Questions to ask a counselor, psychologist or therapist in Palm Desert

Thoughts from your Therapist Palm Desert

Therapist Palm Desert. Lauren Fox, LCSW, is a licensed mental health provider working in the Coachella Valley and virtually throughout the state of California.

Palm Desert is known for golf, art galleries, restaurants, resorts and beautiful sunsets. Visitors come to the Desert for a relaxing visit and then head back to their homes all throughout the country. For those of us who live in the Valley, life can feel busy during the season and hot in the summers. Nonetheless, residents live their daily lives in the Valley and will need to find therapy or counseling at times. So how do you know how to find the right therapist for you?

You may search for therapist near me and find several options in Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage, but how do you know if you want to work with them and if they can help you with what you’re struggling with? They all offer a consultation, but what should happen in that consultation? What should you ask? What should you say? What should they tell you?

Questions to ask a Therapist in Palm Desert

It is no small task to narrow down a therapist based on a referral list or a bunch of websites. When you schedule a consultation, here are some questions you can explore with any potential therapist. In this consultation process, you can begin to decide whether working together seems like it would be beneficial for your mental health.

Question #1: Do you have experience working with what I’m struggling with?

This is such an important question to ask because a therapist who generally treats depression and anxiety is not the same as one who has received extensive training in the treatment of maternal mental health issues like pregnancy and postpartum depression and anxiety. The presentation of these symptoms can be disturbing to the woman experiencing them and look like something dangerous to an untrained professional. As in the case of maternal mental health, you want to find a professional certified in perinatal mental health (holds a PMH-C) or extensive training in maternal mental health. Similarly, if you are struggling with disordered eating or an anxiety disorder like obsessive compulsive disorder, you want to be sure that who you are working with is well trained in helping clients like you.

Question #2: How will you know if I am experiencing pregnancy or postpartum depression and/or anxiety?

When calling around for help, you are again asking for clarification of provider training. How will this provider know that what you are experiencing requires a specialized therapeutic lens to treat Maternal Mental health issues? When you schedule with me, you will fill out some intake paperwork prior to your first session and we will review your responses together in session. We will conduct a thorough Maternal Mental Health assessment over our first few sessions and afterwards, we will create a plan for how to improve your symptoms and get you back to functioning the way you would like to be.

Question #3: How will I know that therapy is working?

Therapists will have their own individual measures to help you determine if therapy is working and know generally around how many sessions it may take to achieve relief. You can ask what those measures are and what you should do as a client if you are concerned you’re not seeing results in the timeframe you thought you would.

Question #4: How long will I be in therapy?

Therapy looks different for everyone, but the goal of therapy is to get you feeling better more days than not. Therapy with me varies depending on how many issues you are wanting to address and what level of support you are looking for. I can tell you some clients come to see me for around 6 months, some stay for over a year. My role as a therapist is to help you get better and move on, so sessions are structured to support you as you move into a place where you are feeling more like yourself, less overwhelmed, and experiencing better relationships with those around you.

You can find the right therapist in Palm Desert for you.

I hope this helps you get clear on what questions you can ask as you are interviewing therapists in Palm Desert. If you are still feeling stuck, reach out to me! Or feel free to call me at 805-930-9355 for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to a referral you may work well with. If you are looking for help with pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss, infertility, birth trauma or hypnotherapy, you can read more about how I can help within this website.

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