How to Find the Right Therapist: Using the C-NIP to Assess Therapeutic Fit
The therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors contributing to healing and change. However, finding the right therapist can often feel like a catch-22. It can be hard to tell if a therapist will be a good fit until you are a few sessions deep into working with them. Then once you realize they might not be a good fit, it can be discouraging to end the therapy relationship and start from scratch with a whole new provider. This process can often become draining and frustrating.
On top of that, it can be hard to narrow down what actually makes a therapist feel like a good fit. Is it the therapeutic modality they use? The level of structure in sessions? Their personality, lived experiences, or identities? The considerations can feel endless and overwhelming.
Luckily, Drs. Mick Cooper and John Norcross developed a tool called the Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP) to aid in this exact challenge. The C-NIP is a brief questionnaire that asks therapy-seekers to rate their preferences across a variety of therapist factors. The questionnaire explores your preferences across the following categories:
Focus on the past vs the present
Directiveness vs non-directiveness
Warmth vs professional distance
Use of homework between sessions
Increasing self-understanding vs taking action
Level of emotion focus
Challenge vs acceptance/validation
The C-NIP is freely available online, and can be accessed here. You can take the questionnaire and download a PDF of your results, so you can reference back to them throughout your therapy search and journey.
Putting the C-NIP to Use
Taking this questionnaire in advance of starting therapy can help give you a clearer idea of what you are looking for in a new therapist, or it can give you clearer language to communicate your therapy preferences with an existing provider to enhance the work you are already doing. When speaking with a new or existing provider, you can reflect on your C-NIP results to express what you are hoping to experience in therapy. For example, if your C-NIP results indicate that you prefer a therapist that will challenge your existing beliefs, you might say, “I like when my therapist challenges my point of view in therapy, and pushes me into new ways of thinking. Can you tell me more about your approach to challenging clients in session, and if that is part of your therapeutic style?”
Additionally, there is also a therapist version of the C-NIP available here (scroll to “C–NIP–Therapist v1.1”), that therapists can take to rate their preferred styles of working with clients. You can consider asking a potential or current therapist if they have taken or would be willing to take the C-NIP, so that you can get a better feel for their approach to therapy. Here is an example script you can use:
“Hey [Therapist], I recently learned about this questionnaire called the C-NIP, that asked about my different preferences for therapy. Would you be willing to take the therapist version of the C-NIP to see if what I’m looking for matches up with your approach?”
While no questionnaire can guarantee a perfect therapy match, and your preferences and needs for therapy can evolve over time, hopefully the C-NIP provides you a valuable starting point to aid you in your search and improvement of your therapy experience!
About the Author
Adora (she/her) is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate and owner of Spring Day Therapy PLLC. In the past she has worked in various mental health settings with different age groups, populations, and levels of care. In the therapy room, Adora operates from a DBT-informed and culturally-responsive lens to support clients in working through challenges and create real-life changes. Her work is further enhanced by her passion and training in supporting Autistic individuals and providing culturally responsive care for Asian populations.
Outside the therapy room, Adora has experience working in mental health research, and is also the founder and president of FAUNA Mental Health Foundation, an Asian mental health advocacy nonprofit. She currently leads an international team of volunteers and interns to provide accessible mental health resources through their website and workshops with community partners.
Interested in receiving therapy with Spring Day Therapy? Fill out an interest form below to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Adora!
