{"id":19535,"date":"2022-03-08T10:45:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T15:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19535"},"modified":"2023-03-08T13:59:58","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T18:59:58","slug":"tips-on-transitioning-to-a-new-therapist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/tips-on-transitioning-to-a-new-therapist\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips on Transitioning to a New Therapist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaving a beloved therapist can be difficult. Whether you’ve switched insurance, or moved to a new city and prefer to see someone in-person, finding a new, affordable therapist can be hard. <\/span>And it can be even more troublesome finding a mental health professional you feel comfortable rehashing your life story to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like all of the relationships in your life, the therapeutic relationship is incredibly important.\u00a0<\/span>Per the <\/span>American Psychological Association<\/span><\/a>, your relationship with your therapist is just as important as the type of therapy you\u2019re undergoing.\u00a0<\/span>Breaking up with a therapist during treatment can stall some outcomes and lead to some complicated feelings. It\u2019s normal to grieve the relationship, or feel abandoned when it ends out of the blue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, no matter <\/span>what type of therapy<\/span><\/a> you\u2019ve been making strides in \u2014 whether it\u2019s cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), <\/span>or another modality<\/span><\/a> \u2014 you can adjust to seeing a <\/span>new therapist<\/span><\/a> with these tips and tricks in your back pocket.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What are some common reasons patients might leave a therapist? How can this impact treatment?<\/h3>\n

People stop going to therapy for a lot of different reasons. <\/span>Dr. Nicole Lacherza-Drew, Psy.D<\/span><\/a>, says five of the most common reasons are \u201cinsurance changes, finances, lacking a connection to your therapist, outgrowing your therapist, or needing specialized care.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, there are other factors at play. Susannah Scheller, a tech professional who works in San Antonio, TX, was shocked when her therapist abruptly left the third-party service she was using to see her. \u201cWe’d been working on some very personal and deep-seated issues in our sessions, and it was like losing my lifeline in that area of my life,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scheller says she had been seeing her therapist to work through some childhood trauma. But her trauma therapist left without warning, leaving Scheller with a new therapist. <\/span>Unfortunately, her new therapist didn’t have the same expertise. As Scheller didn\u2019t have the bandwidth to search for someone new, she says she began working with her newly assigned therapist with different goals in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaving therapy too soon can prevent healing in many cases. \u201cEnding therapy prematurely can exacerbate existing symptoms and might set the individual back on the progress they have made,\u201d Dr. Lacherza-Drew said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other times, leaving your therapist can be a great thing! \u201cYou can \u2018graduate\u2019 from therapy after successfully completing your goals,\u201d says Neena Lall<\/a>, LCSW, MPH.<\/span><\/p>\n

If this happens with your treatment, you\u2019ll complete a complex discharge process to wrap things up. This can be lengthy, taking several weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou and your therapist will ruminate on the changes and growth you\u2019ve experienced, identify signals or clues that you need support in the future, and reflect on the therapeutic relationship,\u201d Dindinger says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The time patients spend in therapy varies depending on their individual circumstances. About <\/span>half<\/a> all therapy patients<\/span> require at least around 15-20 sessions to work through any mental health problems. However, patients working through multiple issues and those with complex disorders may benefit from therapy sessions for <\/span>18 months or longer<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow long you see a therapist depends on what you want to work on, the nature of the problem itself, and the number and depth of things you would like to work on,\u201d says Lall. \u201cA brief crisis intervention to help you handle a particular stressor in your life can be as short as 1-3 sessions, or you can go to therapy for years to understand yourself more deeply.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What can you do to find a new therapist you click with?<\/h3>\n

Now that you\u2019ve parted ways with someone you likely trusted, you\u2019ll need to find someone you\u2019re comfortable being vulnerable with. For instance, once Scheller found a new therapist, she wasn\u2019t immediately sure if she would fit the bill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a lot of time asking her about her education and the kinds of patients she works with. Knowing her specialty, the methods of therapy she uses, and the kinds of patients she works with helped me determine whether or not she was going to be a good fit for me,\u201d Scheller shared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to understanding a therapist\u2019s experience and clinical practice, it\u2019s also essential to figure out if you simply vibe on a personal level. \u201cA foolproof way to choose a great therapist is to ask yourself three questions,\u201d says <\/span>Andrea Dindinger<\/span><\/a>, a licensed marriage and family therapist.<\/span><\/p>\n