4 Steps to Finding the Right Therapist for you

First things first, well done! Embarking on the journey of self-discovery through therapy is certainly a courageous step. It's not always easy to ask for help. Taking the decision to become a more authentic version of yourself, addressing emotional wounds and understanding the difficulties you face on a deeper level takes bravery. Courage does not mean the absence of fear, in fact the Collins Dictionary defines courage as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face something difficult, uncertain or potentially risky. Courage does not involve acting recklessly, but intentionally. If you have landed on this page, the chances are that you intend to move forward and find a therapist. But, what now? How do you find that therapist? You may be asking friends for recommendations or be frantically googling 'therapist near me'; either way, finding a therapist you truly connect with can sometimes be a challenge. As a therapist who has attended therapy for a number of years I've had quite a bit of experience in searching for my own therapist. I've managed to narrow things down into 4 steps to finding the right therapist for you, so if you really want to find a therapist that you feel comfortable with, read on...

1. Consider Your 'Why' You may have experienced a bereavement, lived through childhood trauma or be going through a challenging time in your relationship. It may matter to you that your therapist has professional experience in the specific issue that you are dealing with. Some therapists will choose to specialise in an area of particular interest to them. If they do, this information will be listed on their website. The option of choosing a therapist that specialises in a specific area or works with a specific client-group may put you at a greater sense of ease and give you some confidence that the therapist is well-versed to accommodate the specific work that you'd like to do. When you first meet with your therapist, you may want to ask some questions about their experience. A competent therapist will be happy to share this information with you.

2. Consider Your Background You may feel a greater sense of comfort meeting with a therapist who shares your cultural background, language, sexual identity, faith, gender, neurodivergence, disability or is of a similar age. This is something that you are allowed to be selective about, choosing a therapist is a personal choice. Although your experiences are unique to you, there are some experiences also shared by others that share a similar background. Finding this in your therapist may mean that you don't waste time explaining values, perspectives and nuances associated with your background. You may also feel that it's easier to generate a feeling of connection and safety which will make opening up less challenging. Pink Therapy is an online directory that offer a list of LGBTQIA+ friendly therapists, BAATN is an online directory where you can search for therapists of Black African, Asian and Caribbean heritage. You can also use advanced search criteria on online directories such as Psychology Today or the Counselling Directory to narrow the search down to the specifics you would like.

3. Consider Your Needs How would you prefer to be supported? Maybe you feel a more structured solution-orientated approach would be beneficial or maybe a less directive approach would suit you. It is worth taking a look into the various approaches to therapy that exist; you can find an online A-Z of therapeutic approaches to therapy here. Some therapists choose to use a selection of different modalities and will shape this around your needs. It is also worth noting that even though a therapist might share a therapeutic approach with another therapist their individual way of using this approach can differ.

4. Consider Your Instincts Research has consistently shown the most important aspect of effective therapy to be the relationship between the client and the therapist.The first session with your therapist is typically an introductory one, which will involve a form of assessment. This session provides you with a chance to get to know your therapist and ask any questions that you feel you need to. Trust in the way that you feel after having met with a potential therapist. Do you feel that this is someone you could see yourself building a trusting therapeutic relationship with? Sometimes we can sense energetically when we don't connect with somebody and that's okay! Keep looking.

Further considerations

Currently Psychotherapy and Counselling are legally unprotected titles in the UK, this means that anyone can call themselves a therapist. Some qualified therapists choose to be a member of an organisation which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. The most well known of these membership bodies in the UK are the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the National Society of Counselling and Psychotherapy (NCPS) or the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). If your therapist is a member of one of these organisations then you can be assured that they are suitably qualified and adhere to a clear ethical framework. However, signing up to a membership body is not mandatory requirement as a therapist and there are many qualified therapists that choose not to sign up. Remember checking out the qualifications and experience of the individual therapist that you have in mind is important. There are some organisations that offer personalised matching services which can take a lot of the leg-work out of searching for a therapist. It is a good idea to do your research about what signing up to these services entail, as often you will be a direct client of the matching service rather than of the therapist which may place some limits on flexibility. Disclaimer: Information and opinions in this blog do not constitute as therapy or personalised professional advice. If you feel that you would like personalised support from a qualified Psychotherapist you are welcome to book a free introductory call with me or search for a therapist on online directories such as the Counselling Directory or Psychology Today . Copyright: Content on this website is not to be copied, duplicated or reproduced in any form without the explicit permission from the author.