Shrink Searching

Day Two

Have you ever searched for a therapist? Where do you begin? How do you decide whether or not a name in an insurance directory or on a website could be the right person to let inside your head? I'm not looking for someone to check out my tonsils or my skin condition, this is my head we're talking about. It's the only place in the world that truly belongs to me and me alone, and I have to decide who gets to join in the fun (for a healthy fee, I might add, going crazy is expensive stuff).

I began with a friend who has been through this kind of thing. He gave a great recommendation, however his guy is no longer in my insurance network. Then I moved on to a friend who works for the Mental Health Board of a nearby county. He recommended the Mental Health Board of my county. They recommended a list of agencies and gave me phone numbers. I don't know if any of these are in the network or not, so there is research to be done. And, if there is research afoot, I might as well become an expert on shrink searching (this is one of my symptoms - needing to become an expert on everything that effects me or people I care about).

I decided to nip this insurance thing in the bud and peruse the old network directory myself. Once I had a list of likely suspects, I googled, read, defined, and googled some more. I can honestly say that, in the last several days, I have exhausted my resources and I am squarely back where I started.

I have a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers with no clue how to proceed. Couple this lack of direction with a basic distrust of everything and everyone (another of my fabulous symptoms) and you get my latest source of anxiety. I guess I'll have to just date around, slapping down co-pays and sitting through office consultations until I find my shrink charming. Wish me luck, I'll keep you informed as I go.