Choosing a therapist for you

Hello!

It can be really confusing when researching which therapist to access.

Not only are there lots of different therapists, they might have different training and disciplines, so it doesn’t always feel like comparing apples with apples.

Then there is seeing if their schedule fits with your schedule and that their fee fits comfortably within your own budget. These are all decisions you will have to make before you even attend your fist appointment. There are so many things that will go into the decision-making process for you, and it can feel like a pretty big one. Here are some things for you to consider that may assist you in narrowing down your options.

Things to consider…

Professional background

This may or may not be important to you. However you may want to think about;

-          What kind of training and professional education would you like them to have completed or continue to complete to maintain their registration? Whilst all practicing therapists will have completed study to work in their field, think about what type of study you might feel comfortable with them completing. For example, do you want your therapist to have a holistic approach, or take a more individualistic approach? Their professional background may influence this.

-          Is practice experience important, and if so what type of practice experience would you prefer? For example unpaid field placements during their university degree, paid employment in non-government organisations, experience in particular areas or with particular clients, experience in private practice? These are all areas to consider when choosing a therapist. It will also be helpful to thing about the years of experience a person has and how much weight you put on that, and any areas of expertise they have and if it fits with what you are seeking support with.

-          Are you seeking a diagnosis or medication? If you are this may determine what type of professional you access.

-          Do you need a Medicare rebate? Only some professionals can provide this, if it is important to you to obtain this it will guide the professionals you are searching for.

I have another blog called ‘What is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker’ here. You can access it if you would like more information about Accredited Mental Health Social Workers. 

Professional approach

It is important to consider how the therapist how work with you and the approach they take. Their professional approach will inform the way that they see things that you are presenting and the avenue they might take in supporting you to reach your goals. 

-          It is really important to consider what approach you would like to take with the therapist. This might include thinking about your goals and how they might fit with the way that the therapist works. For example, are your goals short term and solution focused or would you prefer to do some longer term, insight based work. Is the therapist trained and using a somatic approach and are you interested in this. Or perhaps you prefer a solutions focused approach and do not want to spend a lot of time exploring the past.

-          Who will the therapist be working with? This will be an important way to narrow down the type of therapist you are researching. For example, is the therapist for yourself, a couple, a child or an adolescent. There are different approaches or ways of working for a therapist works and their clients. In some instances there are additional trainings or experience, so a therapist might do further training if they are working with children, families or with couples.  

Attributes of the therapist

-          It may be important for you to seek a therapist that identifies as man, woman, transgender or non-binary. By searching for the identity that is important to you, it can help narrow down your search.

-          Would you prefer your therapist to belong to a particular community? In some instances this may be openly indicated by the therapist either because it is stated on their website or you are aware of them being part of that community. But it is worth taking some caution here, in some instances even if a therapist does belong to a particular community this may not be publicised or obvious to others. For example, a therapist’s own professional boundaries or privacy may determine that this is not information they wish to share about themselves. So this information may not always be clearly available, and it may be information that the therapist chooses not to share in a professional space. The flip-side of this is that you might prefer the person does not belong to that same community as you as it might help with feeling more anonymous in the space.

-          Is it necessary that your therapist is able to communicate in another language?

-          There might be other aspects of a therapists personality that are important, like humour or warmth or being directive. You might get a sense of these on the therapists website or during any emails or discovery calls with them. It is helpful to think about the things that might help you feel comfortable or to build trust.  

Financial considerations

-          What is the fee that the therapist is charging? Is this within your budget for therapy? What are the terms of payment? Do they offer Medicare rebated services or private health cover rebate if I am eligible? How many sessions do I need and does this fit with my budget for therapy? It is worth noting that the type of therapy the person offers may influence how many sessions they think is beneficial, your own goals may also dictate this so it is helpful to have a conversation with your therapist about this.  

Location

-          Would I prefer in person sessions with my therapist or do I need this? For example, with some modalities in person sessions may be preferrable.

-          Can the therapist offer online sessions and do I want this?

-          If sessions are in person, how far am I willing to travel for the sessions? Are they in an environment that I am comfortable attending? Is their parking or public transport close by?

-          Sometimes if you are looking for a therapist who works with a very specific client group or from a very specific modality you may have to consider some compromise in relation to location. 

Scheduling

-          Does the therapist offer sessions at the days or times that I can access therapy? If I am keen on a therapist who only has availability on other days, how much flexibility do I have? I have certainly faced this issue myself and at times have had to utilise remote sessions so that I can ensure I can have appointments.  

Could I get along with them?

-          After considering many of the practical things, it is important to think about if you will get along with the therapist you are considering. In saying that a rupture in therapy is actually very important and can be a moment of significant clinical importance, so you may not need to like your therapist like you would a new friend or intimate partner, but enough that you can use the sessions in a way that is authentic and meaningful for you. You might want to think about can I get along well enough with the therapist? Can I see myself being able to trust them and be open with them?  

Things that can help you explore this

Most therapists offer a discovery phone call. This is a chance for both you and the therapist to ask each other questions and as much as possible see if you are the right fit. However these are time limited and sometimes this is not long enough to be sure. So sometimes the decision making about this might occur during the sessions. It is okay to let the person know this. They will understand and not take that personally. Not everyone is going to be your cup of tea, and that is okay.

Hopefully some of the questions above will help narrow down your decision making. Also check out the persons website, send them an email and have a discovery call are all other options to see if you like the therapist. Another thing to consider is that it may take more than one phone call or session to feel like you have a relationship with the therapist. If there is not a strong no, you may want to see how things go before you make the decision.

Another thing to consider is that sometimes if we are finding we do not gel with the therapist, there could be a clinical reason for this such as countertransference or an attachment wound. It is worth discussing your feelings with the therapist, if you can, as this might be something you can explore together. It will also be helpful to come back to your aim in accessing therapy. So, if you are attending therapy for short-term, solution focused work it might not be something that is helpful to explore. However, if you are seeking therapy for some deeper, attachment based work, this response might be very beneficial to the work you want to do with the therapist and help with some deep insights.

It is also worth noting that some therapist might meet you a decide that you might be better suited to working with a different therapist. This is normal and a healthy thing for a therapist to do. It can happen for a range of reasons, there might be a conflict of interest that they can’t let you know about (to maintain confidentiality), it could also be that the thing you are wanting support with is not their area of expertise and seeing a different therapist with expertise in this area might lead to better outcomes for you. It could also be that your goals and aims do not align with the way that they work. Or it could just be that the therapist feels that you might be better suited to working with a different therapist because you do not click. This is okay too, therapists are human beings and they make that decision with both your own and their own interests in mind.

With all of the information to consider (and there is a lot) I am hopefully that choosing a therapist is a decision that you can make with some more ease. It is also important to remember that whatever decision you make is not forever, and you can always change your mind and engage with a new therapist at any time that feels right for you.