How to find a therapist for the first time

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If you’ve recently thought about finding a therapist — maybe for the first time ever — you’re not alone. According to a 2025 Gallup report, 24 percent of adults visited a mental health professional in 2025.

We’re here to walk you through what you need to know when finding a therapist for the first time and the steps you can take to confirm they’re in network.

How to find an in-network therapist (and confirm costs)

Finding a therapist who meets your criteria and you connect with can take time. Here are a few ways to help narrow down your short list:

1. Start with a large list of mental health providers

Start your search with a large provider database, like the one on myWellmark. Not signed up for myWellmark? It’s free and takes less than a minute to register.

2. Use filters and get cost estimates

You’ll first see in-network providers in your city or state. You can then filter by issues, gender, types of therapy, age, price and more. You can also find their practice location(s) and get an estimated cost for each visit.

3. Contact in-network therapists

Contact the therapists you select to see if they’re accepting new patients or if they have a wait list. If they’re available, schedule a brief consultation to ensure they’re a good fit.

4. Get help from a mental health case manager

Reach out to a Wellmark Mental Health Case Manager. Case managers can work with your provider to help you understand your condition, navigate the health care system and fill gaps in your care. You can connect with a case manager when you log in to myWellmark.

If you need help at any point during this process, you can simplify your criteria, ask your primary care provider for a referral or explore Wellmark’s mental health resources and support options to guide your next step. At the end of the day, taking the time to find someone you trust and can confide in will make all the difference in your care.

When you should consider therapy

You don’t need a specific reason to start therapy. You don’t have to be experiencing a personal emergency — like a breakup or divorce, job loss or death in the family — to start therapy. There are many transitional, non-crisis moments where extra support from a therapist with whom you have an established relationship can make all the difference.

You can come to your first session with a more general feeling that something isn’t right, and your therapist will work with you to explore and improve the areas in your life where you aren’t quite satisfied.

Know the different types of therapy

As you’re looking for a therapist, you may notice that some specialize in certain types of therapy or treatment. In general talk therapy, or psychotherapy, generally involves meeting with a mental health professional in-person or virtually for a set amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes. However, there are many different approaches to therapy, also known as therapeutic modalities. Some modalities treat certain conditions better than others, and therapists often use more than one in their treatment approach.

The most common therapeutic modalities include:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches mindfulness to help you recognize when challenges arise from attempting to suppress, manage and control emotional experiences.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used for short-term treatment of behavior by helping you notice the relationship between beliefs, thoughts and feelings — and how they affect your actions and behaviors. CBT often involves education, relaxation exercises, coping skills training, stress management or assertiveness training as part of treatment.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a form of CBT that helps with difficult-to-treat conditions over a longer period of time, focusing on problem-solving and acceptance strategies.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is used to treat symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by helping you process unresolved memories from troubling experiences.
• Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) is a type of therapy that helps you see yourself more clearly, take responsibility for your life and solve problems on your own.

You don't need to do a deep dive into the different approaches to therapy, especially if you don't have a concrete reason for starting therapy. However, if you aren't connecting with a specific therapist — it could be that their approach doesn't suit you. A therapist will understand if you want to see a different mental health provider and can often connect you with someone who would be a better fit.

Consider a virtual visit for your mental health care

If you have a tight work schedule, are juggling family responsibilities or live in areas where mental health care isn’t widely available, you may want to consider virtual mental health care via your phone, tablet or computer. Many mental health providers offer virtual care options. As always, before seeking services, log in to myWellmark to check your virtual visit benefits.

Consider these other factors when seeking therapy

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the different approaches to therapy, you have a few questions to ask yourself:

• Does it matter if your therapist is male or female?
• Do you prefer someone who is younger or older?
• Do you plan to see your therapist in person or are you interested in virtual care?
• Do you have a specific condition or situation that you need to treat, or would having someone with a broad treatment approach be more helpful?
• Are they in your health plan’s network?

If you need immediate help, don't wait

If you feel you could be in immediate danger as a result of a mental health condition, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 to speak with a skilled mental health counselor nearby. In the case of a mental health emergency, call 911.