5 Key Things to Ask a Portland Therapist in a Consultation
Portland is a unique town. It’s the kind of place you can find indie bookstores, vintage stores, record shops, and microbrews aplenty. There is definitely a spirit in Portland that supports doing your own thing, but that doesn’t mean that you have to feel like you’re all on your own in your search for a therapist. Wading through all of the different search results out there and navigating different profiles to find that right “fit” can feel like a lot. If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or unsure what kind of support would actually help, having so many choices ahead of you can feel daunting. That’s why I’m here to help. I’ve put together this little guide to help you get some clarity about what you might want to focus on to help you find someone that will be a good fit for what you need. So, let’s get on with it!
Connect With Their Therapeutic Approach
What therapeutic approaches do you use in your practice?
It’s good to hear prospective therapists talk about the approaches they use. When you listen to them talk about it, does this approach feel like something you are open to and does this person seem like someone you’d feel comfortable sharing openly and honestly with? If you can say “yes” to those two things, this is a good sign that you’ve found a good match.
To use me as an example, I am an expressive arts therapist. That is an approach that is very different from what you might expect when you work with a talk therapist. When clients work with me, sure, we do talk, but we also create images, express ourselves by using movement and gestures, use music to connect to emotions, and give a voice to our emotions through creative writing. I give my clients the tools and freedom to go different directions in sessions. We follow the journey of their path. I am there as a guide, walking alongside them and helping to light the way.
Benefits of a Strengths-Based Approach
How do you incorporate a client’s strengths into their sessions?
Here, you are listening for how adaptive the therapist is in the way that they practice and how well that fits with you. A strengths-based approach will highlight skills and qualities you are already bringing to the table and will help you grow from there. When you go to therapy, you should expect to make some changes, but that doesn’t mean we’re scrapping everything and starting from scratch. We all like to feel that we’re doing at least something right!
Client-Centered Care: Your Needs First
How do you ensure that therapy is centered around the client’s unique needs and goals?
True, the reason that people usually wind up reaching out to a therapist is because they are experiencing symptoms. Even so, therapy is about more than just your symptoms. Client-centered care focuses on you as a whole, unique person. It considers the impact that your individual circumstances has on your mental health and wellness. It looks at the why behind your symptoms to help you gain more insight into your behaviors and teaches you new healthy coping skills to set you up for success.
A Specialization That Matches Your Primary Concern
How do you work with my primary concerns, and what have you found to be most effective?
One thing you will notice when you’re looking for a therapist is that different therapists will list different specialties in their profiles and websites. It is helpful to know how much time and effort someone spends working with people with your concerns. You don’t want to feel like the therapist has worked with someone with your issues “at some point” in the past and that they would be willing to help someone with that issue again. That is not a specialty. Many therapists list common concerns on their profiles, but that doesn’t always mean those areas are a true focus of their work.
In my practice, I use expressive arts therapy to support adults who feel overwhelmed, stuck, disconnected from themselves, or worn down from long-term stress or masking. Creative expression can support nervous system regulation, increase a sense of grounding, and open up new ways of understanding what’s happening internally. This process often helps clients reconnect with themselves and experience meaningful, sustainable change.
Navigating the Therapeutic Process
What can a client expect during the initial sessions and throughout the therapeutic process? How do you set goals and how is progress measured?
You want to know what the experience of therapy is going to be like. All therapists will have some forms for you to fill out, but how and when you fill out the forms might look different, depending on the therapist and how they work. I prefer to send clients the full intake packet to complete ahead of the first appointment. I have found that this saves us time during that first session so we can get to creating appropriate goals for your therapy journey more quickly. Therapy is an investment in yourself, so you’re going to want to get an idea of what you’re signing up for. How collaborative will this therapist be with you in creating goals and a plan for therapy? There is no one right answer here. Some people prefer a more guided or directed approach and some clients want to have more of a say in what sessions look like. Think about where you might fall and what would feel good for you.
Booking a Call with a Portland Therapist:
I hope that you feel you have some good tips now for finding the right therapist in Portland. If you still feel stuck, I would be happy to talk with you. Reach out to me for a free 20-minute consultation. We’ll chat briefly about what is going on for you and if I’m not the right person to help you, I’d be happy to try and help connect you with someone that is.
I specialize in helping adults who feel overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves, or stuck in long-standing patterns that no longer work. You can read more about how I help here.
