The famous Raygun t-shirt for Des Moines says “Des Moines, Hell Yes!” But my clients tell me that when it comes to finding a therapist here it’s more like “Des Moines, HELP Yes!” The difficulty of finding a therapist in Des Moines is similar to the difficulty of finding someone in any small to midsize city. We have so many people seeking services and not enough therapists to go around. On top of that, we REALLY don’t have enough specialists to go around and it’s hard for clients to find someone who has specific expertise in what they’re struggling with.
If you’re trying to find a mental health professional in Des Moines, here are a few tips that I hope will help:
- Try searching using the Psychology Today therapist directory. This site has great filters to search by such as specialty area and type of insurance accepted.
- When you call a therapist and find out they aren’t accepting new patients, ask them if they have any suggestions for other therapists in the community that you should try.
- If you have a flexible schedule, ask the therapist you want to see if they have a waiting list that you could be on.
- Consider broadening your search by trying online therapy. As long as the therapist you want to see is licensed in Iowa, your insurance should cover your sessions the same as in person therapy.
- Ask your friends. There is still no better way to find a good therapist than by word of mouth. This also helps increase the chances of a good fit since your friends are only going to refer you to a therapist they think you’ll click with.
- Ask other professionals you know. Your doctor, massage therapist, yoga teacher, hairdresser, etc. They likely know of someone in the community they could refer you to.
I hope these tips help you find the right therapist in Des Moines! It can be hard to find the right person to help you but the search is worth the effort when you find a great fit.
