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Mental health service offers matchmaking for therapy in California

"A lot of persons come to us and say I've seen a therapist maybe one session, and I stopped therapy because I feel like it's not a good fit," Dietz said.

CALIFORNIA, USA — Research shows one in five clients don't continue to a second therapy session. Two Chairs Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Kristen Dietz is a part of the mission to change that statistic. 

"A lot of persons come to us and say I've seen a therapist maybe one session, and I stopped therapy because I feel like it's not a good fit," Dietz said. 

Clients interested in services start with an initial consultation for 45 minutes with a licensed therapist. That's when they can identify what they want to work on and what they're looking for in a provider.

"Things like 'do you want a provider who's expressive, or more stoic, someone who's structured, less structured, do you want to do homework?'" Vice President of Clinical Care Colleen Marshall said. 

Other labels might include someone who identifies as a person of color or someone who specializes in something like trauma-informed treatment. You can also choose a virtual or in-person provider. That information goes into an algorithm and the client is matched with one of more than 500 providers in the network. Marshall also said these services are typically covered under insurance. 

"The good news is we're good at this. We 98% of the time get it right. Only 2% of the time do we have to initiate a rematch where we find a different provider because something was wrong," Marshall said. 

"As a clinician to be able to match with a client that meets your local profile, that you can really support with what your expertise and specialty is, at the other end of that it really promotes a feeling of purpose," Dietz said. "The misconception about therapy is something has to be wrong, and we want to make sure that it's not just about being wrong, that it's very OK to not feel OK, and also that it's very OK to reach out for some support and help from a person that isn't biased, or a family member, or friend. Someone that you can really lean into that has a wealth of information on evidence-based practices that can really help you feel better."

You can learn more about how to sign up for Two Chairs on this website.

Watch more on ABC10 | California Black Women's Health Project celebrates 30 years

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