How do I choose a therapist?

Choosing a therapist can be daunting, it doesn't matter if it's your first time or your 5th time. I know this because recently I needed to look for a new therapist after the therapist I had been working with for a long time needed to retire.

The first thing to think about (aside from ensuring that they are registered with a governing body) is whether there are any specific qualities you want your therapist to have. In terms of where to search BACP's own therapist directory or The Counselling Directory are both good starting points. I decided that this time I wanted to make sure that I found a disabled therapist, for the same reason I became a therapist, because I believe as a disabled person you can give another disabled person a level of understanding that a non-disabled therapist would not be able to reach.

Once you have found a therapist you are interested in an intro call gives you an opportunity to see how you feel talking to them and don't be scared to have more than one. It is definitely useful to have bullet points of what you want to cover in the intro call. Are there any access requirements you want to talk about? If it's face to face is their space accessible to you? If it's online what platform do they use? How often would you be having sessions? One of the last but possibly most important things to discuss is fees. What is the fee for each session? Do they offer reduced fees if that is a barrier for you? Remember it's okay to have an intro call with more than one therapist.

If you book your first session with someone and by the end it doesn't feel right it's okay to try again, therapy is for you, so you need to feel comfortable with the person you choose. The therapeutic relationship is an important one, so when you're thinking about next steps think what would I say to my best friend?

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