Counselling has been shown to be an effective treatment for those suffering mental illness and emotional difficulties. So how do you make sure that you have chosen the right therapist for you?
After all you are likely to share secrets and details of your life and emotions with someone who is after all a stranger. You want to have confidence that they can help you and that you will be able to trust them.
One of the first things that you should do is to check that the therapist is qualified and is registered with one of the UK bodies regulating therapy (BACP, BPS, COSCA, UKCP, UKRCP etc.) While this might seem like a really basic check you would be surprised at how easy it is to forget to check when you are not feeling at your best.
A good counsellor will listen carefully, will check their understanding and will encourage you to be honest with yourself and challenge any unhelpful thoughts. It is important that you take an active part in your therapy so you can make the best of your sessions.
Often people feel that therapy is only for crazy people or that the therapist will want to blame it on your mother or father or even repressed sexual tension. Unfortunately in this respect therapy has been a victim of the movies and TV. Of course therapy can be about all of these things, but the reality is that for most people it is about solving problems now in their lives today. That process is about looking at your feelings and your actions. Improvement comes from looking at yourself and taking responsibility for change.
So how do you find the right therapist?
After you have completed the basic checks (above) you might want to consider the experience they have. Often they have specialist areas that they work in. A professional therapist will only take you on if they can help, they may also help you to find an alternative therapist if they can help you in a more effective way.
Do you feel that the therapist understands your problems, do they accept you for the person you are without judgement, trust your instinct for ultimately it is your best guide.
There are different types of therapy but you should choose the one that focuses on you not on the process for delivery. You should expect the sessions to be about an hour, you should expect to go about once per week. Normally you will go to the therapist but in those early sessions try to be honest about how you feel and what you expect from therapy