Compatible Counseling Solutions

I am so thankful I found Compatible Counseling Solutions! I had considered counseling before but did not have the energy to sift through the thousands of options available, nor did I feel like the had the skills to assess if a counselor was really good at his/​her job. Sally is a great listener and passionate about helping her clients find a «best fit» therapist. After our hour-​long initial consultation, she was able to recommend a therapist in my insurance network that provided the type and style of counseling that I would benefit from. It was really a great match! I would give her five stars if she could have found someone in my neighborhood but it really was worth the drive to meet with the person she connected me with!

My sales pitch for this business, which I think is a very novel idea worth investing in: Thinking about getting or changing a therapist, but don’t have time or emotional patience to go through the wringer with a bunch of «Maybes»? This is a great solution to speed up the matchmaking process, painlessly.
I was referred to Sally Frau from my massage therapist, who is a lovely holistic-​y person that I trust with my body and spirit. That being said, I’m a total pragmatist and not really all that woo-​woo and fuzzywuzzy when it comes to decisions like mental health professionals. I mentioned to him that I was thinking of finding someone to help me deal with job and relationship stress, and wanted to find a local therapist, but that I had a bad first experience with someone in Chicago I found through an online referral. (I had told the person that I was «shopping for a therapist» and she got really offended and annoyed. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong, but hey — it’s my brain, my money, my life, so I want to make the right decision and I feel the need to understand more before committing to a therapist.)
The problem is, I’m super busy and at the rate I was going it would take me three years to find someone. Anyhoo, I was referred to Compatible Solutions as being precisely what I was seeking — a «personal shopper for therapists» as it were. That sounds cheesy but it’s really a professional experience. Sally does a thorough confidential intake over two sessions, and being a former therapist herself she has a lot of experience and opinions on things like communication style, tactics/​therapies, etc. I found it very educational, since I’m not exactly a lifer in terms of therapy experience. Her manner was very direct, calm, sensitive but to the point. The service is turnkey– she will find you one or more people she thinks is a match for your needs and preferred style/​personality, and she’ll write up a preliminary prep for the therapists you choose to interview. She also verifies they take your insurance, etc. I don’t know how many people she has in her personal database, but it seemed like I had plenty of options to find someone close to my home who also matched my style. She does personal interviews with all the people in her list to understand their approaches and backgrounds.
I’d never heard of this kind of service, but I’m a believer. I like the therapist she recommended, a very different person than I would have picked for myself based solely on a scan of her background, but on meeting her and talking about style I think we have a winner. And if it doesn’t work out Sally said I can come back for additional options. All in all, money and time well spent.