In my previous articles I covered the various types of professionals, and the questions to ask yourself prior to making that first call to a helping professional.

Here are the next steps in that process:

• Determine which of the questions you’ve asked yourself (in that list from my previous column) have the greatest meaning to you and make a quick list of what you’ve deemed most crucial to you.
• Look in the phone book under Counselors, then look at Therapists, then Social Workers, and then Psychologists.  You’re likely to find quite a number of these professionals, and the services they appear to offer will look pretty impressive.  I suggest that you pick three from each section and give each a call.  (I never said this would be quick!)
• You’re likely to reach an answering machine—don’t let that put you off—you need not give anything more than your first name, a phone number and possibly the best time to return your call at a given number.
• Pay attention to who calls you back, and how quickly.  Busy professionals may not be the first to call back, but they should reach you within the course of the day.
• Have paper and pencil ready when you’re talking to each professional who calls you back.  Get the questions about insurance out of the way first so you don’t waste time with someone who is not covered by your plan.

When professionals return your call

I advise that you compose a single sentence about the challenge you hope to overcome, such as “my marriage is in tatters,” or “I think I have a gambling problem,” to ask the professional if that is something they deal with.  If you’re having a hard time thinking of that first statement, ask a trusted friend to help you narrow it to a simple sentence. Do not get into details in these initial calls.

If the professional states that they routinely work with that kind of issue, ask them these questions, and write down their responses for later comparisons:

• What is your training for working with that kind of problem?  How long have you been treating such problems?
• What do your credentials mean?  Where did you get the training for this kind of work?
• How do you know that your methods work—is there research I could look up about that? Is there an article for the average person, or a book about the effectiveness of this?’
• How long does it usually take to get an appointment with you?  How long does it take to find solutions to problems like mine?  How will I know when I’m “finished” with therapy?
• If I work with you on this problem, what kinds of things will I be asked to do? Will you give me homework to read, activities to do, suggest outside exercises that might help me with my particular issue?  Will someone else be needed in any of my sessions (family member or spouse, etc.)

As you ask these questions you will quickly notice which of the professionals have clear ideas about how to work with individuals in similar situations to yours, and which ones are a little put off by being questioned.  It is my strong belief that you want a professional who is glad to be asked these questions, and who is eager to answer the intelligent inquiries of a potential patient.  When you have talked with at least two professionals from each of the categories, I believe you’ll have a good idea of what you’re looking for.  Even if you must move on to more names in the phone book, you’ll be progressively more able to ask meaningful questions and make the best choices for YOU.