Therapy is a beautiful thing. Just like some have a workout trainer for their physical health, a therapist is an unbiased professional that helps you with your mental health. I have been to a therapist once before in college 10 years ago, but after the pandemic and many changes compiled at once I decided to seek it out again. Little did I remember, finding a therapist isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
3 Steps to Finding the Right Therapist for You
- Have Your Insurance Card Ready! Finding a therapist in your insurance network makes mental health an affordable long-term option.
- Use a platform like SonderMind to take the work out of finding the right fit for you! SonderMind will match you with a licensed therapist who has the right experience, accepts your insurance to reduce cost, and is available to see you in person or online.
- Have a therapy session or two and evaluate how you feel after. The key to finding the right fit is feeling comfortable with your therapist. You need to be able to trust them, open up, and respect their advice. If you don’t feel comfortable with your matched therapist, SonderMind can match you again – no questions asked, no extra cost! The thing is, if you are not benefitting from talking to your therapist, what’s the point? We need you to walk away from each session thinking, “wow I feel better. I am better equipped to handle this next week ahead. And I’ve got this!”
Why did I seek Therapy?
I know it’s been a while… but I’ll open up a bit here because I think it’s so important to hear stories you can relate to. And if just one person feels inspired to seek someone to talk to, then I feel like opening up was worth it.
I am almost 30 years old and I am truly grateful for the life I’ve been given. I have a kind husband, we just moved into a beautiful home in Austin, and I have family & friends that love and support me… so why in my quiet moments do I feel sad?
After almost two years in the pandemic, I think being isolated has given me more time to overthink about insecurities, hold on to negative feelings, and put pressure on myself. With many changes at once, I found myself wondering what my new role as wife, friend, and in my career should look like. The mounting pressure I put on myself in the Age of Comparison (with social media) was palpable on my heart and I could feel my mind on a hamster wheel of the same thoughts.
I didn’t think much of it over this past year, because I had our wedding planning to distract me. But since our wedding passed six months ago, I think this feeling has just come to light.
There was a breaking point for me recently at a relative’s wedding where I burst into tears and couldn’t stop crying. It affected my ability to enjoy the moment and be present to support my family member’s big day. It was after that evening that I knew I needed to find a therapist again and I’m so happy I made that decision.
My Journey to Therapy as an Adult
After I made the decision to seek a mental health counselor, my search began to find a therapist. I called over a dozen offices and just kept getting the same responses: “We have a year waiting list”, “we don’t take your insurance”, and “we only do virtual sessions online.” Those were three answers that daunted me and just made me feel like the universe was working against me. After four months of searching on my own, I saw a friend on Instagram talking about her experience with SonderMind and how they helped her find a therapist.
I made a login right away and thought I’d just check out the platform. It was easy to navigate and within 24 hours they had matched me with three therapists that would take my insurance! It finally felt like someone was on my side. It felt like SonderMind wanted me to find therapy and this instant sigh of relief came over me.
And now it’s been two months since I started therapy as an adult and I am SO happy with my match. She is kind, local, and makes me feel like my thoughts are worth talking through. I go into her office in Austin every other week and love knowing I have a set session on the calendar to look forward to.
What is SonderMind?
SonderMind is more than a therapist search and matching tool, they have a network of licensed and experienced therapists and are committed to helping you at every step of your journey to better mental wellness.
- They get you an appointment quickly. SonderMind is fixing a broken system. Typically getting mental health takes an average of 25 days. No wonder fewer than half of all people who are seeking mental health ever make it to a first appointment. The average wait time from sign-up to first session with SonderMind is less than 10 days.
- They reduce cost by finding therapists who accept your insurance.
- They work around your schedule. We’ll find a therapist with the availability you require. And you have the option to see your therapist online or in person.
This last bit is straight from their site, but I felt they said it best. 🥰
Truly grateful to partner with SonderMind on this post, because mental health is something I truly advocate for and value. I love their mission to make therapy more accessible, so it was a joy to share my authentic journey on their platform.
If you are on the fence for whether or not you should find a therapist, hope this helped in some small way. Or if you know someone that might find this blog post helpful I would encourage you to share it or SonderMind with them. We need to normalize therapy! It is a wonderful thing to have someone unbiased to talk to!
And everyone should know their feelings matter.
YOU MATTER!
Sending a big hug your way.
With love,
Caila
