Questions to ask during a consultation with a child therapist in San Marcos, CA

This blog has been updated from the original September 2, 2020 post.

There are a lot of therapists who provide child therapy. You’ve asked friends and family for referrals. You looked at therapist directories and read websites. Mind-boggled. Check.

You narrowed down your search. It looks like most therapists offer a consultation. How do you figure out what to ask? How do you make a decision?  

Questions to ask a counselor about child therapy

Most therapists will ask you a few questions and welcome questions from you during a consultation. A consultation is not a psychological evaluation but for some reason, it can feel unnerving to speak to a mental health professional over the phone. 

Many therapists nowadays share a lot of information online. I encourage you to ask the following questions if the answers are not easily found on the therapist’s website or directory listings.

1. What type of license do you have?

   Here are a few license types that qualify people to provide therapy in California; Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT), Psychologist, Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Supervised interns of these licenses are also permitted to provide therapy. You may also consider asking if the therapist is licensed in the state where you (the client) are located. In San Diego, they need to hold a license in California, but this is also true if you are seeking online therapy. Licenses can be verified through the California state licensing board, called the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS).

2. How long have you been a therapist?

   This may be a very different answer than how long a therapist has been working in private practice. After completing graduate school, therapists work to gain thousands of hours of experience as interns. It can take years before a therapist has enough hours to sit for licensing exams. Interns are pre-licensed and often do have years of experience, charge at a lower rate, and are supervised by licensed therapists with extensive experience.  Some therapists gain the bulk of their hours in private practice settings.  Other therapists may have more varied experience working in community mental health, non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals, and other settings.

3. Do you have any specialties, or do you run a more general practice?

   There are advantages to working with someone with specialized training and experience with your issues. Because of this focus, they often have more in-depth knowledge and training in their specialties. Unlike a general practitioner who is a medical doctor or dentist who treats all the individuals in your family, a therapist may only see one member of a family. The exception to this is when Marriage and Family therapists work with a couple or multiple family members and treat them together as “the client”. In this case, the specialty would be “couples counseling” or “family therapy”.

4. What’s your process in therapy?

   There are different schools of thought in the field of therapy, and also different theories that guide therapists. Sometimes the only ideas people have about the therapy process are from what they have watched in movies. It’s important to find out how a therapist works. Do they see 40 people a week? If so, they may not be able to be fully present with you in sessions. Do they give you homework to complete? What is their style? How is the end of therapy decided? The bottom line is that you are going to feel more comfortable with a therapist who openly talks about the process of therapy and how they work with clients.

5. What are your fees?

   Therapists are legally required to disclose the fees they charge for services before they provide services.  Some therapists are private pay, and they don’t accept insurance. If a therapist does accept insurance, and they are listed on your health insurance as a provider, then you will be paying the co-pay after your deductible is met. If you haven’t met the deductible, then you will be responsible for the therapist’s full fee until your deductible is met.  Often, therapists do list their fees on their website or directory listings, but I recommend you verify the cost per session and what forms of payment are accepted. Most therapists will accept credit cards, and some will ask that you provide your credit card to hold your appointment. Additionally, you may want to ask about other fees, like late cancellation fees, no-show fees, and fees for extended sessions.

Questions to ask yourself after the consultation with a child therapist

While what you ask during the consultation is important, as well as the information you gather, there are a few other factors to consider.

1. How did I feel when talking with this therapist?  More hopeful? Relieved? Judged?

2. How easy was it to talk to this person? Trust your gut. Was it a positive experience?

3. Did I feel more or less anxious about therapy and the process after speaking to the therapist?

4. Did I feel listened to? Most therapists are experts at listening, but sometimes the connection just isn’t there. A connection that leads to trust is key to good results.

5. Based on their experience, their training, and what, and how they communicated, do I feel confident they can help me and my child?  

I hope this little bit of information helps you find the right child therapist in San Marcos. If you are still feeling overwhelmed, and you are not finding the right connection, consider reaching out to me for a free 15-minute phone consultation. You can click here to visit my contact page. I have experience with anxiety, trauma, grief & loss, and other life transitions. If you are looking for a North County San Diego child therapist to help your child with anxiety or to help you with your anxiety around parenting, you can read more about how I can help here.