1) Registered with professional body
The first thing to always is check when choosing a therapist, are their professional qualifications and professional body registrations. There are different registers that therapists must be a member of in order to practise. I am a fully registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (the BACP), the largest body.
2) Experience
Every therapist should be committed to their continued professional development. Feel free to ask how they have expanded their range since qualification. In my case, I have continued to develop my skills to work with trauma, grief, young people and gender specific issues in the last couple of years alone.
3) Approach
There are various approaches that a therapist may use, so it is important that any therapist you choose works with an approach appropriate for you. This can depend on your previous experience or on the issues you wish to explore. Feel free to ask your therapist about their approach to the work and continued professional deployment.
I am an integrative therapist which means I utilise several different approaches in how to help support my clients. My main approaches are:
- Person-centred
- Psycho Dynamic
- Transactional Analysis
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
I also incorporate techniques from other schools of therapy depending on what works for you. Primarily, I practise “Talking Therapy” which means the focus is listening to you, hearing what you need and supporting you make the changes in your life to real well being.
4) Trust
Therapy cannot work unless you feel as though you are working with the right person. Sometimes a therapist is simply the wrong fit for you, not because of any fault with them, it just doesn’t “feel right” so you can’t trust them or the process. Be honest about this, to yourself and your therapist. Sticking with one that doesn’t feel right can leave a bad impression of what therapy can offer, meaning you miss out on the benefits and support.
5) Cost and Frequency
Each session lasts 50 minutes and costs £50. How many sessions we work together depends completely on you and the benefit you feel from our work together. At different times people request weekly sessions others they like to “check in” less frequently. Work can be for one or two sessions or longer, depending on what suits you.
