Therapist in Birmingham, Alabama: How to find the Best Fit for you.
You have not been feeling like yourself. You might be struggling to find motivation. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed, unable to focus, or get things done the way you used to. You might be finding it difficult to fall asleep. Or you might be struggling to get out of bed. You know it is time to do something different but where do you start?
Let Empower Counseling help! We will make it easy by explaining how you can find your therapist in Birmingham, Alabama.
Ask Someone you Trust: Therapist in Birmingham, Alabama
At least one in 5 adults suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (almost one in four women). One in 10 adults in our country suffer from depression. These numbers are higher for college students. As of 2022, 44% of college and university students report symptoms of anxiety and depression.
With numbers like these, you most likely know more than one person who has been to a counselor for help. Ask your friends or someone else you trust which therapist they see? There are therapists who specialize in specific areas and there are therapists who see a variety of issues. Make sure to ask your friend what type of issues they saw the therapist for, and if the therapist has a specialty or a specific focus. All therapists are not the same. If your friend’s therapist focuses on something other than what you need out of therapy, keep looking!
Think About Your Goals for Therapy
Ask yourself this question, “When I have been successful in therapy, how will my life look different from how it looks now?”. Will you be less overwhelmed and more productive? Will you be able to turn off the racing thoughts in your brain?
Will you be able to fall asleep? Will you be happier in your relationships? Will you be able to make decisions without second guessing yourself?
If you know what you want out of therapy, you can use those goals to create questions for potential therapists ahead of time.
Search online: Anxiety Therapist Birmingham, Alabama
Search using key words like “Anxiety Therapist in Birmingham Alabama”, “Counseling for anxiety near me”, “Depression counseling in Birmingham”. Then sift through the websites offered by therapists in your area. If you live in a smaller town in the state of Alabama with fewer available licensed counselors, you can search the bigger cities in the state. One good thing that came out of Covid is online therapy. It is possible to connect with a qualified, compassionate therapist in your state through telehealth. At Empower Counseling we offer online and in-person counseling for everyone in the state of Alabama.
Read the websites of potential therapists. While reading, ask yourself, “Does this therapist specialize in the issues I am dealing with?”. “Does the website provide with information about the type of therapy offered by the therapist?”. There are many different types of therapy. Every type of therapy does not fit every issue or goal.
Ask for a Consultation over the Phone
Once you have asked friends and searched for websites of therapists near you, or somewhere in your state, it is time to talk to the therapist. Talking to potential therapists before your first therapy session can be extremely helpful. By having a quick phone consultation, you can get a feel for the therapists personality and what it might be like to work with her/him/they. It gives you an opportunity to ask specific questions like, “What will therapy look like?” and “Please explain how your type of therapy or specialty will help me?”.
When looking for a therapist, you want to know:
- Does this seem like a person I would want to work with?
- Does this counselor specialize in the issues I am experiencing?
It definitely helps if you like your therapist. If you like your therapist, you will actually look forward to going to therapy. Finding a specialist can make a huge difference in your outcome. If you had a foot injury you would not go see a cardiologist. The same applies to therapy. If you are suffering from any type of anxiety, you would look for an anxiety specialist. Let’s take that one step further. It would be even better to look for a therapist specializing in anxiety who uses methods or a type of therapy scientifically proven to help anxiety.
Get Started!
Empower Counseling is a counseling practice in Mountain Brook, Alabama. Our knowledgeable and compassionate counselors, Kathryn Ely, Adam Elliott, and Kristine Pike are all trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy, a proven effective therapy for anxiety and depression. We offer counseling for teens, counseling for college students, therapy for young adults and counseling for professionals. Adam also offers addiction counseling as a certified addiction counselor. We offer in person counseling in our Mountain Brook office and online counseling for anyone in Alabama.
It is easy to schedule your first appointment. Simply reach out to Empower via email on the home page or call 205-730-6570.