So we’re almost at the end of the first month of 2024 which means you have probably already given up on New Year’s Resolutions or are just now getting around to thinking about making some. While I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions and instead, feel passionate about helping people cultivate empowerment and pride in being exactly where they are, I know that many of us feel pressure to be doing something differently during this time of year. One of the common resolutions or changes many people are considering in the beginning of the new year is actually whether to start therapy for the first time or whether to return to therapy from a long therapy hiatus. Does this sound like you? Have you been finding yourself flirting with google searches like “therapist near me” or “therapy in Northeast Los Angeles” recently? It’s okay, no need to be ashamed, we’ve all sought google’s help directing us towards one of the most intimate types of relationships that we can have. You are not alone! And, let’s face it, sometimes google actually does a pretty decent job recommending therapists and other services that might just be a great fit for you.

Despite living in Los Angeles, one of the most saturated markets for psychotherapy, trying to find a therapist who a) is the right fit for you, b) has current openings, and c) will actually call you back, is increasingly more difficult. We hear horror stories all of the time about people never hearing back from therapists they’ve sent inquiries to or feeling very discouraged not knowing where or how to even start looking for a therapist. My colleague, Steve Wilson wrote a very helpful blog about 3 tips to help you start to find the therapist who will be a great fit for you, which gives you questions and ideas to consider when contacting prospective therapists to help you determine if the therapist could be a good match. Or there’s this fabulous blog post by Caitlin Harrison about feeling ready to start therapy and what to expect from initial therapy sessions to help you feel more comfortable starting out. But how do you even get to the point of contacting a therapist who you feel could be a good fit? I hear from clients and friends often about how overwhelming it can feel just trying to locate any decent therapist options. I’ve had similar experiences myself when looking for my own therapist! Since the pandemic made it that online therapy, or telehealth, became an increasingly accepted form of therapy, a new challenge therapy seekers are encountering is actually finding a local therapist who offers in-person psychotherapy services from the comfort of a therapy office setting. My how times have changed!

how to find psychotherapists near me

I’ll be honest with you, with the increasing popularity of online therapy and thus, therapy tech behemoths like TalkSpace, BetterHelp, and TwoChairs taking over the psychotherapy advertising space, it’s been very hard for small therapy practices to stand out and actually get connected to the types of therapy clients who are genuinely looking for tailored, community-centered, in person therapy services. At Kindman & Co. Therapy for Being Human, our focus is on supporting our hyperlocal communities of Highland Park and Northeast Los Angeles because we believe that providing therapy to members in our neighborhood spreads healing through our immediate community, which we all benefit from. We also hear from clients and community members increasingly frequently that therapy seekers are wanting a return to in-person therapy and are passionate about finding psychotherapy services within their local communities! So if in the age of online therapy and big therapy tech companies it’s hard to actually find these small therapy practices, how can you find a local in person therapist who will be a good fit for you? Now these are the tough questions!

looking for an in-person therapist near you? start with word-of-mouth

The first thing I’d recommend to try to find a local therapist who could be a great fit for you would be to ask around. Ask colleagues, friends, family members, your local barista, your dog walker, etc. to see if they can personally recommend anyone they have seen before or any therapists they might know for any reason. Word-of-mouth is often the most valuable recommendation source and will save you a lot of time weeding through hundreds of random therapists on BetterHelp.com If you’re anything like me, you’re much more likely to feel trusting of someone who comes personally recommended rather than a name you found on the fourth page of a google search results for “therapists near 90042” or “relationship therapist near Pasadena.” Am I right? That’s also a lot of search results to try to sort through and a lot of time and energy devoted to doing so on your part. I’m here to tell you to please first consult with your social circles and check out the trusted referrals that your loved ones (and dog walker) recommend for you first. Additionally, these people know you! So if they have some local personal recommendations for therapists that they think could be a good fit for you, that’s worth a lot more than blind internet searches and is more likely to actually become a lasting supportive fit. I want you to get connected to therapeutic support as quickly as possible!

Plus, I’ll let you in on a little secret—therapists are people too and we also like being liked! So if a prospective client reaches out mentioning that they were referred by a friend, a former client, a fellow colleague, etc. I will do my best to squeeze them in (if this is possible.) Again, starting with your people is a great place to start!

therapist near me google map searches

Though I was teasing a bit before about google searches for therapists near me, this isn’t a bad option if you are having trouble getting personal recommendations for therapists from your local networks. I wouldn’t just type therapist in highland park into google though. Instead, I’d recommend searching on Google Maps so that you can see the physical proximity of the local therapist offices to you and this helps ensure that the listings that are shown actually have physical in-person therapy offices. When you search in google’s main search bar, most of the top listings shown to you will be the big tech companies like TalkSpace and many of the initial results will be for practices that only offer online therapy. So searching within google maps helps to focus your efforts on local, in person offerings that you can ensure are easily accessible to you. Plus, you can see the star ratings and reviews associated with the therapy practice’s google my business listing. If you can’t get a personal recommendation, reading other local clients’ experiences and feedback about their experience with a therapy practice is the next best thing!

