Questions to Ask Your Mental Health Care Provider

Mental health treatment works best when you have a partnership with your therapist. Being able to ask him or her questions is vital. While a clinician will help you develop coping and communication skills and deal with trauma and stressors, you are the best source of information about your background, concerns, expectations and needs. Inquire about your therapist’s area of expertise. Some specialize in particular conditions like bipolar or post-traumatic stress disorder. It is helpful to understand his or her individual strengths, which often are featured on the practice’s website.

What is your therapist’s Philosophy of Care (i.e, what does he/she consider to be his/her role and responsibilities, what methods and/or treatments will he/she suggest, etc.)? How will your provider track your progress? What is your prognosis, a full recovery or a situation that will need to be managed over your lifetime?

If you are struggling with the expense of therapy, ask if your clinician has a sliding scale option or if you can attend once a month rather than every other week? Other important financial details to know are if there are cancellation or no-show charges, if fees are due at the time of service rather than upon receipt of a bill, and if there are discounts for paying with cash or check instead of filing an insurance claim?

For individuals who are concerned about finding a culturally competent therapist, inquire about his or her experience working with individuals of a particular racial and/or ethnic group. If you feel like it may be an issue, ask about his or her policies for involuntary admittance? This could allow you to tell your provider if there is a specific facility you would like to go to if he/she determines you are in crisis.

Tell your clinician your goals for treatment, especially the behaviors and/or issues that concern you the most. Keep an open mind if he or she suggests new ways of thinking or acting. While it is natural to resist change, real improvements can occur when you consider and implement them. Be open and honest about how you are feeling. Do not say you are fine when you are not.

For effective diagnoses, therapists need to gather information on all aspects of an individual’s emotional and behavioral functioning. Presenting symptoms can have many different causes, especially in children. Youth who are angry or aggressive can be experiencing anxiety and an adolescent who has difficulty paying attention in school may have depression rather than Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Diagnosis should precede treatment, especially medication.

A clinician should be accepting and compassionate and treat you as an equal. You should never feel ashamed or judged after a session. A therapist is not your friend, however, so there may be times when you feel challenged after being asked to view things from a different perspective or to do homework you do not enjoy. Instead of offering advice, a provider likely will discuss the process you use to make decisions and how you can better understand what causes you to think and/or act in the manner that you do.

When children are the patient, parents should have good communication with the clinician, feel comfortable sharing their observations and concerns, and know that they are being taken seriously. You may want to keep notes about symptoms’ frequency, intensity and duration for future conversations with the therapist. If you have questions about your child’s diagnosis or treatment, ask the provider. He or she will be prepared to answer those types of inquiries.

Bring what you learn in therapy home with you. Better mental health takes time and practice in your daily life. Keep track of what you have been discussing with your clinician. Progress will not happen instantly. If you do not see changes over the course of several weeks or months, however, you may want to tell your therapist that you do not believe you are improving and consider consulting with another provider.