So... How Do You Find A Good Therapist For DID Then..? We've Heard So Many Horror Stories About Bad Therapists,

So... How do you find a good therapist for DID then..? We've heard so many horror stories about bad therapists, and we've already had other trauma reg. therapy, so its a bit difficult... Any advice would be great tbh.

Hi anon,

The thing is this really depends on where you live. I think I can give some more general advice though and then you can decide which may work for you!

(Okay, again my answer got REALLY long, sorry about that!)

Remember that, while it would be cool if you could find a DID/OSDD specialist, it can absolutely work if you find someone that has general knowledge about trauma/ptsd or cptsd but not specifically about DID/OSDD. 

Personally I think the most important part is that you feel safe with a therapist, that you feel a ‘click’ of connection, that they are willing to learn/adapt, and that they are honest/open (and humor is 100% important for me).

Now, some things you can do:

Check if there’s a ‘therapist finder’ thing. I think the ISSTD one is most succesful for the US. Maybe there is an association that many therapists are a member of (e.g. in my country there’s an association of private therapists and that website has a therapist finder tool). There’s probably not an option to look for DID therapists specifically, so I always look for therapists that work with trauma/EMDR. For the ISSTD thing, if there’s no one in your area - email the one that’s closest to you and ask them if they know therapists closer to you.

Go to your GP, describe your issues (as detailed or not as you feel comfortable with) and ask if they can help you find a therapist. Some GP places have a social worker that could possibly help you find a therapist.

If there’s a community clinic or community mental health center, ask there as well. You can usually either easily make an appt or just walk in there. Ask them if they can help you find a therapist - maybe they even have therapists working there that can help you.

If you have a friend with a nice therapist in your area, ask them to ask their therapist for names of colleagues.

If there’s no therapist finder, just google. “Trauma therapist city/state/…”, “EMDR therapist city/state/…” etc. Check out all websites you come across. Bookmark the ones that seem decent/okay.

These things can probably help you get a list of names to look into. Next, you will research those names. You will go through their websites, you will look at their photo and decide if it’s a face you like or not. Everyone that seems remotely, potentially, possibly okay - you email them (most have an email address on their website - if not there’s probably a contact form on the website). I never specifically mention a diagnosis in my emails because it can be tricky. I generally kept to “trauma/dissociation issues” or “dissociative disorders”. 

A generic email is okay, example: “Hi, I’m Name. I’m emailing you because I’m looking for a therapist and came across your website. I’m looking for a therapist that preferably has experience in working with dissociation and trauma related issues, or one that is open to learning about these topics. Your website states that you work with trauma / that you practice EMDR, which is why I am contacting you. If you yourself don’t work with dissociative disorders, I was wondering if you could maybe direct me to some colleagues that may be able to help me out. I look forward to hearing back from you, thank you in advance”.

You can include other stuff, of course. I usually included something about whether they would be willing to call me (and included my phone number) if they had any questions etc. - but you could also ask about which insurances they take, for example. It’s okay to email multiple people. I went a bit overboard (maybe) and emailed about 30 - I made a table in word to keep track of who responded when and whether it was positive or not.

Once a therapist replies positively, ask if it’s possible to schedule a meeting. Where I live, some therapists even offer this initial meeting free of charge. Say you just want to check if there’s a click and how it feels, that you’d like to ask some questions and they probably have some questions too. That you’d like to be sure about your choice for a therapist before making the commitment. 

If a therapist seems nice and knowledgeable but for whichever reason can’t help you (long waiting list, not the right insurance, whatever) - always ask them if they can refer you to colleagues. I don’t know about the cost of therapy in other countries, but I think some therapists offer lower fees for people that for whichever reason cannot afford the full price. You can consider asking about this.

And remember… you don’t have to have a DID/OSDD specialist. They’re rare. If you have a therapist that’s enthusiastic about working with you and willing to (for example) get supervision or follow a(n online) training, that’s super good already.

If you’re starting with a new therapist, always try to disclose (if you can) about negative experiences you’ve had. Explain why it may take some time for you to feel safe enough to talk. Explain what you’re anxious about or afraid of. A good therapist will understand, will listen, and will be patient.

It can be an AWFUL struggle to find a therapist and it’s okay to pause the search if you just need some time, but in the end it will be worth it.

If anyone has anything to add to this - feel free to reblog this post or comment or anything! More advice is always welcome in this area, especially because it differs so much between countries.

Take care anon, I really hope you’ll find a therapist!Sae