When you feel ready to get help for depression symptoms, try to work with a helpful specialist with whom you feel comfortable sharing personal thoughts and emotions.
Start by asking your primary care doctor for a referral. Your doctor may know you well and can steer you toward someone who can be a good match. Your primary care doctor can also give you some insight into depression therapy and what you can expect once you begin.
Other considerations exist, too, when it comes to finding the right specialist for depression. Here are some things to think about as you get started.
Learn more about mental health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2020, 18% of adults in the United States received diagnoses of depression.
If you’ve received the same diagnosis, you can start exploring treatments by getting suggestions from your doctor and connecting with other medical team members. Ask friends or relatives if they’ve had a good experience with a particular therapist. You can also get educational resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Knowing your therapy goals and what you want your therapy experience to include is also helpful.
For example, if you’re interested in antidepressants as part of your treatment plan, you can talk with a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a mental health professional who has a medical degree and can prescribe medications. A psychologist or many other types of mental health specialists can’t prescribe antidepressants.
If you’re looking for a therapist to treat a teenager or an older adult, look for professionals specializing in those populations.
Once you have a therapist in mind, call the office and ask a few questions, such as:
- Does the therapist treat depression?
- What type(s) of therapy does the therapist usually use to treat depression?
- What’s the therapist’s background, including education and length of time in practice?
- How much do sessions cost, and do they take your insurance?
You can also confirm the therapist has a license to practice in your state of residence.
It’s important to be comfortable with and confident in your doctors. This need is especially true with mental health specialists, as your interactions may involve vulnerable conversations about personal subjects.
For those reasons, you may want to work with someone of the same gender or cultural background as you.
Working with someone familiar with your cultural background, communication style, traditions, and lifestyle may make you feel more comfortable sharing personal anecdotes, making your sessions more productive.
For example, a 2021 study suggested that working with a therapist who demonstrates sincere cultural competence often produces positive results.
Be open to working with a different therapist
Because there’s no guarantee that the first therapist you contact may be a good match, you can go into therapy knowing you’re not bound to this person. If you’re sure they’re not a good fit after the first session, keep looking.
If you’re unsure, consider trying a few sessions before deciding. Your first therapy session is often an intake conversation to learn more about your symptoms and therapy goals. Your therapist may use this initial chat to ask questions about your background, relationships, symptoms, etc.
Once your therapist understands who you are and what you’re dealing with, you can discuss a treatment plan and goals.
Those goals can include some specifics beyond “feeling better.” For example, you might experience depression that interferes with your marriage or makes it difficult to work, so you and your therapist can come up with a vision of how your relationship and job might look after therapy.
If therapy goes along and you don’t feel you’re making progress, then be willing to end your sessions with that therapist and try someone else. Try not to feel discouraged about therapy overall just because you have an unproductive experience with one therapist.
Getting depression treatment doesn’t always require in-person appointments with a mental health professional. Telehealth involves video chats and other electronic means of communication between a person and a medical professional. Many people often use this form of communication for emotional and physical health appointments.
A 2023 research review showed that the rise in virtual appointments for depression and anxiety treatment could be helpful to people who may have transportation challenges or personal reasons to use telehealth care.
You may feel more comfortable opening up at home on a video call rather than in a therapist’s office. You may also be able to schedule therapy sessions that better fit your schedule if you can have an appointment that doesn’t involve going to the therapist’s office.
While depression is a common mood disorder, finding the right specialist to treat your depression symptoms may require asking for referrals, understanding more about mental health, and choosing a doctor who makes you feel confident to navigate your emotions together.
Get some good recommendations initially, but be willing to change therapists if you want a different approach. Trust your instincts and be willing to talk with your therapist about your concerns at any point during treatment.
Reaching a point where depression is a manageable condition and doesn’t interfere with your daily activities and quality of life is the goal. Finding the right specialist can help you get there.