What to Ask a Therapist in a Phone Consultation
Five Essential Questions
When it comes to “shopping” for a therapist, requesting a free phone consultation is one of the best steps you can take. These quick 10–15 minute calls are a great opportunity to see if a therapist is the right fit before you commit your time, money, and energy to a full intake session.
For many people—especially if you’ve never been to therapy before—consultation calls can feel a little intimidating. What do you ask? How do you know if someone is the right fit? To make it easier, here’s a list of key questions to ask during a therapy phone consultation (and why they matter).
1. What’s your fee and what forms of payment do you accept?
It can sometimes feel awkward to bring up money, but this is such an important one. Ask about the therapist’s fee, whether they offer a sliding scale (if that’s something you might qualify for), and what payment methods they accept. Keep in mind that even if they don’t accept insurance directly, you may be able to submit superbills to your insurance for partial reimbursement—so it’s worth asking.
2. What’s your scheduling availability like?
For the same reasons as above– spare yourself the disappointment by starting with questions like these! Find out if they offer evening or weekend sessions, or if their availability matches your schedule.
3. Can you tell me about your approach to therapy?
If you’re not familiar with acronyms like CBT, EFT, or IFS, you’re not alone. Instead of focusing on labels, you can ask what a typical session might look like. This is also a great chance to share what has or hasn’t worked for you in the past—like whether you prefer a more direct approach or a more gentle one.
4. Do you have experience with what I’m going through?
This is especially helpful if you’re navigating something specific—like grief, infertility, or divorce—or if you know you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD, or other mental health concerns. If they don’t have direct experience, you can ask if they can recommend another therapist who does.
5. What should I expect from the first few sessions?
This can give you a sense of how the therapist gets to know new clients, sets goals, and tracks progress. It can also help ease first-session nerves by clarifying what the process will look like.
Trust Your Gut During the Call
While these questions matter, the most important part of a consultation is how you feel talking with the therapist. Do you feel heard? Comfortable? Respected? Even if they answer everything “perfectly,” you may not feel the right connection—and that’s okay. Not every therapist will be the right fit, and that’s part of the process.
Your relationship with your therapist is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes in therapy, so don’t be afraid to be choosy and schedule a few consultations before making your decision. And since finding a therapist can feel daunting (even for those of us in the field!), remember to give yourself some grace along the way.
If you’d like to explore whether we might be a good fit, we’d be happy to schedule a free phone consultation here at Havn Therapy Collective!