I Wanted to Find a Therapist With My Values So I Tried TherapyDen

I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist who strives to be inclusive and to see the good in all people and identities. I wanted to find a therapist who has a similar belief system, so I turned to TherapyDen, an online therapy directory that’s always appealed to me as it sort of flies under the radar in the online therapy world. 

Online therapist directories are lists of therapists that can be organized by location, cost, specialty, additional training, demographic traits, and more. They allow you to search for a therapist in an organized way without having to sign up for an online therapy company. While TherapyDen isn’t as commonly recognized as its larger competitors, such as Psychology Today or Headway, it is making strides in increasing its popularity. But its big perk (at least for me) is that it claims that its curated list of therapists is all-inclusive and accepting.

Using other directories, I have often found it difficult to navigate hundreds of search results to hone in on the specific type of therapist I was looking for. I was hoping TherapyDen’s filters would help cut those results down considerably. I expected its search filters to create an easier way for me to search for specific therapist identities and specialties. However, I was limited by the number of providers available in my area, which was disappointing.

Still, after evaluating TherapyDen for things like inclusivity, availability and qualifications of therapists, and cost, I would be happy to recommend this directory to any therapy seeker—and this feeling was consistent even through our most recent research.

Read on to learn about the rest of my experience with TherapyDen.

Looking for a Therapist

TherapyDen’s mission is “to be as inclusive and representative as possible.” I was eager to put this mission statement to the test when finding my therapist for this review. As a cisgender, heterosexual, white woman, I wasn’t planning on using the directory to find a therapist who represented me. Instead, I hoped to test its overall mission of inclusivity. 

TherapyDen is an easy-to-use database. Its extensive filter options create a streamlined search process. For example, search options for specialties include “Aging Concerns,” “Anxiety,” “Depression,," “Historical/Intergenerational Trauma,” as well as “Self-Esteem.” Not only could I filter my search results based on the therapist’s specialty and cost, but also include whether I wanted a gender-neutral bathroom (for in-person therapy), ADA accessibility, or an LGBTQ-identifying therapist. I could even note specialized therapist experience, such as “racial justice framework” or “neurodiversity affirming.”

The main search filters on the directory include specialty, ZIP code, and insurance plan. Once you enter at least your ZIP code, you can adjust additional filters, such as type of service (i.e., individual, couples, medication management, neuropsychological assessment), ideal price range, and the therapist’s familiarity with faith (i.e., Taoism, Christianity, atheism, Islam). A variety of faith systems were included, which was impressive.

After I entered my ZIP code and chose in-person therapists (it automatically defaults to only online providers), the search results showed five therapists in my area available for in-person sessions. Within my ZIP code, I found multiple types of mental health professionals, such as licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers. When checking another large city within my state, I found a psychologist in the results, too. 

That said, my city of Wichita, Kansas, is home to nearly 400,000 people. Given that, seeing only five therapists listed in my area made the directory appear limited. To put these numbers into perspective, Psychology Today lists 48 therapists just in my specific ZIP code, though I’m not sure how many of these are actively accepting new clients. If I’d been looking for online therapy, TherapyDen had 115 therapist options available in my state.

I wanted a therapist who specifically had training in pregnancy and postpartum mood issues but removed that search criteria once I saw the small number of therapists with those specialties in my area. 

When searching the online therapy directory, TherapyDen lists five profiles at a time, then you can click “see more” to pull up another five providers.

I read through each therapist’s bio to help me decide who best fits my needs. Bios that seemed conversational and approachable appealed to me, such as those that did not name their therapeutic approaches or include clinical jargon.

While the therapists’ bios did not specify whether they were currently accepting new clients, I noticed a few bios that mentioned a waitlist, indicating they were not accepting clients. By process of elimination, I assumed the bios that did not mention a waitlist meant the therapists were accepting new clients—and the therapists who responded to my emails did have availability.

Contact information, such as the therapist’s email, address, and phone number, as well as a contact form, can be found at the bottom of each profile on TherapyDen. A few profiles also link to their website or an online scheduler.

TherapyDen is not involved in the payment or insurance process, but it does allow users to filter their results based on accepted insurance plans, sliding-scale fee options, and ideal price range per session. Each therapist's bio clearly states their rate per session and lists the insurance plans they accept. Most providers listed by TherapyDen in my area accepted a variety of insurance plans, which impressed me. In my experience using other therapist directories, most providers were private pay, meaning they have set fees and do not accept insurance benefits. 

I found a therapist with sliding scale options, meaning their fee can change based on the client’s income or ability to pay. My therapist’s sliding scale fees range from $75 to $150 based on the patient’s household’s annual income. The therapist I ultimately went with agreed on a sliding-scale fee during the first session, and I paid it directly after the session with my debit card. Payment methods and rates per session vary depending on the provider, but there appeared to be a variety of fees and accepted payment methods across the providers listed on TherapyDen, such as cash, credit/debit cards, or HSA cards. 

