Questions to Ask a Menopause Therapist in Chicago Before Your First Session
The menopause therapist for you in Chicago is the one who can clearly answer your questions and make you feel welcome to be curious.
After lots of searching, worrying, and feeling overwhelmed, you are ready to talk to a potential therapist. You have asked your friends for advice. You looked at blogs about how to find a good therapist. You have scoured the internet looking at therapist websites and have finally made a consultation appointment with someone you think could be a good fit for you. But, now that you have found someone, what are you supposed to talk to them about? This post will help you figure out exactly what to ask during the consultation to find the menopause therapist that is right for you.
Why Asking Questions Helps You Find the Right Fit
When I first meet a client, I always emphasize that they are the expert in their own lives. I have expertise in mental health, but they know best about what things work for their life and what are things that sound good in theory, but just simply won’t work for them. Therefore, the relationship with your therapist needs to be just that: a relationship. And in order for it to be a healthy relationship, both parties need to feel like they are fully informed about what they are getting into. One great way to do that is to allow clients to interview the therapist and ask the questions that feel important to them.
6 Questions to Ask a Menopause Therapist in Chicago
What approaches do you use?
You want to know if the ways that a therapist approaches the work matches your needs. While it can be helpful to know the modalities and theoretical approaches your therapist works from, it is often even more helpful to ask what therapy looks like in real life. For example, does the therapist use brief, time limited interventions or expect longer-term therapy. Is it based in skill-building versus talk therapy? This helps you figure out if what the therapist offers compliments how you grow and learn.
Do you have to be in menopause to work with you?
Menopause therapy is a bit of a nebulous term. Even the term, menopause, is kind of confusing because it refers to a time period that could last up to 10 years and could start as early as someone’s 30s or as late as their 60s. Given that wide time span, you want to know what a therapist means when they say that they work with menopause mental health. Do they focus solely on the physical aspects on the menopause transition or do they look at a more holistic approach to the changes in that time of life? Knowing how the therapist approaches working with menopause will help you determine if they will be able to support your needs.
What does a first session look like?
As with anything in life, it’s important to know the rules of the game before you engage. That way, you know what to expect and can confidently engage in what you are doing. Therapy is no different. At the beginning of your first session, you can expect to have a better explanation of informed consent. Meaning, your therapist will likely run you through the administrative housekeeping list to make sure you are all set to start. These things can look like:
Intake Paperwork
Confidentiality
Billing and Insurance Information
Attendance Policies and Cancellation Fees
How to Contact Your Therapist Outside of Session
After all the nitty gritty details of administration are discussed, another important part of the first session is understanding a basic outline of what therapy will look like for you. Questions you will likely have answered include:
How often will you meet with your therapist?
How are the sessions structured?
Who leads the session?
The rest of the session is dedicated to beginning to know each other and getting a better understanding of your goals for seeking out therapy. It is a chance for BOTH the client and the therapist to begin to develop a trusting and caring relationship with one another.
At the end of the session, you will confirm the time for your next session.
What is your cancellation/rescheduling policy?
Each therapist does this differently, so it is important to ask up front, so you don’t get surprised with an unexpected charge later. Since a therapist holds a spot exclusively for you and cannot schedule someone else at that time, most therapists do have a cancellation policy to protect their time and their business. Many cancellation policies ask that clients inform the therapist of a cancellation at least 24 to 48 hours before the scheduled appointment. The amount of money that a therapist charges for the fee varies, but commonly is the equivalent of one full fee session. For example, I have a 24-hour cancellation/no show fee. I ask that clients let me know at least 24 hours before their scheduled appointment if they need to cancel or reschedule. If they cancel within the 24 hours or no show, they are responsible for the equivalent of a full fee session. It is important to note that even if you use insurance to pay for therapy, late cancellation fees cannot be billed to insurance.
Do you offer virtual sessions?
Some people prefer to meet in person. Others prefer the convenience of being able to meet virtually. Whether you prefer to meet in person or meet virtually is a personal preference. It really just depends on what works for you.
In that same way, therapists also have preferences on how they offer therapy services and can choose to offer either in person, virtual, or hybrid. It is important to ask your potential therapist what they offer and ask why they offer it. Sometimes clients are nervous about going exclusively virtual or about being in person, and it can help to ask the therapist what their experience working with these different types of sessions has been like.
How do you know when therapy is “working”?
Many people are nervous to start therapy because they worry that once they start, they are going to have to go forever. While some people benefit from consistent therapy as a form of self-care, many people benefit from shorter term care. Different therapy modalities are structured for different average lengths of time and therapists have different approaches to the work. You want to find out how a particular therapist assesses outcomes and how they will inform you of progress that they are seeing. For example, going back to that I mentioned about clients being the experts in their own lives, I always like to turn the question back to my clients and ask them, “How will you know that therapy is working for you? and “What is your goal for menopause therapy?” This helps us both identify what the client’s priorities are and how we can both look out for concrete ways to notice progress.
What to Listen for in Their Answers
Try to listen to not only what is being answered, but how the answers make you feel. You are looking for a therapist who you can build an open, honest, trusting relationship with. You want someone who makes their answers feel supportive, clear, and non-judgmental. You want to feel like the therapist is making the effort to meet you where you are at. And, importantly, trust your gut. If something feels off, trust that feeling. You don’t want to have to force a relationship that is not a good fit.
You Are Fully Equipped to Get the Answers You Need
You have already taken an amazing step by reaching out to seek out the support that you need and deserve. Remember to write down any additional questions you have and bring them to the consultation, so that you feel fully prepared. By taking the extra step to ask the right questions before you fully get started, you are setting yourself up for a successful therapeutic relationship with your future therapist.
Author Bio
Sarah Schufreider, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Chicago, IL and the founder of Six Hearts Counseling PLLC. She focuses on mid-life transitions including menopause, parenting special needs and medically complex children, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), grief, and postpartum depression. Sarah’s goal is to help her clients feel like they can take control of their life again through identifying their values, learning concrete skills to manage and regulate their emotions, and work to challenge mental obstacles that are creating stuck points to change. Learn more about her work at www.sixheartscounseling.com