (CBT for OCD, sexual trauma training, anger management certification, etc).
If it’s important to you, then it’s important to keep that in mind when searching for a therapist. Often, credentials or experience will be listed on a therapist’s website but sometimes there are limits on what can be said in writing. To truly get to know a therapist and learn about their experience and style, a conversation is often warranted.
4. Think About Accessibility: In-Person or Online?
Do you prefer meeting in person, or is online therapy a better fit for your schedule?
The pandemic opened the door to virtual therapy in a way that many people thought impossible previously. But, virtual therapy has been a lifesaving option for many people. It’s accessible, it’s convenient and it really opens up your options for which therapists you can meet with.
Many therapists offer virtual sessions, making therapy more accessible, especially if you live in a rural area or have a busy lifestyle.
5. Check Availability and Fees
Therapy should fit into your life—not just emotionally, but practically, too. Consider factors like:
Session costs: Are they within your budget? Do they offer sliding-scale fees?
Insurance coverage: Does your plan cover therapy sessions?
Wait times: How soon can you get an appointment?
6. Book a Consultation
Many therapists offer free 15-minute consultations so you can see if they’re a good fit. This is your chance to ask questions, get a feel for their style, and decide if you feel comfortable working with them.
At Access Therapy, we offer a free 30-minute consultation with one of our consultation therapists. This session is meant to make the process of finding the right therapist that much easier. Maybe you don’t want to read a hundred bios and navigate multiple sites to find someone, you want someone to make the process easier and faster for you. And that’s what the free consultation is meant to do. We’ll do the heavy lifting by asking you the right questions, getting a sense of what you need in therapy, and covering questions like cost, availability and types of appointments, then we’ll connect you with someone suitable on our team.
You’ll still meet them before making any decisions about your therapy journey. There’s no pressure, just support in finding the right fit for you!
7. Trust Your Gut
A strong therapist-client relationship is one of the biggest predictors of success in therapy. If you don’t feel comfortable or heard, it’s okay to try someone else. Therapy is about you, and you deserve a supportive space where you feel safe and understood.
There are no hard feelings from the therapist, they get it. They actually really appreciate when clients can advocate for themselves and make a decision that feels most aligned with their needs. It’s a win in our books either way!
At Access Therapy, we’re here to help you find the right therapist for your needs. We offer in-person and online therapy across Ontario, with a diverse team of experienced professionals. Book a free consultation today to get started on your journey toward healing and growth.