discover your local los angeles therapy practice by walking by

Another option for locating small, therapy practices that serve your local community is by keeping your eyes peeled when you’re out about town. In Highland Park, Los Angeles, we have a number of local therapy practices situated right in the heart of our business districts on Figueroa Blvd. and York Blvd. (like Kindman & Co.!) Think about the places you like to spend your time—favorite coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores, music venues, etc. and when you are visiting these places try to be more aware of what other businesses are in your immediate surroundings. Often you will notice a few therapy practices that you didn’t even realize were there when you were moving more quickly! For example, our therapy practice in Northeast Los Angeles is located directly across from the Lodge Room music venue, directly next to Mendocino Farms and Jeni’s ice cream, and right around the corner from HomeState Tacos—all places our local Highland Park residents love to hang out! More and more prospective clients share with us that they heard about Kindman & Co. when visiting one of these restaurants or activities and happened to just be walking by, and were very pleased to discover a therapy practice that feels like it’s very much a part of their local community.

A note about walk-ins: some practices will have someone at a reception desk who may be able to talk to you and answer any questions that you have about starting therapy, but many smaller practices aren’t able to accommodate any walk-ins from the street and will require you to contact them through their website.

check community boards for local therapist advertisements

If you’re still not finding many local options for in-person therapy services, you can check out message boards at some of the neighborhood businesses that we mentioned in the last section. Coffee shops, local retail businesses, small mom and pop restaurants, office buildings, etc. tend to have a Community Board or area of their business where other local business owners can promote their offerings. This is a really nice way for local businesses to support each other to value shared success rather than breed an air of competition. In our neighborhood, we have a few coffee shops and restaurants that have community boards or allow local businesses to post flyers in their store windows and this can be another helpful way to locate local therapists that will be in close proximity to you and who also share in the value of community membership. We tend to promote our group and workshop offerings with printed flyers that we take around to local businesses. Community boards and other local businesses can be both an excellent way of discovering therapy practices near you while also learning about some of their other kinds of service offerings in addition to individual and relationship therapy.

kindman & co. is your local northeast l.a. therapy practice

If you’ve been looking for an in-person therapist in Highland Park or any of the surrounding areas of Northeast Los Angeles, Pasadena, or Downtown L.A., our office is centrally located in the heart of Highland Park’s North Figueroa Corridor. We really care about the people of Northeast Los Angeles and want to see our community continue to build collective healing. As mentioned earlier, our team of therapists is passionate about serving our local community members in Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Cypress Park and we’re dedicated to partnering with local community organizations and businesses as well.

We are a quick two block walk from the Metro Gold Line Highland Park station that is easily accessible from Pasadena, Azusa and Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. There are many businesses you can visit before or after your therapy sessions within a few block walk from our office as well. If you’re looking for a local, community-centered therapy practice who really cares about what happens in our neighborhood, contact us today to learn more about the services that we can provide for you.

We’re thrilled to be one of the featured 100 Best Psychotherapy Blogs on Feedspot! Check out their website to see some of the other featured psychotherapy blogs that you can follow.

Kaitlin Kindman, is a co-founder of Kindman & Co., is disabled, an activist, and a feminist. Her purpose is to help her clients come to believe that they are not alone, they belong, AND they inspire—they have the power to bring about change. She works with her clients to feel more connected, so that they take actions that improve their relationships and the world.

Kaitlin is deeply committed to providing socially just and anti-oppressive therapy. She really loves working with couples to improve their relationships and deepen intimacy, with other therapists and healers, as well as entrepreneurs and other business owners. Kaitlin finds true enjoyment in cuddling with animals, a just-right temperature cup of tea, feeling the sun on her face, and dancing in supermarket aisles.

GET HELP NOW

If you are interested in therapy with Kindman & Co. and would like to learn more about the services we have to help you, follow these quick & easy steps:

1. Schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation with our Care Coordinator.

2. Get matched with the therapist who’s right for you.

Start feeling more supported and fulfilled in your life and relationships!

THERAPY SERVICES AT KINDMAN & CO.

We are here for your diverse counseling needs. Our team of therapists provides lgbtqia+ affirmative therapy, couples therapy & premarital counseling, grief & loss counseling, group therapy, and more. We have specialists in trauma, women's issues, depression & anxiety, substance use, mindfulness & embodiment, and support for creatives. For therapists and practice owners, we also provide consultation and supervision services! We look forward to welcoming you for therapy in Highland Park and online.