There are a number of things to consider as you look for a therapist. Three factors to think about are the clinician’s training, experience, and rapport with you.

Training

EPA providers have advanced training in behavioral health, with post-graduate education and a minimum of 3000 hours of clinical experience prior to their licensure. In addition, most also have advanced specialty training in a variety of clinical issues and therapeutic approaches. Every provider participates in ongoing continuing education, and clinical skills updates throughout their careers. You should feel free to ask any questions about your provider’s background and training.

Experience

Once a clinician has completed the appropriate educational and professional training and passed their professional examinations, they may elect to obtain additional specialty training. This can be in the form of a Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Psychologists, usually consisting of a one to two year training period in a specific area such as Neuropsychology. Additional training can be obtained by any licensed mental health provider by taking coursework in specific topics such as therapy modalities(i.e., Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) or clinical specialties (i.e., eating disorders).

Rapport

A primary foundation for any therapy is the relationship and trust between the client and the therapist. Even the most highly trained and expert therapist will not be a good match for every client. Rapport is a very personal factor, and may relate to things such as personality, therapeutic “style”, a good match between therapy modality and other intangiables that go into making the relationship “click”.

At EPA we have an Intake Line that is staffed weekdays by a Licensed Psychologist. When you call, you can speak to a trained clinician who is knowledgeable about the therapists with EPA as well as other resources. Once they’ve heard the concerns, they will do what they can to find the best clinical match either within EPA or with another community resource.