Published April 3, 2024 by Zencare Team
If you’ve been struggling with your mental health recently, you might be asking yourself, do I need therapy? Zencare has created a quiz to help you sort out how you’ve been feeling, and if you could benefit from therapy.
With the right provider, anyone can benefit from therapy. There are many reasons why someone could be drawn to or begin therapy. Some people do so because they meet the criteria for a specific mental health condition like anxiety or trauma. Some people start therapy because they have the goal to improve their well-being — this can include learning to build healthy habits or improve communication skills. And many people also just enjoy having another person to lean on in their support system.
If any of these reasons strike a chord with you, then you could benefit from therapy!
A few things to note about therapy and a journey to improving your well-being and mental health:
- Wanting or needing to see a therapist does not mean that anything is wrong with you.
- There is nothing wrong with seeing a therapist.
- If you feel that you need help, there is nothing wrong with that. It’s very brave and self-reflective to acknowledge that there’s something you want to work on, and that therapy could be part of the solution.
- Like many things in life, therapy exists on a spectrum to match and cater to your needs and goals. If you and your therapist decide you need to have sessions twice a week, that doesn’t mean you are “worse” or “more broken” than someone who has sessions twice a month. Be kind to yourself and what your needs are!
Your mental health and well-being are important and deserve care and the energy you spend on growth and improvement. If therapy is the path you choose to achieve that, we support you! Take our quiz below to see if we can help answer the question “do I need therapy?” and help you with your next steps, whatever they may be.
Do I Need Therapy Quiz
We developed this quiz alongside a licensed therapist, however this is not indicative of any clinical diagnosis. This is a screening tool that will help you recognize and understand if therapy might be beneficial for you.
Do I see a therapist? What’s next?
If your results indicate that you could benefit from therapy, and you feel good about that — here are some next steps you can take and some additional resources that you might find helpful!
- Do some self-reflection. What do you want to work on in therapy? Do you have a particular issue like anxiety or depression you want to work on? If not, maybe think of some goals for yourself like habits you want to change or something you want to work towards. Check out our blog post How to Set Therapy Goals to learn more!
- Decide what’s important for you to have in a therapist. The client-therapist fit is one of the most important parts of therapy. If you don’t like your therapist, it’s going to get in the way of your goals. So, what’s important to you? Someone who shares your identity? Someone who takes your insurance? Someone who has a particular specialty? Make a short list of your criteria. Check out our blog post How to Find the Right Therapist for You to learn more!
- Begin your search. Zencare makes it easy to find a therapist who matches your criteria and is licensed in the state you live in. Use our filters to narrow down your search by the criteria you came up with earlier. You can even “favorite” providers with a heart to save them for later if you want to come back to them. DIRECT LINK TO SEARCH HERE. Check out our resource How to Find a Therapist to learn more!
- Reach out to a therapist. All therapists on Zencare offer free 15-minute consultations. You can set these consultations up with any therapists you’re interested in learning more about. Check out our blog post What To Expect on Your Initial Phone Consult With a Therapist to learn more!
- Schedule your first appointment. Once you’ve completed your consultations, and you’ve decided which therapist is your best fit — schedule your first appointment! This first appointment will be an intake appointment, you can ask your therapist what to expect in this appointment. Congratulations on starting therapy! Check out our blog post You've had your first therapy appointment. Now what? to learn more!
Additional Resources on Starting Therapy
Is therapy going to help me feel better?
- Starting Therapy 101: What do you hope to get out of therapy?
- What to Expect at Your First Therapy Session
- Making Progress in Therapy: How Long Does It Take To See Results?
- How to Set Therapy Goals
- Is Therapy Worth It? 5 Reasons To Invest In Therapy
What type of therapy do I need?
- 10 Surprising Things Therapists Can Help You With
- How to Find the Right Therapist for You
- What's The Difference Between A Psychiatrist, Therapist, And Coach?
- What to Know about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
- CBT vs. Psychodynamic Therapy: What's the Difference?
- Online Therapy: What It Is & How to Find Online Counseling
- How To Find a Black Therapist: Resources and Advice
How do I afford therapy?
- Starting Therapy 101: What are your options for investing in therapy?
- What is a Sliding Scale? Therapy Payment Options Explained
- 6 Ways to Afford Therapy Without Insurance, or When You Can't Find In-Network Therapists
- How Health Insurance For Therapy Works: A Comprehensive Guide
- Step-by-Step Guide to Out-of-Network Benefits
What is a free therapy consultation like?
- What To Expect on Your Initial Phone Consult With a Therapist
- You've had your first therapy appointment. Now what?
Crisis Resources
- National Sexual Assault Hotline — (800) 656-4673
- National Domestic Violence Hotline — (800) 799-7233
- National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988 — Chat online
- National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (options for deaf and hard of hearing) — For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988 — Chat online
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline — (800) 422-4453
- Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741