How To Find a Therapist? 6 Steps from a Psychologist.
- Dr Sheena Kumar
- Feb 10, 2021
- 4 min read
Picking a therapist is tricky. Type it into google and you will meet thousands of options. There are many different types, all have similar profiles. So how do you choose someone when there are so many options? Research shows us the more invested we are in therapy the better outcomes we will have. Start off the process by investing in these 6 steps:
1.Check their qualifications.
Scarily, there is very little regulation over most professionals within the talking therapy industry and the public has little knowledge of how to check someone's qualifications. Here is a brief break down of the various professional groups and their training:
Psychologists in the UK have the highest qualification in talking therapy. They will be registered with the Health & Care Professionals Society and hold a Chartered status with the British Psychological Society.
Someone who has a registered status is in training.
Someone who has a chartered status is qualified.
The keyword here is Chartered = qualified.
You can search for a psychologist here:
A Chartered psychologist has gone through an undergraduate degree, likely worked as an assistant psychologist for a couple of years, and then completed a doctorate in which they are on the ground working under supervision in mental health services. Their training route is streamlined.
As for counsellors/psychotherapists/CBT practitioners/coaches, training is varied. There are hundreds of different training courses out there and it can be confusing. Some courses can be anything from a few hours online, providing people with a certificate to call themselves a therapist or coach.
The more robust courses including 3 years of training, plus a number of practice hours to reach accreditation.
In the UK the BACP and the UKCP are the main accrediting bodies for the robust courses. So check for accreditation status with a counsellor on there.
To mitigate the confusion, do your groundwork. Check their qualifications – where did they train? How long did that take? How many face to face hours were involved in that training and how many have they done since practice? Often a quick google search of their course will tell you and qualified practitioners won’t be hesitant to share their details of accreditation with you.
2. Make sure you like the ‘feel of them’.
Even if this is just through reading their blurb you want to like the sound of them. You might e-mail a couple and see what the ‘feel’ of e-mail communication is. Then in your first appointment see if you 'like them'. The evidence shows if there is a good relationship between client and therapist, the more positive the outcome of the therapy. That being said, be mindful – it can take a couple of sessions for you to be comfortable and to start liking them, especially if you aren't used to the process of therapy or you are starting to open up about vulnerabilities. You want to feel that they are helping you become accustomed to therapy.
3. Ask questions.
You need to feel comfortable asking questions with the person you are working with. Also, check you get clear answers to questions. You should be ‘getting something’ from your communication with them (reassurance, support, guidance, strategies, etc.). Talk through any hesitations or concerns you have and ensure these are resolved. You also need to be able to say if you do not think they are the right person for you (ghosting is not polite!) and they will often suggest someone else to you.
4. Check their specialty.
What is it you need help with? Then see if they specialise in this area. For example, I specialise in stress, anxiety, and depression (as these all present together). Whilst I do have the training and good experience working with someone with psychosis or personality disorder and I may be able to work with them well, this is not my specific area of expertise. Psychologists have to do a large number of CPD each year and this costs them money. They will be doing their CPD in the area they specialise in. If you want the best support for you find their speciality.
5. Trust recommendations.
Do trust recommendations from people you know, or when a professional recommends them to you. There are so many choices out there that finding someone tried and tested is always a good choice compared to someone unknown. This can be so important that you may want to hold section 3 lightly and weigh it up with recommendations.
6. Finances.
This is a whole other blog post in itself. What I will say for now is, the way we value mental health in a society is perpetuating people’s expectations of what they should pay. When we value mental health more highly, we will be more likely to invest in ourselves. If you are willing to pay more to go to the hairdresser or on flights than you are to invest in your mental health, my last bit of advice is to re-assess and see if therapy is the right thing for you now. Research that shows the more invested and committed a client is to therapy is a strong predictor of positive outcome results.
It is not an easy process but it is an important one. Ultimately, this is about you getting to a better place and finding the best person to help you do that.
