How to Find a Community-Based (Off-Campus) Provider

If you require services beyond the scope of what we can provide or would prefer to receive treatment off campus, we will refer you to community providers.

Bates CAPS has partnered with Thriving Campus, an online resource that helps you access and connect with off-campus mental health care. Visit Thriving Campus from your computer or mobile device to: browse and filter providers based on your needs and preferences, get answers to common questions, and reach out to community providers and connect with mental health care. CAPS staff are available to help you navigate ThrivingCampus referrals.

Other Therapist Directories

Please note that this should not be construed as an endorsement of any particular mental health provider/service.

Psychology Today – You can search by zip code, insurance, and provider preferences. Remember that most providers offer telehealth so you can expand your search to include all of Maine for a greater selection of potential clinicians.

Therapy for Black Girls

Therapy for Black Men

Inclusive TherapistsCentering the needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We amplify the voices and expressions of Neurodivergent and Disabled communities.

Psychiatry Directories

Please note that this should not be construed as an endorsement of any particular mental health provider/service.

Psychology Today – Set search to Psychiatry. You can search by zip code, insurance, and provider preferences. Remember that most providers offer telehealth so you can expand your search to include all of Maine for a greater selection of potential clinicians.

Talkiatry – Virtual psychiatry searchable by location, insurance, and provider preferences.

ZocDoc – Search for psychiatrists by location, insurance, and provider preferences. Most are telehealth.

Before Starting Your Search

Before starting to search, it can be helpful to answer a few questions for yourself:

  • What am I looking for in a therapist?
  • What do I want help with? (e.g. anxiety, sleep, mood, adjustment to college or graduation, relationship issues, trauma, family relationships, learning difficulties are common things people want help with…)
  • Do I want someone with specific skills? (e.g. cognitive behavioral training, experience with trauma, etc.)
  • Do I want the provider I chose to hold particular identities?
  • Do I want to use my insurance?

Tips for Choosing a Therapist

If you choose, you can also filter by therapy type, gender, and many other categories. If you do not have specific requirements, it can be a good idea to start with a wide search and refine if too many results come back.

Read about therapists who interest you. Choose three or four that you are interested in exploring further.

Call or email (usually easier) the therapist using the information listed on their profile.

If you choose email, you will see a form to complete. You can write “I’m a college student looking for help with (my mood, stress around my classes, difficulty with my friends, worry about my future, etc).” You may include days that work best for you or times that will never work. Include your insurance type as well. If you call, you may want to leave similar information (ThrivingCampus provides a sample script here), and be sure to say when you might be available for a return call. Make sure your voicemail is set up.

You may need to follow up a second time, as many therapists are solo practitioners and handle all their email and phone calls after their workday. Be persistent. If someone does not return your call or email after two tries, consider looking for another person.

If you use your insurance website, you will see ALL therapists who accept your insurance, however these lists are updated infrequently and depending on the insurance, less information may be available about individual providers.

For more information on finding a therapist and navigating insurance/payment, check out this resource from Thriving Campus.