Between availability, insurance coverage, and general compatibility, finding a therapist is no easy feat. According to the American Psychological Association, while the therapist shortage lessened in 2025, roughly half of surveyed practitioners reported having no openings for new patients.
As if waitlists aren’t frustrating enough, insurance acceptance (or a lack thereof) adds another hurdle. The APA reports that 38 percent of therapists don’t take any insurance, and of those who do, only 55 percent accept private or commercial insurance.
Despite the prevalence of mental-health issues—nearly 1 in 10 adults in the US reported a mental-health crisis in 2025, with roughly 57.3 million receiving mental-health treatment last year—barriers to finding care remain. Struggling to find someone to talk to? Here are tips for finding the right therapist, straight from the therapists themselves.
Be Honest About Your Needs
Columbia Heights therapist Alban Zamora says being candid with yourself about where you’re struggling can help lead you to the right professional. While you may not know if your symptoms are signs of OCD or complex PTSD, you likely can determine whether you’ve been feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed or if you’re battling poor body image or disordered eating—all common filters on teletherapist directories.
Browse Online Directories
When it comes to online clinician sources, Psychology Today is considered the gold standard. Enter your zip code and select your filters—specialty, insurance, and so on. “That should help narrow the search down,” says Georgetown clinical psychologist Jean Gearon.
Know Your Benefits
If you have insurance, familiarize yourself with what it will pay for. This will help you sort through dense therapist directories. But don’t consider coverage the be-all, end-all. If you find a therapist you like who’s out-of-network, you can request an itemized bill for partial reimbursement through your insurance provider. You can also be transparent about your situation: Some therapists may offer sliding-scale fees. It never hurts to ask, says Tenleytown therapist Erika Bugaj.
Don’t Get Hung Up on Credentials
LPC, LCSW, LMFT—professional qualifications can look like alphabet soup. While the letters represent academic degrees, licenses, and specialties, they’re not foolproof indicators for care. Instead, Capitol Hill therapist Monica P. Band says to value years of experience over certifications that can be earned in hours. (Still, always make sure the practitioner is licensed.)
Do Your Research
Cross-reference suitable clinicians. “It’s important to get some sense of what the person’s about—the more you can find out, background-wise, the better,” says Dupont Circle therapist Karen Osterle. “Research the heck out of them, and then call as many as you have bandwidth for to get a vibe over the phone.” Consultation calls are key for sussing out compatibility. “They are the best way to understand if this is someone you can trust and be comfortable with in the future,” says Zamora.
Gauge Their Therapy Style
Are you craving a safe space to air your thoughts, or do you need structure and handouts between sessions? Your answer matters. “It’s important to find somebody who can work with you on your own wavelength,” Bugaj says. It’s a good thing to discuss during a consultation call.
Confirm Their Availability
A therapist is only as helpful as the degree to which they have appointment slots. A common misconception is that teletherapy makes mental-health services available at all hours, but that’s often not the case. Plus, there are features to consider beyond the sessions themselves, including between-appointment text support, which may be an important service for some. Gearon and Band agree it’s crucial to find out whether a practitioner is bookable beyond 9 to 5. Depending on your schedule, inquire about extended weekday or weekend hours.
Prioritize Compatibility
Every therapist we spoke with concurred: Compatibility and therapeutic alliance are the most important components of successful treatment.
Not a Fit? Change It Up
If, after a few sessions, you realize that it’s not working, don’t force it. “Life is short, and even though there’s a shortage of therapists, that goodness-of-fit piece is important—if you don’t feel it, move on,” Osterle says. “Say, ‘Thank you, but I think this isn’t working for me.’ You don’t owe the therapist an explanation.”
Verify, Then Trust
Experts share the questions they would ask to find the best therapist
Questions to Ask a Therapist
Are you used to working with people like me? Will I have to explain the basics of my identity or cultural experience, or do you already have some understanding of that context?
Could you give me an idea of what the first three sessions would look like?
Will you challenge me rather than tell me what I want to hear?
Do you offer communication or support between sessions? If so, what does that look like?
Am I going to have homework such as readings and worksheets?
Questions to Ask Yourself
Do I feel pressure to decide immediately whether I want to work with this therapist?
Can I imagine telling this person who I am and what I’m going through? Can I imagine this person seeing and understanding my pain?
Does this therapist seem engaged in their work or do they seem burned out?
Could I cry my eyes out with this person, or do they make me feel self-conscious?
Do they speak to me in a way that makes me feel I can have a soft place to land?
This article appears in the October 2026 issue of Washingtonian.
