Finding a Therapist That Fits Your Needs

This Months’ blog post was written by Rosie Easter, LCSW at Grimes Effective Therapy.

“I’m overwhelmed thinking about how to find a therapist. There are so many terms and acronyms! Where do I start?”

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Many people feel this way when they start looking for a therapist. The healthcare system can be hard to figure out. Things like scheduling, cost, transportation can make it harder. Another challenge is knowing what kind of therapist to look for. In this post, we’ll explain some of the most common types of therapy. Learning about these can help you decide what might work best for you.

What is a therapeutic modality?

A type of therapy, also called a “modality”, is the way a therapist helps you work through challenges. Each type of therapy uses tools to help with your goals. These tools come from research on improving mental health, meaning they are evidence-based. Most types of therapy are talk therapies. Discussion with your therapist is the main way you learn and improve your mental health. There are also therapies that focus on creativity, body sensations, or movement. These are less common, but include things like art therapy, animal assisted therapy, and Guided Imagery and Music. Therapists choose modalities based on your needs, your experiences, and your goals (NAMI, n.d.).

Keep reading for info on some of the most commonly used evidence-based therapies!

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common type of talk therapy. It helps you understand how your thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected. In CBT, you learn to notice your thought patterns and beliefs about yourself. You also learn how thoughts affect your feelings and actions. You will practice changing unhelpful thoughts and building healthier habits (Mayo Clinic, 2025).

CBT can help with:

Depression and Anxiety
Phobias
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Personality disorders
Eating disorders

Substance Use Disorders (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).

2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is another type of talk therapy. It is based on CBT and expands on how to replace harmful behaviors with skills in four areas:

1. Mindfulness- being present in the moment.
2. Emotion regulation- making positive emotions more frequent and building the ability to recover from painful emotions.
3. Distress tolerance- managing stressful and crisis situations.
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness- balancing needs and expectations in all types of relationships.

Radical Acceptance is a key part of DBT. This skill is your ability to acknowledge the current situation and your part in it, even when the situation is unfair or you wish you could change it. DBT is often offered as group therapy, as well as individual. It is proven to be especially helpful for issues including:

Suicidal urges or behaviors
Self-harming urges or behaviors
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Depression and Anxiety
Anger issues (Behavioral Tech Institute, 2023).

3. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is another type of talk therapy. Like DBT, it focuses on thoughts and acceptance of the present. However, it focuses on aligning actions with core values. ACT acknowledges that upsetting thoughts and emotions are understandable reactions to certain situations. It shifts focus to coping that matches what matters to you most (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). ACT has been proven to help people experiencing:

Addiction
Eating disorders
Depression and Anxiety
Social anxiety disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
General stress (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

4. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a talk therapy that sees everyone as being made of multiple “parts” of the self. Many “parts” are protective in nature, and may have been wounded by experiences that hurt you. You and your therapist will spend time identifying these “parts”, often by comparing them to families or personalities (ex. The people pleaser, the thrill seeker, etc.).

IFS also believes that each person contains an unhurt Authentic Self. You can expect the therapist to approach the “system” of parts within you with compassion. They will help you access the piece of you that was never hurt and knows how to heal through self understanding. Through IFS therapy, people may gain self-compassion and improve in conditions including:

Depression
Anxiety
Panic
Phobias
Trauma
Substance use
Physical health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
General functioning and well-being (Psychology Today, n.d.)

5. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is different from traditional talk therapies. It allows the brain to access its natural healing instincts by processing traumatic memories. This type of healing can help improve memories and feelings that linger after traumatic events. EMDR’s primary method uses “bilateral stimulation”. This is rhythmic alternating activation of the left and right brain while discussing memories. This stimulation might come from your therapist:

guiding your eyes back and forth with their hand
flashing lights
tapping on both hands
playing sounds on either side of your head
or having you hold small vibrators or tappers in each hand

EMDR has positive outcomes for people experiencing:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma or stress related issues
Anxiety and Depression
Panic attacks and phobias
Dissociative disorders
Eating disorders
Personality disorders
Grief and loss
Chronic Illness and medical issues
Addiction including Substance Abuse (EMDR International Association, n.d.).

6. Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand when he was doing work with EMDR. Like EMDR, Brainspotting uses eye position to help process difficult emotions or trauma. While paying attention to body sensations, your therapist will help you find an eye position that makes the emotion less intense. Brainspotting requires less discussion of traumatic memories than EMDR. This may be easier for some people who struggle to talk through memories or get easily overwhelmed. Brainspotting has proven helpful for people with:

PTSD or other impacts of trauma and stress
Anxiety & Depression
Chronic pain and Sleep issues (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

Conclusion

The search for a good fit in a therapist can be daunting. There are many search tools like Charlotte Trans Health’s Provider Directory, TGNC Therapists of NC, and Psychology Today. Providers will list their specialties and areas of focus. It is very common for therapists to incorporate more than one modality, even with the same client. Many modalities address overlapping needs and work well together. Your relationship and comfort with a therapist is a core component of successful therapy. A therapeutic modality that is a good fit for your needs is not the only thing that matters.

A therapist will give their recommendations on what modalities may be helpful for your specific needs. But, your insight on your own experience is important! Therapy should be a partnership with your therapist from the beginning. This includes shared decision making around goals and treatment planning (Mayo Clinic, 2025). A good therapist will consider your preferences when you make a collaborative plan for therapy. If any modalities stand out after reading this, don’t be afraid to look for someone who offers them and advocate for yourself!

References

Behavioral Tech Institute. (2023, December 12). Core Evidence & Research. Behavioral Tech Institute. https://behavioraltech.org/evidence/

Cleveland Clinic. (2024, June 20). Feeling Stuck? Brainspotting May Help. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/brainspotting-therapy-and-how-it-works

Cleveland Clinic. (2022, August 4). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21208-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cbt

Cleveland Clinic. (2024, September 30). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy-act-therapy

EMDR International Association. (n.d.). About EMDR Therapy. EMDR International Association. Retrieved April 7, 2026, from https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/

IFS Institute. (n.d.). What is Internal Family Systems? Retrieved April 7, 2026, from https://ifs-institute.com/

Mayo Clinic. (2025, February). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610

NAMI. (n.d.). Psychotherapy. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved April 7, 2026, from https://www.nami.org/treatments-and-approaches/psychotherapy/

Psychology Today. (n.d.). Psychotherapy. Internal Family Systems Therapy. Retrieved April 9, 2026, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/internal-family-systems-therapy