For many people, reaching the point where they seek help for their mental health is a huge step. Once they've decided they're ready, they might want to dive straight in. But after doing some Googling, scrolling through various websites and trying to make sense of the different training, therapy models and specialisms being advertised by the hundreds of different therapists out there, it can feel like a daunting task. How are you supposed to know who to go to? Who is qualified to help? Who will be able to get you to where you want to be?
There are a few questions you can ask yourself to try to simplify this task. These questions will help you to narrow down your options, hopefully enabling you to identify the right therapist for you. Once you have thought through these questions, you might be in a better position to reach out for help in a more targeted way. As a disclaimer: I am using the word therapist as a general term; this refers to a range of different professionals who offer talking therapy, including (but not limited to) psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, psychotherapists and family therapists.
Questions to ask yourself before reaching out to a new therapist
Which professional is best suited to you?
Talking therapy can be delivered by lots of different professionals, all of whom have different training that is suited to different people, situations and problems. Determining the most suitable professional can be tricky, as it depends on a range of factors, including whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health problem, whether you are seeking help for yourself as an individual or a couple/family and what you are looking to get out of the process. You can use the flow chart below to help you to figure out the type of support you might need.
A note on coaching: This is a type of support that has significantly increased in popularity in the last decade. Although they can appear similar, coaching is not the same as therapy. Coaching is a useful option for people who are not experiencing a mental health problem and are looking for some help to optimise performance or reach goals in their life. Some psychologists are also trained in coaching, but it is a different type of intervention and this will be made clear at the outset.
What is the problem that you are looking for help with?
You should make sure that the therapist you work with has the right training and expertise to help you with the problem you are experiencing. When working with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or PTSD, the therapist should be drawing on the latest available research to make decisions about how to treat symptoms. Some therapists may specialise in a particular type of problem or therapy; you might want to look for someone who specialises in the difficulty you are experiencing (e.g. OCD, fertility issues, bereavement) to ensure that they will understand your difficulties and are able to offer the most suitable and effective help.
What is your financial situation?
If you are accessing support in the private sector, you should be aware that fees range widely depending on the practitioner's level of training and experience. There are also regional variations (practitioners in Central London tend to charge higher fees). Many practitioners charge slightly more for face-to-face appointments. You might be claiming via your insurance company; if so, you should check that the therapist is registered with your insurance company and that sessions are fully covered. If you are self-funding, make sure that there is transparency around fees from the start and that you can afford the full course of treatment. Most therapists will be happy to discuss this and to come to an arrangement that works for you. If you cannot access support privately, consider reaching out to your GP or to charities such as Mind to see what free or low-cost support is available in your area.
Is the therapist appropriately qualified?
If you are seeking support from a mental health professional, you must ensure that they are appropriately qualified to deliver the kind of support you are looking for. Different professionals are regulated under different professional bodies/regulators; it is important to check the name of the professional against the relevant register to make sure that their professional registration is in place. In the UK, the titles "counsellor", "psychotherapist" and "psychologist" are not protected, so anyone. can use these titles even if they don't have any training. As a rough guide:
Is the therapist a good fit for you?
For the therapy process to be effective, you need to be able to develop a strong, trusting relationship with your therapist. This means that you need to "gel" with them and feel that you can connect with them in a way that allows you to be honest and open in your sessions. Not every therapist is for everyone, and that's OK. When you have a screening call with a therapist (and most therapists will offer this for free), this will give you a chance to get a feel for their personality, communication and working style.
What type of therapy do you want?
There are lots of different ways of approaching a problem in therapy, each of which involves a very different experience of therapy. Some approaches will place more emphasis on the past, trying to understand the root causes of symptoms or patterns in your life. Other approaches will be more present-focused, examining current thoughts and feelings and offering strategies and tools to help you to cope with things differently. Some approaches are more unstructured, with the therapist holding a space for the conversation to go where you take it, whereas others are more directive, with a clear agenda for sessions. The choice of approach will depend on a few things:
What the latest research suggests works best for your problem
The therapist's training and experience
Your preferences
Before contacting therapists, it is useful for you to think about which approach sounds most appealing to you. Psychology Today has useful information on lots of the different types of therapy that are available. That said, it can be daunting for someone who is new to therapy to be faced with so many different ways of working. If you would prefer to be guided by the therapist, you can think about your answers to the following questions to help you to have some ideas prepared before you speak to a therapist on a screening call:
Are you interested in tools/strategies or exploration/understanding (or a bit of both?)
Are you looking for a short-term treatment or something more long-term?
Are you open to exploring past experiences and the impact these have had on your current symptoms?
Are there specific outcomes or goals you are interested in reaching, as a result of therapy?
Your therapist should then be able to guide you on what this means for sessions, and whether they would be the right person to offer what you are looking for.
Which format do you prefer?
During the pandemic, most therapists had to adapt to online working. For many people, this offered a convenient way of working that removed barriers to access for lots of clients, and many therapists have continued to offer online therapy. The convenience of online therapy might hold some appeal for you, and online work has been proven to be an effective means of delivering therapy. However, many people would prefer to experience therapy in a face-to-face format. Before contacting a therapist, think about which of these you would prefer so that you can reach out to therapists who offer therapy in your chosen format.
Finding the right person to help: Where to look?
I hope the questions above help you to narrow down your search for a therapist. If you have more of an idea of what you're looking for, you can use the following directories and resources to help you to find someone:
Psychology Today is a directory for registered therapists of any type. You can find psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists there, filtering for location and different preferences such as format, specialisms and insurance coverage.
Counselling Directory also allows you to search for counsellors and other types of therapists. You can filter your searches to match your preferences.
The BACP also has a searchable register of therapists
If you have insurance coverage, you can check the register of therapists for your insurer (e.g. Bupa, Axa, Vitality etc). They will be able to tell you which therapists are pre-approved for treatment under your policy.
You can use a Google search to look for therapists who can offer the type of treatment you're looking for. Choose your search terms carefully to narrow down the results to the most suitable practitioners; for example, you can write "EMDR therapy for trauma in Birmingham" or "online psychologist specialising in OCD". If you are using Google to find someone, just remember to check their registration with the relevant professional body.
Does this post help you to narrow down your search? Considering therapy for yourself and want to know if we can work together? Get in touch now so that we can explore what might work best for you.
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