Ask Julie: Is It OK To See More Than One Therapist At A Time?

Q: Is it okay/appropriate to see more than one psychotherapist at the same time?  After all, we sometimes have more than one massage therapist!  Just wondering about your take on this.

A: In general, I recommend having a primary individual psychotherapist who is "in charge" of treatment. That being said, there are situations where it may be appropriate and helpful to work with additional therapists simultaneously.  If you and your therapist desire additional interventions that are outside of your primary therapist's specialties then your therapist may refer you to another therapist for specific interventions, like EMDR or neurofeedback, for example.It's also appropriate and often recommended to have additional therapists for different treatment modalities, like group, marriage, or family therapy. In marriage counseling or family therapy the client is actually the "marriage" or the "family" instead of the individuals. I hope this helps answer your question. Feel free to write again with more specific details about your situation.Take good care of yourself!Julie Hanks, LCSW