You’re sitting at your desk with the computer browser open. You’ve finally gotten up the courage to Google ‘how to find an eating disorder therapist in Provo’ and then the overwhelm and anxiety suddenly take over. You don’t even know where to start and you don’t know how to identify who knows what they’re doing. And you certainly have no idea how to determine if the person will be a good fit for you. In your search for an eating disorders therapist in Provo or in Salt Lake City here are a few tips to help you.
Choose someone who is an eating disorder specialist
This one may seem obvious once it said allowed but is often overlooked. The best way to think about this is how we approach any medical issue. For general concerns, we often see our primary care doctor. However, when we know we have a specific concern, we seek out a specialist who has extensive training and experience in our situation. If you are having a baby, you go to an OBGYN because they likely have more training experience delivering babies than your primary care doctor. When your knee injury is intense or prolonged, you see a knee specialist, and the list goes on. The same idea applies to mental health needs as well. While all provider backgrounds have varying areas of emphasis in their education, all therapists function in a similar capacity. So it is often more important to look at their post-education experience or training than at the specific degree they earned to become a therapist.
A specialist in our field is anyone who has spent a significant amount of time increasing their education, skills, and seeking supervision in their areas of expertise.
For eating disorder therapy, this likely looks like someone who has worked at an eating disorder clinic for a window of time. Or, someone who has extensive training and supervision from someone who is an eating disorder specialist. The same is true for other mental health specialists, if you have unresolved trauma, you want to seek out someone who has specific trauma training. Specialized care leads to significantly better short-term and long-term outcomes. I often get asked if it’s okay to choose someone who has a long list of items they can treat. This may be an accurate representation of their knowledge, but it may not reflect the level of time or level of expertise in all of those areas. So feel free to ask them how much time they have spent seeing individuals with the area of expertise you are seeking.
Ask around
While the internet can be very helpful in finding a provider that could be a great fit for you, so is your community. In the Provo area, people tend to find a good therapist by word of mouth. This is likely to come from friends, family members, or community leaders who know a therapist that they’ve liked or that they’ve heard about and have a good reputation. Once you have a few names, look them up and see if their message seems to resonate with you. Feel free to reach out and contact their office to find out more about the therapist to see who’s a good fit. If you find yourself still being unsure, feel free to set up a phone consultation with the therapist to get a sense of them. Occasionally I’ll have a new client who discloses in the first session that they are seeing a few therapists that week and then choosing the one they like best. This is your therapy and we want you to feel connected and comfortable with whomever you feel is the best fit for you.
Look at the logistics
Finding a therapist that has a correct skill set and is a good personality fit is essential, and so are the logistics. Therapy is typically done weekly, so finding someone that is easily accessible is key. It may be helpful to consider if you want an in-person therapist or a virtual provider, both have their pros and cons. Scheduling is another key component. It’s helpful to look at your schedule and find a provider whose appointment time frames match your work or school needs.
Of course, if you are in college, we understand that your schedule will change each semester, but you may want to ask the provider how they manage those changes so you find someone you can see in back-to-back semesters. And lastly, finding a good fit for your financial situation. Sometimes in the hurry to get help going, this can be overlooked. It’s perfectly okay to be upfront with the provider about your needs. Any provider you contact wants to make sure that their fee works for both your short-term and long-term financial needs. So if cash pay will work for you for a month or two but not down the road, give them that information when you make your first point of contact.
If the person(s) you reach out to isn’t a good fit for you on that front, they will likely know who may have the skillset you need who takes your insurance, or whose fee is a better fit for you. We are here to help you find a good fit, even if it isn’t with us.
Begin Working with an Eating Disorder Therapist in Provo, UT Today!
While finding the right provider for you in Provo can feel overwhelming, please reach out to our team and let us give you a hand. Inside Wellness is committed to helping you get the care you need to begin to find peace again with food and your body. Help is available, and you can start your therapy journey by following these steps:
Reach out to us about scheduling a free 15-minute phone consultation.
Learn more about our services and our team.
Start finding the right therapeutic fit for you!
Other Therapy Services Offered With Inside Wellness
Our team understands you may experience a number of mental health concerns in addition to eating disorders. This is why we are happy to offer support with a variety of mental health services including body image counseling, anxiety therapy, and online Therapy in Utah.