How to choose the right therapist: A Simple, Evidence-Informed Guide

A simple, research‑informed guide for anyone starting therapy; especially if you come from a background where mental health wasn’t talked about openly.

Why this choice can feel overwhelming

Starting therapy can feel like a big decision. You’re about to share things you may have carried inside for years, stress, anxiety, relationship patterns, family dynamics, grief, questions about who you are and where you belong.

For many people, especially if you didn’t grow up talking openly about mental health, this feels even bigger. Maybe no one around you goes to therapy. Maybe you worry what your family or friends would say. If you also come from the Global South, have migrant roots, or are part of a racialised community, there can be extra layers such as community expectations, racism, identity etc. 

Decades of research suggest that one of the most important ingredients in therapy is not a specific technique, but the therapeutic alliance: the quality of the relationship and collaboration between you and your therapist.  When people feel understood, respected and emotionally safe with their therapist, they are more likely to stay in therapy and see meaningful improvement.

This guide walks through:

• getting clear on what you need

• what to look for in a therapist’s background and experience

• why cultural understanding can matter

• practical questions you can ask before you commit to more than a first session

Start with what you need right now

Before you look at any therapist profiles, pause and check in with yourself. Clinical guidelines for choosing a therapist recommend starting with your main concerns and goals, because this helps you narrow down to people whose training matches what you’re facing.

You might ask:

• What has been weighing on me most lately? (For example: constant worry, panic, low mood, burnout, relationship conflicts, feeling “stuck”, identity questions, grief.)

• If therapy helped, what would I hope feels different in 3 - 6 months?

• Do I think I’d benefit more from someone who is structured and practical (tools, exercises, homework), or someone who is more reflective and conversational (space to talk, make connections, be witnessed)?

Even a rough sense of “I’m mainly struggling with anxiety and family expectations” is enough to start looking for therapists who name those areas in their profiles.

When you scan profiles, look first for:

• Areas of focus that match your concerns (e.g. anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships, identity, ADHD).

• Populations they mention (e.g. adults, students, parents, people of colour, immigrants).

• References to evidence‑based approaches, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), EMDR, or other modalities with research support for your difficulties.

If you’d like a simple overview of common therapy approaches and what they’re usually used for, you can read our guide, and then come back here to continue choosing the person who feels like the best fit for you.

Why cultural understanding can matter

A therapist does not have to share your exact background for therapy to help. Many people benefit from working with therapists whose identities are very different, as long as those therapists are respectful, curious and willing to learn.

At the same time, studies with migrants, refugees and marginalised communities suggest that when mental health support is culturally adapted, taking into account language, migration experiences, family structures and community norms, people often feel more understood, report reduced stigma, and are more willing to access care. Reviews also suggest that culturally adapted interventions can improve engagement and outcomes for some groups.

In everyday terms, cultural fit can include:

• Language: being able to speak in the language your emotions come up in, or switching between languages without feeling you have to apologise.

• Family and community understanding: a therapist who gets that extended family, religious communities or local networks may be deeply involved in your life, and that “just cut them off” is not always realistic or culturally safe advice.

• Awareness of racism, colourism and systemic stressors: someone who does not minimise your experiences of discrimination and understands that these can affect mental health.

• Familiarity with “in‑between” identities: understanding what it can mean to grow up between cultures, to feel not fully at home in either your parents’ country or the country you live in now, or to move frequently.

You might notice this in how a therapist describes their work:

• They mention working with immigrants, refugees, people of colour, or specific communities similar to yours.

• They list issues such as acculturation stress, intergenerational conflict, racial trauma, or faith and spirituality.

• Their profile language feels like it could be talking about your kind of life, even if they don’t share your exact story.

Cultural fit does not mean you will never be challenged. Therapy often involves looking at patterns from new angles. But you shouldn’t have to spend most of your time explaining or defending your reality before you can get to the heart of what you’re struggling with.

Credentials, practical basics, and what Thera offers

Once you’ve shortlisted a few therapists whose focus and cultural understanding resonate, it helps to check some practical details. Clinical guides suggest considering these early, because they can make the difference between starting and actually continuing therapy.

Credentials and registration 

Look for professionals who are licensed or registered with recognised bodies in their region. Examples include:

• UK & Ireland: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), British Psychological Society (BPS), British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP).

• Europe: National psychology or psychotherapy councils (for example, Ordre des Psychologues or local psychotherapy chambers).

• North America: State or provincial licensing boards for psychologists, counsellors, clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists.

• MENA and Latin America: National health authorities and psychological associations where they exist; many therapists are also registered in the country where they trained.

If you’re unsure, you can ask: “Which professional body are you registered with?” and, if needed, look it up on their profile and make sure they have a registration or license number available. 

Modality, format and conditions for sessions

• Check whether they offer online sessions, in‑person, or both, and whether you’re comfortable with video and audio. 

• Research on the therapeutic alliance suggests that feeling present, emotionally engaged and able to concentrate during sessions is part of what makes therapy effective.

• Practically, it helps to join sessions from a private, reasonably quiet space, on a stable connection, at a time when you can give your full attention. If you repeatedly join from situations where you can’t speak freely or are constantly interrupted, even a skilled therapist will have limited room to help.

