About Us
Vision
In Oregon people affected by, or at risk of behavioral health challenges receive timely support, experience feelings of belonging and feel connected to their community.
Mission
To support culturally responsive community-led behavioral health initiatives that address persistent and systemic inequities by providing reliable behavioral health equity data, affecting state behavioral health policy, and allocating direct funding.
Values
- Racial Justice
- Economic Justice
- SOGI* equity
- Humility
- Functional Accessibility
- Culturally and linguistically care
- Accountability
How to Find Your Ideal Therapist
If you are in crisis or in a life-threatening emergency call 911 or 988 (crisis line)
As all bodies need a physical checkup, all minds need space to reflect, heal, and grow.
Below are 6 steps to help you walk through the basics of finding a therapist that will best help support your goals. As you work to find the ideal therapist for you, it is important to acknowledge the difficulties associated with acquiring mental health care in Oregon and across the nation.
Finding a therapist can be an overwhelming process and it is easy to be discouraged. Stay on task and do not give up your search. You are worth the effort to get the effective support you need to thrive.
Step 1: Know what you want and are willing to try
- Understanding what you want from your therapy sessions will help you find a therapist who can match your needs and will be able to provide tools to directly support you and your goals
- Knowing how much support and how often you wish to meet with your therapist will clarify the time requirements for everyone involved
- What type of support do you need?
- Do you want supportive counseling and validation?
- Do you want to grow your mental skills? Which ones?
- Do you want to be challenged? In what ways?
- Look inward and name your goals and desired outcomes for therapy
- Do you want help processing and evaluating your feelings?
- Do you want support and tools to help with a specific area of your life?
- Are you looking for help with a lifestyle change?
- Do you need help getting a diagnosis or support with a chronic illness?
- Do you want help dealing with drug use or self-harm?
Step 2: Know your budget and insurance coverage
- Know what type of medical insurance you have, what it covers for mental health costs, and what network requirements you may have
- You can find most of this information on the back of your insurance card and the listed insurance website
- Know what you will need to pay directly to the therapist, your deductible, and any copays and coinsurance. This will help you know if you need to request financial assistance before you start your sessions
- Calling your insurance provider or going to their website should be able to help answer all these questions
- Financial assistance can be done with the therapist directly, the organization they are part of, through your insurance provider, or through OHP, depending on qualifications
Step 3: Research and reach out
- Create a 2-3 sentence summary that clearly states what you want from your therapy sessions, along with any important identities or experience you wish the therapist to have (experience with immigration, intergenerational trauma, dealing with racism or sexism, identifies as transgender, etc.)
- Call your insurance provider and ask them to research therapists who:
- Are part of your in-network insurance coverage
- Are accepting new patients in the next 1-3 months
- Are within an area range you're willing to travel to, or are able to do telehealth
- Specialize in the area(s) in which you need support for or are currently supporting people who have similar experiences in your specific need areas, and/or
- Have identities that would help you connect with the therapist better, such as a fluency in your preferred language
- If your insurance provider does not offer a searching service, you may look at alternatives to support your search, such as
- Licensing boards
- Professional organizations
- Asking your doctor for a referral
- After some time, you will get back a list of options
- Look up everyone from that list and, if you think you could see yourself becoming emotionally honest with them, reach out
- Reach out to multiple therapists for a brief introduction
- Provide them with your summary of needs from therapy, your insurance and contact info, your price range (and any need of financial assistance), and how often you would like to meet with them
- Request for a short introductory session to ask about the structure, type of therapy they offer, and how they determine progress
- There's no need to jump into treatment right away, both you and the therapist need to know your communication styles and needs first, before brining up traumatic experiences
- You may terminate seeing a therapist at any time for any reason, but it's a good idea to see them at least once to determine if they are a good fit for you and your goals
Step 4: Be honest and clear
- When you meet with someone, be honest about your goals and let them know what you need support with
- The relationship between a therapist and a patient is based on emotional honesty and mutual agreements of what is needed from that space
- Remember: you have agency in the relationship too
- You're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you
- See if they communicate in a way that you can easily understand and are able to integrate into your own perspective
- Do they speak the language you prefer?
- Do they use examples that make sense to you?
- Do you think you could grow to genuinely trust this person to give you advice that you would actually follow?
- Are they on time and do they use your time well?
- Do they honor you and your lived experiences? Do they use your preferred name and pronouns? Do they respect your cultural background?
Step 5: Reflect, Review, & Revise
- Once you've met with multiple therapists 1-3 times each, reflect on how they approached your goals
- Do you appreciate their perspective and insight?
- Do you think their tools will help you?
- Is your time with them well spent?
- Does this person acknowledge and support all aspects of your identity?
- Is the cost affordable for you?
- It is okay to end the relationship and find someone else. Review the original list of providers or start the search again, taking what you learned with you
Step 6: Decide and offer gratitude
- Make a decision on which therapist feels most compatible with you and your goals
- Once you've decided on which therapist you wish to move forward with, let the other therapists know that you will be moving forward with another option and offer appreciation for their efforts and the time spent with you
Daybelis.gonzalez@oha.oregon.gov