What Questions to Ask During a Therapy Consultation Call

You’ve been dreading this task for a month, but you feel it’s prime time, as 2026 is around the corner: finding a therapist. How to find a therapist? You can ask around your friends and family members if you feel comfortable. If not, that’s okay. You can ask a professional you trust, like your gyn, a PCP, or your kids' pediatrician. If this is not the option for you, you can ask Chat-GPT to find a therapist near you or on Google. You can also try directories, like Psychology Today. You can also try specific directories, such as Postpartum Support International.

So you found the therapist, you booked the consultation call. What is next? What questions to ask your prospective therapist and how to find the right one, especially as everyone possesses them as experts, and there is an ocean of therapists. It can be overwhelming for sure.

So let’s break down the simple questions you can ask during the conclusion call to weed out the tons of choices.

Questions to Ask During a Therapy Consultation Call

1.     Do you have postgraduate training? Why is postgraduate training important? My experience shows that a therapist who is involved in long-term training, at least 4 years, brings the richness of experiences in the therapy room, learn their blind spot with clients, is more present, and has less burnout.

2.    Do you provide therapy in other languages rather than English?

This question is important if you are a first- or second-generation American or an immigrant yourself. Even your therapist may not provide therapy in your language. The fact that your therapist is bilingual and culturally aware brings cultural awareness into the therapy room, serving as a bridge between two cultures. And if the therapist speaks your language, it might be interesting to process your emotions in your own language or to mix the two back and forth.

3.    What kind of therapies do you use?

This question is important as you are looking for specific therapy like CBT, Gestalt therapy, or IFS therapy. Or you want to know if your therapist uses psychodynamic or psychoanalytic approaches or the combinations of different approaches.

4.    How do I know if I am progressing in therapy?

There are different ways to track the progress in therapy. It can depend of modality. I always tell my prospective clients that in each session, they will be able to track the shift in their feelings, thoughts, and body sensations. Also, depending on what you are bringing to therapy to work on, it can impact how the progress looks. The progress may look like you are able to talk with your therapist about something vulnerable and painful and seek support. Or progress can also make you feel better.

5.    I had therapy before that; this is what worked for me and what did not.

It’s important to share with your prospective therapist if you have had therapy before, and what worked and what did not. It will give you a clue to your prospective therapy if they can offer something that you are looking for.

6.    Notice how you feel during the consultation call?

Do you feel comfortable sharing? What is happening in your body when you talk to your prospective therapist?

You don’t need to ask every question or get perfect answers. What matters most is how you feel during the consultation call. Pay attention to whether your prospective therapist uses human language that you understand or uses psychological jargon that’s hard to understand.
Do you feel heard? Do you feel respected? Do you feel a little more settled than when you started?