You have seen an increase of people talking about the benefits of counselling. It may be social media, a friend or a colleague who has shared their counselling journey and how it has helped them. Or maybe you are experiencing new emotions or life changes that are making you consider counselling. Whatever the starting point is, you are now searching for a counsellor and feel overwhelmed by the options. How do you know if this counsellor, type or counselling or mode of counselling is going to be right for you?
My friend recommended them… but are they right for me?
Credentials
As you scroll through websites or counselling directories as part of the first step, it is important to check their credentials. Credentials are specific to the location the person trained, for example in America the therapist should be licensed to practice in the state or area they are located. In England, the therapist should have memberships with an accrediting body such as BACP, UKCP or NCS. Remember, a therapist title may not matter as long as they are qualified.
Budget
Therapy can vary in price, this is not necessarily a reflection of the therapists competence. It may take into account other factors such as the therapists location, therapist outgoings etc. Before you begin booking an initial consultation with a therapist, decide how much you are willing to pay.
Ask Questions
A free consultation or an initial session is an excellent opportunity to learn more about your counsellor, so have a few questions prepared. For example, what type of therapy do they use, or have they worked with people with your presenting problems before? Also if their website does not already display the information you can ask what the counsellors availability is, are they flexible in scheduling appointments and do they expect payment after the session or in advance.
Reflecting
Following your initial interaction with the therapist, whether via email, phone call, initial consultation or session it is important to reflect on how you felt.
Did you feel heard? Did you feel comfortable in their presence? Does this therapist feel like someone you can talk openly with about what is bringing you to therapy? Your “felt sense” of the initial interactions with the therapist are important. They are the foundations of the therapeutic relationship and will underpin your work together.
Therapy Definitions
CBT, Psychodynamic, Humanistic… What does it all mean?
There are many different types of therapy, all are “talking therapies”. What changes is how the therapist understands your presenting problems and works with you. It is important to choose a type of therapy that aligns with your goals. Many therapists are well-versed in providing more than one type of therapy – this is called integrative therapy.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Put simply the goal of CBT is to help you adapt and change your mindset by noticing links between thoughts, emotions and behaviours. This form of therapy can be used to help people with physical and mental challenges like: depression, anxiety, trauma, chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome
Psychodynamic therapy
This focuses on the unconscious processes, gain insight into a person’s life and present day problems while evaluating patterns they’ve developed over time. Psychodynamic is often a long term therapy option and can help with childhood trauma, relationship patterns, depression, anxiety and personality disorders.
Humanistic therapy
The main goal of humanistic therapy is to help you reach your full potential by becoming more self-aware and accepting. The approach focuses on how you see yourself and your world. There are many therapies based on humanism including Gestalt therapy, positive psychology and person-centered therapy. These types of therapy help people living with trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, addiction, chronic conditions and low self-esteem
Online vs. Face-to-face Therapy
Online therapy can be equally as effective as face to face therapy. A regularly cited perk of online therapy is being able to meet with a therapist from the comfort of your own home, or even workplace, thus providing greater flexibility in scheduling appointments and maintaining the weekly commitment to therapy. There are a number of presenting problems that are not suitable for online therapy, these include self harm, suicide ideation and eating disorders. The reasoning being the distance between the client and therapist makes ensuring the clients safety can be difficult.
Online therapy can take place via phone call, text message, email, live messenger app, online video or voice call.