How should I choose the right therapist for me?
Various thoughts come to our mind when we hear the word “Therapist” and it confuses us. Who is a therapist and what do they do? Let’s understand this.
Therapists are mental health professionals who have been trained to provide counselling, treatment, and therapy to people to overcome their present challenges. A therapist is categorised based on the kind of treatment / services they offer.
Taking therapy is daunting for most of us and often confusing to find the right therapist for oneself. It is a crucial decision to choose a complete stranger to pour your heart out to and seek clarity. As intimidating as it may seem, one needs to follow some basic steps to evaluate who is the right therapist for them:
We need to start with relating with problems or emotions to understand why are we looking for therapy? Simply ask yourself some simple questions such as:
- Do I feel anxious or overwhelmed these days?
- Am I overthinking?
- Do I feel sad / negative about things around me?
- I feel lack of energy / motivation to carry out routine stuff
- I am disconnected with everyone / I don’t feel like talking to anyone / I am surrounded with people but feel lonely
- I am stuck / I have self-doubt / I am not able to find meaning or purpose in my life
- I think I have relationship / commitment issues
- I don’t know how to be a good parent / not sure what positive parenting is all about
- Am I addicted - drugs, alcohol, screen, gambling, sleeping, eating, shopping, sex
- Any other affecting my life
If you know why you want to take therapy, the next steps are more around who should be your therapist ? Let’s break down the steps:
- Assessing the present situation. Check
- Age: Do you want to work with someone older, younger, or around your age? Does the age matter to you is also a question?
- Gender of my therapist: Depending upon people you gel with / are comfortable talking to in terms of age and gender, list down your preference. For example, I feel comfortable talking to the opposite gender and identify with people older to me as I feel they will have more experience in life. They will be able to help and guide me better.
- Approach: How a Therapist approaches any therapeutic alliance can also help you understand if it will be a good fit or would you like to try & test the waters?
- Qualifications: They should atleast have a Master’s degree in psychology or any other major to qualify them to be a therapist
- Experience: Therapists with 1+ years of in-clinic experience who have studied, trained and handled live cases are qualified to take one-on-one sessions with clients
- Specialization: Is it particularly necessary that the therapist specialized in your field of concern or it does not matter?
- Timing: Right person wrong time or Wrong person, right time; either of these situation will not work. It’s important that your therapist is available and offer you convenience.
Life is hard as it is, seeking therapy shouldn’t be. Hope this article helps you to identify the right therapist for you. You can also check out the self-assessment test where we can help you narrow down the choices for you based on your preferences.
