Tags – Tips on Finding a Therapist
Admitting and accepting life’s issues is one of the hardest things someone can do.
But once you have made the decision to reach out and seek therapy, you’ll want to find someone you can connect with, someone you can understand who you are and more importantly, someone you can trust with your innermost feelings and thoughts.
So, finding a therapist should not be a rushed decision to take lightly. It should take time and effort otherwise you may not make any progress.
A good therapist will help you develop skills and confidence to cope with mental health for the rest of your life.
With that said, here are 4 tips for finding a therapist that’s right for you.
1. Search a Directory
Once you have chosen your therapy type, you’ll want to find a UKCP therapist, so you feel confident they are fully qualified, follow good practice and hold ethical conduct.
With thousands of therapists available all over the UK, you can search by location, if you’d like face-to-face meetings or online sessions and the issue you’d like to work on.
When looking through the directory, ask yourself:
- Do you want to see a therapist who specialises in your particular issue or are you open to any?
- Where do you want to meet your therapist? This could be near work or home, or even somewhere else.
- Do you feel comfortable meeting in person or would you prefer to meet online?
- Are you looking to do therapy on your own or in a group?
- Do you feel comfortable talking to a man or a woman?
Nailing down the specifics will help you to find the right therapist for you to help you on your journey.
2. Get a Feeling
When you’ve narrowed a few potential therapists down, why not send them an email or give them a quick call?
By doing this, you can give a brief overview of your issue and find out quickly if they’re able to help you, (it could be they don’t specialise or have experience in working with your issue).
Remember, therapists will not be shocked or judge you and generally will be able to help with most issues. Plus you can find out here the kind of appointment times they have and if that would fit in with your lifestyle.
Moreover, this gives you a sense of what they’ll be like and if you feel you can work with them.
3. Try a First Session
There’s no harm in trying a session. This is your chance to see how you feel even being with a therapist – especially if it’s your first time.
And trying it out means you can get a sense of how they work and if you think you’ll work well together.
At first, the therapist will want to ask you questions and talk about what led you to choose therapy. Sometimes they may even fill out an assessment form, but don’t worry. This just helps them to understand if they’re the right person to help you too.
The kind of things they may ask you are:
- How long the issues been going on for
- Your childhood and upbringing
- Relationships with loved ones and those around you
- What you’ve been doing to cope
- If you’ve had therapy before
Don’t forget though, this is your session and you can ask questions back too to help you decide if the therapist is for you – you are in control.
- How do your sessions work?
- What kind of therapy do you do?
- What experience or training have you had to work with the issue I’m dealing with?
- How long do you think we’ll work together for?
- What happens if I miss a session?
Make the most out of your first session to really think about whether you can work with them to help you.
4. Never Settle
After your first session of therapy, you’ll want to take some time and reflect on how you felt when you walked away.
Some things to think about are:
- Did you feel at ease?
- Do you think you can trust them?
- Would you feel comfortable talking about the most intimate details of your life?
- Did you feel safe?
- Did you like their tone towards you?
If you did not feel comfortable with your therapist during your first session, don’t feel bad about it.
At the end of the day, taking the step to seek help for any issue is a big step. And you need to ask a lot of questions and then decide if you do or do not want to work with them. If you don’t, it’s not your fault – many people don’t find the right therapist the first time round.
The Bottom Line
Choosing the right therapist for you can involve some trial and error.
Don’t worry if you’re not happy with how your first session goes. In fact, there are some people who try several therapists before they find someone they can truly be honest with.
Most importantly, the relationship between you and your therapist is crucial if you want the treatment to work.
So, take your time to find someone you feel you can talk to and who you feel understands and respects you and your problems.
Want to know more? Get in touch today.
Take a look at our Court of Protection solicitors services in the meantime.
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