5 Ways To find The Perfect Therapist
Does The Perfect Therapist Exist?
It’s a ongoing question and even debate in some circles. What makes one therapist better or more skilled than another? Are there common traits or does it all come down to experience?
A therapist like any other professional is equipped with many skills and qualities suited to helping most people. I say most because not everyone will be suited to one therapist, we are all different. A therapist is all about helping mental health issues, relationship difficulties, work-related problems etc. The list goes on. To choose a therapist who’s right for you is the better question to ask, rather than who’s ‘best’. Many people have heard of ‘Psychology Today’ which contains the ability to access different therapist profiles and analyse their skills and experiences. So what do you look for in a therapist?
1. The most important thing to look for are qualifications: is the person properly qualified? The answer would actually be a yes. All therapists on Psychology Today are verified and their credentials checked, so don’t worry. They can all do work as therapists. That’s how you get to see the ‘Verified by Psychology Today’ on many people’s websites (including mines), so yes people, we are legit. You can check what other relevant qualifications the person has on their Psychology Today profiles i.e. undergraduate or postgraduate degree, other accreditations etc.
2. How much experience do they have? Ok look, I’ll admit I’m a newbie to private practice, but ambition and confidence goes a long away. I’ve been seeing clients since my training nearly 3 years ago. So I’m not THAT new. Look at how many years people have been practicing including training. Just because people say ’10 years, 20 years’, doesn’t mean they’ve been practicing for that long continuously. There may be breaks in between. Is that a big deal? I would think not unless it’s been so many years that the therapist has become rusty. That’s a difficult one to navigate. No need to be pedantic about it though. It’s not a contest.
3. Website. I think lots of people miss this. Website exposure allows so many opportunities and it allows freedom of expression. You get to be you while advertising your services. Cool right? Enquire whether someone has a website. It allows you to further explore what the therapist has to offer. You never know, you may come across blogs just like mine.
4. Word of Mouth. I think this is a big one. People like other people’s recommendations. So if someone has said, Mr. Joe Bloggs is great and they helped through a tough time, then you may explore that therapist further and give them a call to see if they are the right match for you.
5. Does the therapist help with your specific problem? What do they specialise in? As you can see from my website, I specialise in anxiety, depression, trauma and cultural related issues. That’s all. I could offer much more but then I would be spreading myself too thin.
So there you have 5 ways of going on the ‘new therapist’ hunt. Until next time.
