Five questions to ask any therapist (including me)

Consumer advice for therapy shoppers: the five questions that separate a good fit from a good vibe, and the answers that should give you pause.

You'd read reviews before buying a $140 pair of shoes. Therapy costs that per hour — so interview us. Any therapist worth seeing will enjoy these questions. Here are the five I'd ask, with what to listen for.

The five

One: 'Have you worked with my kind of problem before?' Listen for specifics, not vibes. Two: 'What would we actually do in sessions?' There should be an answer beyond 'talk.' Three: 'How will we know it's working?' Some kind of goal-setting or check-in should exist. Four: 'What happens if I feel like it's not helping?' The right answer welcomes that conversation. Five: 'How do endings work?' Good therapy is designed to finish.

Red flags, briefly

Guaranteed outcomes. Offense at being questioned. Vagueness about fees. A plan to see you 'indefinitely' with no goals. And the subtle one — sessions that feel nice and go nowhere, month after month, with no curiosity from the therapist about why.

Ask me these on the free fit-check call. Seriously. The fifteen minutes exists so you can shop properly.

About the author

Sam Delgado, LPC

M.Ed., LPC

Sam is a licensed professional counselor in Austin with fifteen years of practice and a deep commitment to keeping therapy plain. Every guide here is field-tested advice from real sessions, minus the jargon.