We know that one of the hardest parts of engaging in your mental health journey can be getting started—it is difficult to know where to begin. There are so many different types of therapy treatments and practices. Therapists also work from different theoretical orientations and varied styles, which can be confusing to navigate when choosing the right combination for your specific needs and preferences.

Furthermore, whether or not a therapist will have availability at the times that you can actually see them can also feel like a barrier to care.

Here's How We Help

At Two Chairs, we aim to simplify what can be a complicated process. As a client at Two Chairs, you would start your journey with us by first attending a 45-minute live consultation with a licensed, highly-trained therapist, who assesses your clinical needs, asks about your preferences for care, and learns more about your unique lived experience. This conversation will include an assessment of your clinical needs as well as your clinical style and demographic preferences. We also take into account what has and has not worked for you in past mental health experiences. In this conversation, you and your consult clinician will make a joint decision about what type of therapist would make a great “match” for you.

Finally, we will also take into account your location and scheduling preferences as well as the preferred mode of care you would like to engage in (i.e., teletherapy or in-person care). Two Chairs has built the most sophisticated, research-informed matching system in mental health, and our model is rooted in fostering the strongest client-therapist relationships.

Matching Matters

Why do we focus on this “match” between a client and a therapist? Decades of clinical research shows that the relationship between a client and a therapist (i.e., the connection you feel with your therapist) is the best predictor of success in therapy. Two Chairs eases the process of finding a therapist who’s a great fit based on a client’s personal needs, goals for therapy, and preferences for a therapist.

Our matching process is backed by research and combines clinician insight with data, and in-house developed technology. To match a client with a therapist, we consider nearly 300 variables to determine the type of therapy and style of therapist that will be most effective for each individual. From there, the consult clinician uses a combination of clinical judgement, success data from previous matches and our helpful matching tool to thoughtfully match a client with a Two Chairs clinician.

The Two Chairs matching system matches on factors that lead to a tight-knit therapeutic bond between a client and a therapist.

We know from the research that one of the strongest predictors of whether therapy feels effective or not is a match between a client and a therapist.

Indeed, a strong therapeutic alliance with your therapist bolsters and enhances individual outcomes in therapy. This research holds true whether the care is in-person or via teletherapy. For this reason, we pay a lot of attention to making sure our Two Chairs clients are matched to a therapist they will “click” with in the onset to set them up for a successful therapy journey.

Having a therapist you are well-matched to also saves time, energy, and money as opposed to having to “shop around” for the right fit.

In fact, the American Psychological Association estimates that one in five clients drop out from therapy after just one session. The research focused on the alliance between a client and a therapist shows that clients often cite feeling dissatisfied in their relationship with their therapist as a key motivator for premature termination.

We also know from the research that dropping out from therapy early can leave people with poorer outcomes than those who are engaged in treatment. On the other hand, at Two Chairs, we not only believe matching leads to better clinical outcomes, we also continue to assess how to match our client to exceptional mental health care by getting their feedback along the way using our measurement-based care approach.

Clearly, it is important to feel connected and emotionally safe with your therapist, which allows for the space to start exploring symptoms and working on achieving the goals that have been set out for mental well-being.

Don’t just take it from us! Here are some thoughts from our current and past clients about how our matching process impacted their therapy:

"The level of care is excellent, and it's sooo much easier to navigate than calling random therapists and hoping you can find one you like."

—Shawn W.

"The questions and conversation before Two Chairs recommended a therapist resulted in a perfect match. I had tried once before to see a therapist (recommended by a friend) and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I was very uncomfortable with trying again, Two Chairs made it immediately comfortable and I continue to be comfortable with my therapist."

—Suzanne L.

"Being new to therapy, I put it off for the longest time because I wasn’t sure how to find a therapist that was right for me. Your matching process made this stress-free, and I’ve already recommended it to others!"

—Kendal B.

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You can also read our helpful article on how therapy can help with common mental health challenges.

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If you or someone you know is seeking mental health care, you can reach out to our Care Coordination team at support@twochairs.com or by phone at (415) 202-5159.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an emergency or crisis and needs immediate help, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Additional resources can be found here.