Original source: Rating Your Psychotherapist, a book by Robert Langs, M.D.

1. The Referral: I know of this therapist because...
2. The First Contact: This is how the first contact happened
3. The Setting: This is how my therapist's office is set up
4. The First Interaction: This is how my therapist handled the first interaction
5. The Fee: This is how my therapist handled/is handling the fee
6. The Schedule: This is how my therapist handled/is handling the schedule
7. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Anonymity: This is how my therapist handles the issues of privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity
8. The Therapist's Interventions: This is how my therapist intervenes
9. Terminating the Therapy: This is how my therapist handled/is handling termination issues

Please be advised that the "Rate Your Psychotherapist" test is only a guideline. I can not stress enough that each individual is different! You, and only you, know if your therapy is working/going to work for you. The Langes Guidelines are here only to encourage you to understand that YOU HAVE RIGHTS. And that it's ultimately YOU who decides who is best to give you the therapy you need.

Many patients feel obligated to stay with "this-or-that therapist." If you feel your therapist is the wrong therapist for you, you can change that. If you feel your therapist is great for you, it doesn't matter what any test says. Stay with your therapist and continue on your road to healing.

I hope this proves to be a helpful tool for you. It's designed to help you think carefully about your present therapist or, if you're looking for a therapist, use this as an aide in your search.

Read this letter I received from another professional before going on, and again, hear the words I just stated above.

"It is best to rate your psychotherapist from the first moment to the last. There can be no hard-and-fast rules; personal judgment will always come into play. As the ratings accumulate, keep a tally. High ratings support the work the therapist is doing, but they need to be understood in the context of the course of the therapy and how the treatment is going. Low ratings are cause for concern, but here, too, a perspective must be maintained. Consider the total picture of your life and combine that with the ratings of your psychotherapist, and use all available information for your assessment."

Reproduced from: Rating Your Psychotherapist, a book by Robert Langs, M.D.

TABLE 1: The Referral
Rate Your Therapist
I know of this therapist because:

Sound Answers

• My local Medical Society/Mental Health Association/professional organization recommended him/her.
• My family doctor recommended him/her.
• He/she came to see me for a consultation when I was in the hospital.
• A friend who's a psychiatrist/psychologist/social worker/mental health professional recommended him/her.
• My employer/principal/lawyer recommended I see him/her.

Questionable Answers

• My former/present therapist recommended him/her.
• He/she is the therapist I was assigned to in a group practice/clinic.
• He/she is at the clinic where my health plan requires me to go.
• I picked him/her out of the phone book.
• I pass his/her office on my way to work.

Unsound Answers: Reconsider Your Choice of Therapist

• I saw his/her name in a telephone book/on television/in the paper.
• He/she works in a different section of my office complex
• His/her office is in my apartment building.