How to Find a Therapist in Georgia?

Therapy in Georgia: Fast Facts

Georgia consistently ranks in the lowest 10 states for mental health services. According to a study done by Forbes: 

• 34.4% of adults struggling with their mental health could not see a therapist due to cost (the highest in the US)
• 17.4% of adults with a mental illness are uninsured (the fifth highest in the US)
• 66.6% of youth with depression don’t receive mental health services. 
• 57.8% of adults with mental health issues receive no treatment at all.

Do I need mental health therapy?

You should consider therapy if you:

• Are sad, anxious, hopeless, or empty-feeling more days than most.
• You find it difficult or impossible to keep up with everyday tasks like working, cleaning, personal hygiene, and socializing. 
• You’ve stopped hanging out with people. 
• You have low self-esteem or self-worth.
• You’re unhappy with the quality of your life and happiness.
• You have difficulty sleeping or eating a normal amount. 
• You feel like your anger or irritability is uncontrollable. 
• You have thought about death, dying, or hurting yourself. 

If you are in immediate harm, call 911.

How to Get Therapy in Georgia

We understand how stressful getting therapy in Georgia can be. There can seem like an infinite amount of red tape to navigate or insurance representatives to call, and all that only if you can get on a therapist's waiting list. 

To help you streamline the process, here are the 7 steps to finding therapy in Georgia: 

1. Understand Your Goals for Therapy

You don’t need to have a diagnosed mental health disorder to receive therapy. You can go because you're feeling a little down, you’re a little stressed, you’re going through a hard breakup or transition, or because you think you have a mental health disorder. You are not “crazy” or “weak” for going to therapy! Facing your inner struggles and fighting to get better is a sign of strength, not weakness. 

People go to therapy for many reasons, including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
• Eating Disorders
• ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
• Substance Abuse
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Schizophrenia

This is not an exhaustive list; you can seek therapy in Georgia for mental health disorders other than these issues. 

2. Research Types of Therapy

There’s more than one type of therapy, which can be confusing at first. If you’ve ever read a therapist bio and saw it peppered with acronyms like “CBT '', “DBT '', “MBCT '', or “ACT '', you’re not alone. These are acronyms for the most common therapy modalities. A therapy modality is just a specific way of doing therapy. Often they are specific to a certain disorder. For example, EMDR is great for treating trauma, but won’t do much for generalized anxiety disorder. CBT is a gold standard for anxiety though. 

Let’s look at a few of the most common types of therapy: 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors to improve mental well-being.
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): Emphasizes mindfulness meditation and yoga to alleviate stress and promote emotional balance.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Aims to help individuals manage intense emotions, improve relationships, and develop coping skills.
• Psychodynamic Therapy: Explores unconscious patterns and past experiences to understand and address current emotional struggles and relationships.
• Humanistic Therapy: Fosters self-exploration, personal growth, and self-actualization through empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard from the therapist.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Aims to help individuals accept difficult emotions and thoughts and commit to making positive behavior changes aligned with their core values.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy with mindfulness techniques by developing healthy coping strategies, improving interpersonal skills, and cultivating emotional balance.

These modalities offer different approaches to therapy, catering to individual needs and preferences. 

3. Know what you want from a therapist 

Beyond the therapy, what do you want your therapist to bring to the table? The client-therapist relationship is crucial to good therapy. If you’re not comfortable with your therapist, you’re unlikely to improve. When looking for a therapist, consider if these factors matters to you:

• Race/ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexuality
• Age
• Experience 
• Religious orientation 

If they do, don’t compromise. There will be a therapist who fits your needs perfectly. Online therapy offers a wide variety of therapists because you’re not limited to the few miles around you. 

4. Look through a reputable directory

Not all mental health companies are built the same. When looking for a therapist, make sure they have a license. This would be denoted by one of these acronyms next to their bio:

• LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
• LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
• LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
• Psychologist (A therapist with a doctorate)
• Psychiatrist (A medical doctor who can prescribe and manage medications)

A license means they passed their state licensing exam and are legally allowed to practice mental health therapy in Georgia. 

5. Make a budget

With insurance, most mental health therapy sessions will average between $30-$50, but it really depends on your insurance plan. Without insurance, the hourly rate of therapy could be $150-$200. This can be a barrier to many people, but Georgia has recently implemented a number of affordable mental health therapy options for those without insurance. This includes:

• State-Sponsored Therapy 
• HUGS (Heads Up Guidance Service): A Faith-based nonprofit offering free or reduced-fee counseling services. 
• Recovery Place: Located in Savannah, GA, this substance use clinic offers affordable substance use and addiction therapy. 

Have insurance? Lifebulb Counseling has therapists in Georgia with no wait list, so you can start feeling better today. Contact our team to learn more about how you can get started with a Georgia therapist. 

6. Read bios carefully

Now that you know what you’re looking for, you can start browsing therapists! Use this guide to accurately and quickly determine if a therapist is right for you by skimming their bio. 

7. Prepare for your first session

All you need for your first session is yourself. Preferably, you’ve filled out the insurance and intake forms beforehand, so you can spend the bulk of your session talking to your therapist. You may want to consider these questions before you go in (your therapist will probably ask you!)

• What is your goal for therapy?
• What do you think you need the most help with?
• Where do you want to be after therapy? 

They will likely ask for a brief summary of any life events you think have impacted your mental health up to this point and any important relationships in your life. They will ask about your symptoms and support system. This is not meant to be judgmental, but rather will be the jumping off part to create your treatment plan. A therapist should also give you an estimate for how long therapy will take, how many sessions you can expect to have, and when you can expect to start feeling better. If they don’t tell you this information, feel free to ask them. (They ethically have to tell you this information!)

Finding A Good Therapist in Georgia

Even after all that, it’s possible you don’t like your therapist. Remember it is always within your power to switch therapists. This process is easier if you’re a client of a larger mental health practice that can quickly switch you to a different therapist in their practice. For example, at Lifebulb, all you have to do is call our team and we will have you switched to a therapist who better fits your needs. Your company will stay the same and you’ll still have access to all the tools you did before. 

To get matched with a licensed therapist in Georgia at Lifebulb, browse our therapist directory or call our team to talk to our support staff. 

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