How to Choose a Therapist at Balanced Awakening
If you're exploring our therapists and not sure who to choose, you're not alone. Many people feel unsure about where to start. The good news is that there’s no perfect choice — the most important step is simply beginning.
Where to begin
Before browsing therapists, it can help to reflect on a few questions:
What am I hoping to improve in my life with the help of therapy?
Is it important to me that my therapist has expertise in my specific concerns?
Is there a certain type of therapy I’m interested in (such as CBT, somatic therapy, EMDR, or Imago)?
What times each week could I realistically devote to therapy?
You don’t need to have all the answers before scheduling your first session — these questions are simply a starting point.
1. The Intuitive Approach
One simple way to begin is by browsing our Chicago Therapists directory and seeing who resonates with you.
Sometimes our intuition can tell us a lot when looking at someone’s photo or reading their bio. You might notice that a particular therapist “jumps out” at you or that a few therapists feel like they could be a good fit.
If that happens, trust your instinct and explore their bio to learn more.
Many people find that their initial sense of connection is a good place to start.
2. The Specialty Approach
Another way to narrow your search is by starting with your main concern.
You can explore one of our specialty pages, such as:
These pages highlight therapists on our team who have particular expertise in those areas. You can find more specialties in our specialties drop down menu, too.
From there, you can read therapist bios to get a deeper sense of their style, approach, and specialties, and check their schedule to see what availability might work for you.
3. The Schedule-Matching Approach
Some people have very limited availability for therapy and prefer to start by finding a time that fits their schedule.
If that’s you, you can visit our online scheduler, choose your location and appointment type, and select “no preference – show all times for all providers.”
This allows you to see the available appointment times and book directly into a time that works for you.
One downside of this approach is that you won’t see which therapist you’re booking with until after scheduling. If you’d like help identifying therapists who have your preferred time available, you can fill out our matchmaking form.
If You’d Like Help Choosing
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Our team is happy to help match you with a therapist or psychologist who could be a great fit for your needs.
You have a few options:
Fill out our matchmaking form
Complete a brief questionnaire and we’ll match you with a therapist behind the scenes.
Schedule a matchmaking call
You can talk with Catalina, our Director of Practice Development, about what you’re looking for and receive personalized therapist recommendations.
Contact us
If you have a quick question that would help narrow down your options, feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to help.
A Final Note
Remember, there’s no “perfect” therapist to choose.
Therapy is a relationship that develops over time, and the most important step is simply beginning. If someone resonates with you, that’s often a great place to start.
When you’re ready, you can book below
Use our online scheduler below to book your 1st appointment
FAQ’s about Choosing a Therapist
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We have so many options for you to schedule that it can be overwhelming!
1) You can schedule on your own via our online scheduler.
3) You can schedule a complementary client-therapist matchmaking call or fill out our matchmaking form.
4) You can reach out to us via our contact us page.
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Great question! We get asked a lot about what the differences are in degrees, licenses, and credentials of our therapists. All of our therapists fall under the umbrella of psychotherapists - and psychotherapy is what we do so you’re in good hands with anyone on our team.
Psychologists and Postdoctoral Residents have a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology - either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. For our purposes, there’s not much difference between a Ph.D and a Psy.D. Psychologists get more training in things like psychological testing and research methods than a therapist at a masters degree level.
LCSWs, MSW Fellows, LCPCs, and Clinical Fellows all have a master’s degree in counseling or social work. They spend a little less time in school than psychologists, but often have just as much experience with psychotherapy as psychologists once they’ve been in the field a year or two post graduation. Sometimes they even have more specialized experience in psychotherapy techniques and methods, because they’ve spent less time on psychological testing and research.
At Balanced Awakening all of our therapists have the qualifications (and personalities) to provide excellent therapy. The most important piece in deciding on what therapist to see is often based on goodness of fit which can include things like therapist specialties matching up with what you’re looking for, or a particular style of doing therapy that resonates with you.
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Our therapists are in network with United/Optum, Aetna, and BCBS PPO plans. We can often look up your benefits for you if you have an in network plan!
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Individual Therapy
Initial Intake Sessions (2), 55 minute each - $250
55 minute individual session - $225
*Please note that appointments that are not cancelled or rescheduled with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice (or before 6p Saturday for Monday appointments) will be subject to the full 55 minute session fee (either self pay rate or full contracted insurance rate).