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Attend Your Introductory Meetings

If calling up therapists is the scariest part of finding a therapist, seeing therapists might be the most exhausting part (especially if you're already dealing with depression or another problem that makes pretty much everything in life feel exhausting). But it's important to not drop it here — you're so close!
Again, in these meetings, your gut is paramount. If you adore the first therapist you meet, don't feel pressure to go through the motions of seeing others. And if someone just weirds you out, you're under no obligation to see them ever again, or even finish the introductory meeting. Don't feel guilty. This person is doing their job incorrectly. Think of them like a gynecologist who is trying to give you a Pap smear with a spatula. You don't sit around worrying about that person's feelings — you realize that that person sucks at their job, and you get yourself outta there.
You don't "owe" a therapist another session or another chance — you don't owe them anything but the money that you literally owe them. Which reminds me — yes, you typically have to pay for introductory sessions. No, it doesn't feel fair. But if you want to analyze it economically, putting down more money up front to find the right therapist will actually save you some cash down the road by potentially lowering the amount of time you spend in therapy.

Make Sure That You Actually Like Your Therapist

If you haven't gone to therapy before, you may encounter a crappy therapist and think "This is just what therapy is like." But it's not. If your therapist makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, doesn't seem interested in helping you, has an agenda, or just doesn't connect, you have no obligation to ever see them again, even if you've had a few sessions.
A professional, competent therapist won't judge you, push you do things you don't feel good about, or force a specific agenda (like reconciling with an estranged parent, or definitely not reconciling with an estranged parent). A skilled, professional therapist keeps that shizz to themselves, and helps you figure out what you really need, not what they think you should need.
So if you decide, after a few sessions, that your therapist isn't helpful, just pay your bill, leave them a voicemail letting them know you'll be seeking treatment elsewhere, and put them in the rearview mirror.

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