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 up 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!) I also suggest that you write down the questions you hope to ask, and write the answers you’re given by each professional you reach.
• 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 24-48 hours.
• Have your insurance information 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.
• A side note: On your insurance card there should be a phone number to call with questions. One service some insurance carriers provide is a brief list of professionals in your area who will be covered. 
• Other professionals may be covered by your plan, but if you have nothing else to go on, this may be a good place to begin your search using all the questions from Part One and Part Two of this series of blogs.

When professionals return your call

I advise that you compose a single sentence–and have it written down– 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 any 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.)

Professionals prepared to be helpful to you will not be offended by even the most challenging of the above questions. In fact, you will quickly notice which of the professionals have clear ideas about how to work with individuals in situations similar to yours, which ones can state why they do what they do, and which ones are a little put off.  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 of professionals, you’ll be progressively more able to ask meaningful questions and make the best choices for YOU. One final note: as I mentioned, finding the right professional is not quick, and it is not without the potential for frustration. I believe the key to getting the best possible options for help will come from answering the questions about what you want to change (blog Two in this series) and then taking the steps outlined here.