Contacting a Therapist and Scheduling a Session

Most therapists had orange “Email” buttons displayed on their shortened profile in the search results. The email button took me to each therapist’s contact form rather than the Mail app on my computer and phone. When I clicked the orange “Initial Consultation” buttons on the top of a therapist’s profile, I was redirected to the contact form at the bottom, too.

The contact form required me to enter my name, email address, phone number, and desired service, such as individual therapy, couples therapy, child and adolescent therapy, family therapy, medication management, or group therapy.

Using the number listed at the bottom of their profile, I called my chosen therapist and received a response before the business day ended. They were the first person I contacted, and because of the quick response, I did not call any other providers. However, I did email other therapists to gauge response time. All responded within 48 hours, which surprised me as it was quicker than expected. Additionally, I used the contact form for one therapist and heard from them the next day.

I could schedule my first appointment the week after I first made contact. Several therapists listed on TherapyDen had an online scheduler as an option to make searching for a therapist more streamlined. My therapist did not have an online scheduler, so I scheduled via email. The therapist I chose had some evenings available, but when I was searching for a therapist, there wasn’t a filter to specify therapists who had evening and weekend availability. I think this feature would be helpful for therapy seekers who work 9 to 5 jobs or who have other commitments during this time. 

In addition to in-person therapy, my therapist also offered teletherapy appointments via a secure online video platform, but I opted to meet them in their office. I didn’t experience any technical difficulties while using TherapyDen. The directory provides a quick and simple way to find local therapists with availability and tailor your search results as you see fit.

How My First Therapy Session Worked

My therapist’s office was an eight-minute drive from me in a large office building, which was off-putting at first. Once I arrived at the office I sat in the waiting room listening to a sound machine that sounded like waves, breathing in a eucalyptus essential oil diffuser, and sinking into a comfortable leather couch. They greeted me with a warm smile, introducing themselves and pointing out the free coffee, water bottles, and the restroom before walking me to the therapy room. It was a very safe, welcoming environment.

I had completed the intake paperwork before my appointment so we could immediately start the session. This helped with the therapeutic relationship because we could get to know one another right away instead of going through paperwork first. 

I was so impressed by how engaged and attuned my therapist was from the beginning. Their clinical expertise was apparent in how they asked intake questions and offered observations throughout our session. My intake session was 65 minutes long and subsequent sessions ended around the 50-minute mark. 

Our Most Recent Testing

We revisited TherapyDen in May of 2024 and were once again struck with the inclusivity of the directory’s search features. The fact that it offers 15 filters, including things like “specialized experience” (such as “racial justice framework” and “trans-competent”) and “LGBTQ community,” left us feeling that no matter what we needed and why, we would be able to find a therapist who could provide it.

We do, however, have the same small complaint that we did when previously testing this directory: although we started out with 763 unfiltered options, we were shown very few options after we’d applied all our search filters (which were not really that discriminating—we chose “online,” “individual therapy,” “anxiety,” “$0-$150,” and “Blue Cross of California”). The seven providers who popped up seem scant in comparison to other, bigger online therapy directories.

And when we removed our insurance and switched to out-of-pocket payment, we had many more choices (and we could then filter those choices by price range). 

In addition, we liked the wealth of information provided in each therapist’s bio, including, in many cases, multiple ways to contact them. The “email” button at the bottom of the page takes you to a contact form, as does the “initial consultation” button (connecting you with providers who offer free consultations, another boon). And in many bios, we found links to private practice websites and addresses. This made these therapists feel especially accessible to us.

Pros and Cons

Although I enjoyed my experience using TherapyDen, I recognize that the directory may not be for everyone. It is important to consider your individual needs, such as your reasons for seeking therapy or your budget, to find what therapist directory best fits you.

Final Thoughts

I would recommend this directory to any therapy seeker who wants a therapist who represents them. The search filters allowed me to find extremely personalized results. The ability to filter results based on a therapist’s gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and languages spoken helps therapy seekers find a therapist they can feel comfortable with. 

That said, it is a small inconvenience that the results default to online therapists rather than those that offer in-person sessions. Although I wasn’t able to find an in-person therapist who specializes in pregnancy and postpartum mood issues, I was able to find one who shared a few of my values and beliefs simply because I used TherapyDen to aid my search.

The quick response time from each therapist on the directory was a pleasant surprise. In my experience with other therapist directories, responses ranged from 24 to 48 hours with few responses before 24 hours. I was happy to see so many therapists eager to engage with new clients. I anticipate TherapyDen will keep growing not only due to its social justice mission but also because the directory is extremely easy to use.