Finding a counselor or therapist in Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego continues to be one of Oregon's most desirable suburban cities. Lake Oswego has great schools, wonderful cultural events, beautiful outdoor environments, and of course, a very enticing lake! Lake Oswego is definitely a place to "live where you play." (From the Oregon Encyclopedia).
While Lake Oswego is an amazing place to live, truth is, life brings it’s challenges no matter where we live, and recently we’ve experienced quite a few signficant challenges in our lives. With these challenges, we often need support --- and that might be in the form of help from a counselor or therapist. I’d like to help you find someone who can help you navigate these challenges in your life.
I want to help you find a therapist or counselor in Lake Oswego.
Finding a therapist/counselor is a very personal decision. It takes patience, a bit of research, and your gut reactions. Finding the right one for you is essential, because you will be sharing parts of your self and of course, you want to feel comfortable. Having someone who is knowledgeable, open, non-judgmental, and encouraging is important. But your “fit” with them is paramount.
Insurance versus Private Pay
In finding a counselor, first you want to determine if you want to use your insurance. Check with your provider to see what your benefits are for your specific needs, as not all services are covered (i.e. couples therapy). Know that if you do want to use your insurance benefits, that your therapist will need to justify your need for sessions with a mental health diagnosis. The insurance company will then determine how many sessions are reasonable to address the issue at hand.
There are counselors and therapists that are private pay, such as myself, and this means that you pay the therapist directly without using insurance. No diagnosis is needed and no limitations on number of sessions, and no records of your therapy is kept (except for your counselor’s records). For me, as a private pay therapist, I like being able to focus my full attention on you, your strengths and challenges without any outside influences.
Directories
One of the top ways to find therapists in your area is to search a therapist directory such as Psychology Today. Other directories include Good Therapy, Therapy Den, and Portland Therapy Center. Within these directories you enter your zip code or city, and then you can refine your search further by specific issue, specialty, gender, type of therapy and/or faith. Take a look at a few therapists’ profiles, find a few you seem to like, and click the link to their website so you can learn even more about them. Through this research choose 2-3 therapist you like and want to get to know better, and set up a consultation with each of them. By talking to them individually you should be able to find a good fit for you!
A free therapy consultation in Lake Oswego, OR
I hope this helps you find the right therapist for you in or around Lake Oswego. If you have questions or are feeling stuck, feel free to call me at 503-327-6971 or click here for a free 15-minute phone consultation. Even if we don’t end up working together, I’d be happy to direct you to the right therapist to meet your needs. If you are looking for help with relationships, life balance, anxiety, depression, stress management, couples therapy or treatment of ADHD, you can read more about how I can help at HeartWise Counseling.