Green-Flag Therapy in San Jose, CA
All the tea on your Trauma, Anxiety, & EMDR Therapy Non-Negotiables in the bay area.
After scouring the world wide web & deep diving into the therapy directory multiverse, you’ve finally found a few potential perfect-fit-for-you therapist options.
So now what?
How can you really know a therapist is going to be a good fit? I got you!
Let’s get you all the info you’ll need to find a GREEN-FLAG therapist who hits your most important must-haves.
your Green-Flag Therapist non-negotiables
Pick a few of your top GREEN-FLAG, perfect-fit-for-you therapist non-negotiables from the list below. It’s important that YOU feel like you’re getting the trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, or burnout therapy you need & deserve.
Finding a therapist can be exhausting. Creating a non-negotiable list will help you get paired with the right therapist, sooner!
-
Is the therapist equipped to help you with your specific presenting problem - the thing that brings you to therapy? If you’re seeking therapy for your big anxiety or overwhelming burnout, does the therapist have Anxiety or Burnout listed as one of their specialties? Green-flag therapists hone their skills to specialize in a few related things.
The real tea? A therapist with a long list of specialities unrelated to one another won’t be helpful with your specific therapy need. A GREEN-FLAG therapist is specialized in a few key areas and will have their specialties clearly stated on their website or directory listing.
-
Best place to find out about a therapist’s personality? Their website.
How does the content of their website make you feel? Do you vibe with their writing style or About Me section? Do you envision this person really understanding you?
Personality fit will 100% impact your treatment outcomes, so if you can’t see yourself connecting with the content of the therapist’s website then move onto other options. GREEN-FLAG therapists will be clear about who they are and how they practice therapy.
-
Therapists are trained using different modalities, or styles of therapy. Some common styles of therapy are:
Psychodynamic Therapy: past experiences & interactions shape the present, used for a variety of symptoms like depression & anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT): thoughts impact emotions & behaviors, used for a variety of symptoms including depression & anxiety.
Attachment-Based Therapy: early attachment with caregivers impact all other past and present relationships, used for childhood emotional neglect, relationship challenges, & anxiety.
Somatic Therapy: body-centered therapy used for trauma.
Dialectical Behavioral (DBT): a form of CBT that incorporates mindfulness & acceptance, used for really big, hard to control emotions, as well as suicidal ideation.
Eye movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR): a specialized therapy tool to help safely reprocess trauma.
Exposure & Response Prevention: a specialized therapy used for OCD or panic disorder
It’s important to research if the therapist practices the type of therapy that is proven to help with your specific need. For example, if you experienced a traumatic event, you will likely want to find a therapist specialized in proven trauma therapy treatments like EMDR or Somatic Therapy. A GREEN-FLAG therapist will communicate what kind of therapy they think might be best for your specific therapy need.
-
Therapy works best when regularly attended - typically once weekly - as a lesser frequency will likely not be super beneficial and might actually end up costing you more time & money in the long run.
Why? Because it will take twice as long to build the therapeutic relationship that’s so important for your therapy outcomes. Less frequent therapy sessions make it hard to keep momentum and progress from one session to the next. ESPECIALLY if your symptoms are severe & persistent (have been going on for awhile).
A GREEN-FLAG therapist will be honest about their recommendations for your therapy duration & frequency.
-
Know your budget for therapy & know that therapy is the best sort of investment you could ever make for yourself and your life.
A GREEN-FLAG therapist will have their fee clearly listed on their website.
It’s an immediate RED-FLAG if a therapist DOESN’T have their fee listed on their website - lowkey it’s typically a tactic to get you to reach out to them. A therapist’s fee transparency tells you something about the therapist - they’re not here to waste your time. The sooner you know if a therapist is in or out of your budget, the faster your therapy work can begin!
-
Want to use your insurance but can’t find a perfect-fit-for-you therapist who takes your insurance? You may be able to use your Out-of-Network mental health benefits.
Don’t sleep on these out-of-network benefits.
Your insurance company could reimburse you up to 60-90% for your therapy sessions. Before jumping into therapy, call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits. Then, check with all of your prospective therapy options to see if they will provide a Superbill. A Superbill will have all of the information you will need to submit to your insurance for your out-of-network reimbursement. A GREEN-FLAG therapist will clearly outline if they are IN or OUT of Network with your insurance company.
-
Listen, I get that therapy isn’t cheap & mental health SHOULD be affordable for all people. I hate that it’s not. And I get that the expectation is that therapists should just lower their fees, or take insurance. But here’s the deal. insurance reimbursement is terrible for therapists. So a lot of therapists opt out of taking insurance directly because it’s just not sustainable (very low reimbursement rates - lots of time submitting claims - very long wait times to be paid - challenges even getting on insurance panels). Would you rather have a therapist who has a client load of 30+ clients per week and is beyond burned out & checked out or a therapist who takes a very intentional case load and is present & engaged in your treatment?
You’re likely not making progress with the first insurance-taking therapist. Which is going to mean more of your $$$ long term.
The burden of financial responsibility SHOULD fall on insurance companies to pay higher reimbursement rates because ultimately, both the client and therapist suffers with the financial burden. Some therapists have sliding scale slots open. These slots allow you to pay a lower fee based on your individual financial needs. A GREEN-FLAG therapist will have their sliding scale availability clearly noted on their website or in their directory listing.
A GREEN-FLAG therapist will make sure you’re clear on the financial commitment of therapy BEFORE you jump in.
-
Online Therapy demand skyrocketed during the pandemic, which is great news because there are way more options for getting you connected to your GREEN-FLAG perfect-fit-for-you therapist. You don’t have to let location stop you from vetting tons of really great therapy options.
NO SHADE though if you’re still looking for that perfect in-person fit! Your therapy search results might be a bit more limited, but that doesn’t mean that finding a therapist you vibe with will be impossible. YOU know what you need, and if that’s marching yourself into a physical office space for some menty-wellness time, then YOU DO YOU!
In-person and online therapy girlies supported here!
In terms of therapy outcomes? Research shows there isn’t a difference between in-person and online therapy sessions. Any therapist tell you differently, immediate RED-FLAG.
After you’ve Dialed in on your non-negotiables, It’s time to reach out & schedule a Free consultation with your top Green-Flag Therapy Picks.
GREEN-FLAG therapists will offer a FREE consultation where you can ask all of your need-to-know-questions before starting therapy.
Set up your free Consultation
A free consultation is your opportunity to feel out the therapist before you commit to your first full initial session.
You’ll find out if their therapy style matches your therapy needs, and if their personality feels like a good fit. You’ll also get the chance to ask questions about how the therapy process with them works.
Don’t know what questions to ask?
The possibilities are endless but here are a few:
What’s a typical session like with you?
What’s your experience working with (insert why you’re coming to therapy)?
How will I know I’m making progress in therapy?
What is your therapy style?
What’s your cancellation policy?
What are your political views? Who did you vote for in the last election?
A GREEN-FLAG therapist is clear in their messaging & what services they provide.
GREEN-FLAG therapists WANT you to find the best-fit-for-you therapist, even if that’s not them.
You’ve got this & I’m rooting for you to find your perfect-fit-for-you therapist who meets all of your therapy non-negotiables.
Still unsure where to look for a GREEN-FLAG Trauma Therapy, Anxiety Therapy, Burnout Therapy, EMDR Therapy in San Jose, California?