Most therapists and platforms treat the booked time as a professional appointment. If it turns out you truly can’t engage in the session (for example, you are driving, at work, or unable to speak safely), they may suggest that you come back when you’re ready. In many services, that appointment will still count as a completed session, and you would need to rebook and pay again, because that time was reserved for you.

Fees, frequency and payment options

On Thera, most therapists currently charge in ranges such as 50–60 USD, 60–100 USD, and 100+ USD per session, depending on their training, years of experience, country of residence, and whether they offer highly specialised services.

Higher fees often reflect additional qualifications, longer clinical experience, or living in higher‑cost regions; lower fees may reflect earlier‑career therapists or those practising in lower‑cost regions. Research on psychotherapy outcomes suggest that more expensive therapy is not automatically “better”, but that clear agreements about frequency and expectations matter.

Some platforms, including Thera, allow you to pay in instalments for therapy packages, which can make regular sessions more manageable while still honouring the therapist’s work.

Research and clinical practice often support having more regular sessions at the beginning (for example weekly), then adjusting frequency as you stabilise and your needs change.

If you’re already anxious about logistics or money, therapy may feel harder to sustain. Getting these basics roughly aligned with your life makes it easier to focus on the work itself. 

Questions you can ask before you commit

It’s completely acceptable, and often helpful, to ask a few questions before deciding to continue with a therapist. Professional bodies suggest asking about approach, experience and what to expect.

You might ask, in an email or during an initial call:

• “Have you worked with clients facing your main concern (e.g. anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, identity questions)?"

• “How would you describe your approach in sessions?”

• “What does a first session with you usually look like?”

• “How do you and your clients usually decide what to focus on together?”

• “How do you take a person’s cultural background, family situation and values into account in your work?”

• “How do you usually check in about whether therapy is helping and make adjustments if needed?”

If you have specific needs, you can add:

• “I come from X background and family/community is very important to me. Have you worked with people with similar backgrounds before?”

• “I’ve had experiences of racism/colourism/discrimination. Is that something you’re comfortable exploring in therapy?”

The discovery call is about listening for whether their responses help you feel a bit more at ease and understood. 

After the first sessions: what to notice

After you’ve met a therapist once or a few times, the most useful information is how the interaction feels and whether there seems to be potential for a working relationship. This aligns with research on the therapeutic alliance as a key predictor of outcome across many types of therapy.

You might ask yourself:

• Did I feel listened to and taken seriously?

• Did I feel I could be honest, even about things I find shameful or messy?

• Did the therapist seem curious about my context (family, culture, work, migration story) rather than making quick assumptions?

• Did we have at least a small sense of shared understanding about what I’m hoping to work on?

Research and clinical experience both suggest that therapy progress is rarely linear. People often report ups and downs over the course of treatment rather than steady improvement each week. Some sessions feel relieving or clarifying; others may feel uncomfortable or bring up difficult emotions temporarily as you touch on painful material.  Feeling discomfort in a session does not automatically mean therapy “isn’t working”; what matters is whether, over time, you can talk about this with your therapist, adjust the pace if needed, and keep a sense of shared direction.

Possible red flags include:

• Feeling judged or dismissed.

• Having your experiences of discrimination minimised.

• Feeling pushed toward big decisions very quickly, without your constraints being understood.

It’s normal for therapy to feel a little awkward at first. Over the first few meetings, though, you ideally start to feel a growing sense of safety and collaboration.

A grounded next step

The aim is not to find a perfect therapist, but someone who has appropriate training, works in an evidence‑informed way, and offers you a relationship where you can explore your life with increasing honesty and support.

If you’re ready to explore therapy:

• Shortlist 2–3 therapists whose profiles feel like they “get” what you’re going through.

• Consider booking a first session or a brief introductory call with one of them. It’s okay to change therapists later if the fit isn’t right.

If you’d like to work with someone who understands life between cultures, Thera connects people from many different backgrounds with licensed therapists across 15+ languages.

Browse therapists who focus on identity, migration and family dynamics, or tell us your story in a few lines and we’ll suggest 1 or 2 therapists and help you book a free discovery call.

This article is for general information and education only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are in crisis or concerned about your immediate safety, please contact local emergency services or a crisis helpline in your area.

References

Cook, S. C., Schwartz, A. C., & Kaslow, N. J. (2017). Evidence-Based Psychotherapy: Advantages and Challenges. Neurotherapeutics.

Del Re, A. C., Flückiger, C., Horvath, A. O., Symonds, D., et al. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis.

Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2020). Assessing the alliance–outcome association adjusted for patient characteristics and treatment processes: A meta-analytic perspective.

Horvath, A. O., & Symonds, B. D. (2001). Relation of the therapeutic alliance with outcome and other variables: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Keeley, C., et al. (2011). Therapeutic Alliance and Outcome of Psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology.

Thayyilayil, S. A., et al. (2026). Culturally Adapted Mental Health Education Programs for Migrant Populations: A Scoping Review.

Murray, K. E., et al. (2010). Review of Refugee Mental Health Interventions Following Resettlement. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.