Hi Justincredible.
I feel as though I should have a lengthy and comprehensive answer or solution for you, but I don't know you well enough to provide one or to recommend a particular school of psychotherapy. In real life, I have an easier time referring people to therapists whose work I'm familiar with or to a specific type of therapy that I think would be helpful.
The kind of comprehensive intake at reputable institutions that haennie described is pretty much the ideal in these parts. When I meet a new patient that would be better off working with someone else, I make a referral, but not everyone does this.
It's a good idea to think about what you want to accomplish in therapy before you start and what kind of person you'd like to work with. The question that I always ask myself and not necessarily to a new patient is, "Why now?"
To overly generalize and simplify...In the work I do, a great deal of the healing process revolves around identifying a meaning or purpose in life, which can work as an umbrella for dealing with a range of concerns. I'm also interested in a person's early and recent history and in their relationships with friends, family and lovers. Their unconscious content and their dreams. Relationship-building also plays a major role in my work, providing an opportunity for patients to work through (our, his/her) relationship struggles in a safe place. For me, it is in large part the relationship that heals.
It's been said that if the therapist is working harder than the patient, then something is wrong in the therapy. I'm always moved when I meet someone who's willing to work through their struggles in life, who's learned from their suffering, and who trusts me enough to invite me to walk through their inner lives with them.
One final note...Years after my two earlier therapists could no longer work with me for reasons beyond our control, I'm still learning from them, and sometimes hear their voices when I think or speak. This is not something that's highly publicized or well known by most people, but it's a very common occurrence. Therapy is often a beautiful thing.