best ways to pick

Possibly the best way to pick a therapist (or any kind of doctor) is to ask friends and colleagues that you trust for recommendations. Once you get a name or two of therapists who are considered very good, you then go to your insurance company and see if the therapist is on their list. If not, call the therapist and the insurance company and ask if they could work out a deal so you can see the particular therapist and be covered by your particular insurance. Most insurance companies that are worth a hoot will be willing to help you get to the health-care provider of your choice. It's simply good business. If your insurance company isn't willing to try, ask them why. Most therapists will be happy to work with a particular insurance company to take care of the needs of someone who wants to see them in particular. The therapist may find the insurance company's procedures to be too painful to be worth getting regular referrals from it, but most therapists like to work with people being referred by friends and colleagues and most will bend over backwards to get you in. It's simply good business for the therapist, too. It's easier for the therapist to be successful and it's poor community advertising and politics to refuse to work out an arrangement so someone can be seen.

And if all else fails in trying to get an arrangement going so you can see a particular provider and be covered by your insurance, contact the provider and see if there is a payment plan that can be arranged. Strongly consider the relative potential value of seeing someone that you hear is really good -- but having to pay $25- $100 or so monthly over many months -- as compared to seeing someone that nobody recommends except your insurance company.