Benefits and Disadvantages of Finding a Therapist in Tampa
Looking for a new therapist is never easy. And depending on the city that you live in - it may be easier - or actually harder. Let’s take a look at the benefits and disadvantages of finding a therapist in Tampa.
The Tampa Bay area is a beautiful and diverse city with a lot to offer. Professional sports, beautiful beaches, fine dining, close to theme parks, beautiful winters, and more. Nothing great comes without its negative trade-offs, though, whether we are talking traffic, a higher cost of living, or long, muggy summers that are reluctant to show signs of fall even late in the year.
Finding a good counselor near you in the Tampa area can be overwhelming and comes with its own set of unique considerations, advantages, and disadvantages compared to smaller metro cities or more rural towns. Although I’ll outline some of the pros and cons, I believe the advantages far outweigh the things that can make therapy access difficult in an area so large and spread out.
Advantages in Seeking a Therapist in Tampa
Options, options, options. If you live in a smaller town, the search for a therapist can be a quick and discouraging one. When you’re looking for help within a specific area and need someone specialized, you may find it hard to get a therapist who speaks to you in terms of what you’re hoping to work on. In Tampa (and the surrounding areas), there are quite literally thousands of therapists to choose from. On the Psychology Today Directory alone, there are approximately 2,460 private practice therapists listed.
Diversity. People sometimes have preferences around age, spoken languages, race, gender, sexuality, religious affiliation, and political orientation when it comes to choosing a therapist. It makes sense, right? People are looking for someone to establish a therapeutic relationship they feel most comfortable with, regardless of the reason. In an area as large and diverse as Tampa Bay, it’s possible to find a therapist in just about any demographic.
Choices that can work within your budget. Whether you’re looking for a therapist in or out of network with your insurance, it’s possible in and around Tampa to find a therapist who will either accept your insurance or work with you to get reimbursement from your insurance if they aren’t in network. Because there are a lot of student therapists and pre-licensed interns, it’s also possible to find lower-rate/sliding scale therapists who might not charge as much as more-established private pay therapists. Although it might require a little more research, finding someone to work within your budget can be possible.
Agency support. The Tampa Bay/St. Pete area is home to several behavioral health facilities that may provide access to low-cost mental health, psychiatric, and behavioral health options for people who cannot afford to choose from the broader range of options. Tampa Family Health Centers, Family Resources, and North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital are among a few of them.
Disadvantages in Seeking a Therapist in Tampa
Options, options, options. I listed “options” as one of the primary advantages above. Although too many options is a better problem to have than not enough, it can be really hard to sift through them all to find the best fit. This sometimes causes people to get stuck in “analysis paralysis,” preventing them from taking any action at all.
Higher rates. Even though I spoke to the number of choices available to people with a broad range of financial abilities, you’ll likely find rates for therapists to be higher in Tampa across the board compared to smaller towns. This doesn’t necessarily imply a full barrier to access, but it can limit options and cause people to look exclusively for in-network therapy or reduced rates, thus decreasing the number of options to choose from.
Distance. If you prefer in-person counseling (over virtual therapy) and are more concerned about a suitable fit than location, you’ll be working with a distance range that typically starts as low as a 10-minute drive and can go up to 45 minutes or more (each way) depending on the time of day. Some people find that being open to private virtual sessions can eliminate some of the headache associated with driving. Most therapists (even those with a brick-and-mortar office) offer virtual counseling, so the comfort, privacy, and convenience of telehealth may be well worth considering. Learn more about the benefits of telehealth therapy and how to find the “best” therapist in Tampa in the links below!
As you can see, there are a number of benefits and disadvantages of finding a therapist in Tampa! But again, the advantages seem to outweigh disadvantages.
https://floatoncounseling.com/therapy/finding-the-best-therapist-in-tampa/
Thinking about working with one of our therapists?
Each of our therapists offers complimentary 15-minute consultations so that you can meet, ask questions, and make sure that the fit is good. Check out our Tampa Therapists at Float On Counseling to request an appointment online, or contact us to send a message.
Our Client Care Coordinator, Summer Schmidt, is available by phone at 813-515-9602 to answer any of your questions and help determine who on our team might be best suited to working with you. You can also reach out (or schedule a therapy/consultation appointment) by visiting our contact us page.
Additionally, Joel Schmidt (Therapist and Owner of Float on Counseling) is always happy to meet virtually with anyone who might just have questions about therapy or who is unsure where to even start! We pride ourselves in being able to help EVERYONE find the right therapist, even if we aren’t best suited to meet an individual’s specific needs. Our broad professional network extends throughout the community and we are happy to provide referrals when necessary.