How can I find a good therapist in San Francisco?

October 17, 2016 10:28 AM

How do I find the right therapist in San Francisco?

I'm going through some major transitions in my life (career, relationships, quarter life crisis, and others). Looking for a therapist in San Francisco, any one have any recommendations?

I've been using Yelp and it seems like every single therapist has a 5 star rating which feels weird.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

The best way to do this is to narrow down who you can afford, who is convenient, and then audition a few. You could do this with Yelp or the phone book, or you could search for "san francisco therapy referrals" which gave me this. Personally, I was always either referred by my insurance or specifically looked for sliding-scale therapy, so I was never starting from scratch.

One way to do it: go to any San Francisco Public Health clinic and ask to make an appointment to start looking for a therapist. Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Anthem, and Aetna are likely in-network for many of the public health clinics, and the front desk can check for you. Kaiser has people in house (call the number on your card) who can do an intake and make suggestions. If you don't have insurance, even better: the SF public health clinics can refer you for sliding-scale care and they have insurance navigators who can help you sort out what you might be entitled to. These are the clinics.

From personal experience, the Liberation Institute has a wide variety of MFTIs and MFTs who will help you with a lot of different issues, from couples' issues to depression to writer's block to identity to...whatever. They are sliding scale and meet in ActiveSpace near the 16th/Mission BART.

I haven't used it, but my therapist suggested it as a good option for when I want to refer people: Open Path Collective will charge you $40 for membership and then hook you up with several therapist choices you can audition and then go with for between $35 and $50 per session. They don't look at your insurance and the cost never goes higher than that.

You didn't say what your insurance situation is, but briefly: San Francisco has specific health care laws that you should ask about by calling 311 or speaking to a health navigator or reviewing the Healthy SF/SF City Option website and calling their number. You may be eligible for more benefits than you think, even if you are not an American citizen or unemployed, even if you already have insurance (most employers in SF are required to spend a certain dollar amount on health care per hour worked, and it's worth checking if you are not sure your employer is meeting that threshhold.) And because I didn't figure this out until much too late, it turns out that if you have an SF medical reimbursement account, therapy definitely is reimbursable if you have a doctor's note attesting to "medical necessity" and an invoice from your therapist-- just putting this out there in case that's you.

Anyway, good luck!
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:54 AM on October 17, 2016

I have personal experience with:

Robert Waska (SF and San Rafael) 415-418-7617
I made more progress with him than I did with any other therapist over many years. But when it was time for me to take the teachings, thank the teacher, and leave, it was REALLY time, and I personally will not see him again. With that said, I am really really grateful for what I learned while working with him.

Louise Robinson (SF and Marin) [phone]
She is understanding and calm and supportive, with helpful insight but she is not fierce or deeply penetrating. She was perfect for me during the time that I saw her because support was 90 percent of what I needed.

Robert Foster (SF only, so far as I know) 415-387-5330
He is extremely gentle and thoughtful and comes from a mindfulness perspective, which helps with centering and self acceptance.

Memail me if you have any specific questions about them.

Good luck!
posted by janey47 at 2:05 PM on October 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

Howdy. Can you ask the mods to clarify if you are looking for a particular type of therapy or if there are other snowflakes ( you're LGBTQ, poly, grew up with addicts/mentally ill folks, etc.) to help us guide you to less general recommendations? Or memail me, I will honor your anonymity.
posted by Bella Donna at 5:17 PM on October 17, 2016

Psychology Today Therapist Finder. I'm a therapist in San Francisco myself and that's how most clients find me. I find the Yelp reviews thing to be kind of unethical/weird but that's just my opinion, and I personally steered clear of therapists with their own personal Yelps when I was looking for my own therapist. Bay Area Gestalt Institute is great (if you're interested in Gestalt therapy) and I've heard good things about Well Clinic as well. Marina Counseling Center offers low cost therapy, but the therapists there are interns and not yet licensed (which doesn't necessarily mean they aren't good, but it's more of a gamble in terms of experience.) Feel free to memail me if you'd like a more specific referral, I know lots of therapists here. Good luck!
posted by blackcatcuriouser at 6:33 PM on October 17, 2016

I called my insurance company to get a list of everyone who was in network. I made a list of the ones that were easy for me to get to by public transport. I called to see who had an appointment without a long waiting period. I ruled out a few based on their listed specializations, and ruled out another because I hated the tone of his voice when I spoke with him on his phone. Then I just started with the one closest to me, and tried 1 session each with a few. I really clicked with one, she was covered by my insurance, and right on my busline. Worked out great. I really wouldn't put much stock in Yelp reviews for that kind of profession. You really just have to try a few to find one that will work for you personally.

Alternately, if you have a good relationship with your medical doctor, they may be able to recommend someone with a good reputation.
posted by ethical_caligula at 10:48 PM on October 17, 2016

If cost is an issue, consider the Access Institute.

They're available on a sliding scale, and the therapists are conducting the work to fulfill clinical hours requirements. However, I had extremely good relationships with the therapists there, found the program very well managed by knowledgeable, experienced clinicians, and ended up going to one weekly for 2 years when I was going through a rough patch. They also have psychiatrists on staff in case prescriptions are also needed, but the practice is centered around talk therapy. I believe I paid something like $30 a session for what I felt was high quality talk therapy.

If you're interested in a referral to the specific therapist I worked with and can afford higher rates (100-200 a session), I believe the person is still in San Francisco and would be happy to refer you, just memail me.
posted by Karaage at 2:41 PM on October 18, 2016