Finding a private counsellor/psychotherapist
There are many—too many—professional organisations, associations, institutes and accrediting bodies within the broad church of therapy. And there are more than 400 different kinds of therapy on offer. How to choose?
1. Search online for practitioners that have some professional affiliation and are easy for you to get to (see links below). As with gym memberships, attendance and commitment tend to be inversely proportional to the distance you have to travel to get there. Although having said that, a reasonable or even lengthy journey to and from can make the experience more of a serious commitment, bigger, more reflective, more meaningful.
2. Read what they have to say about themselves, their training, experience and their way of working. Broadly, some therapists are largely psychodynamic, which means they're interested in unconscious processes, early formative experiences, "transference"; you might be lying on a couch with the analyst behind you, out of sight, rather than sitting face to face. Some are cognitive-behavioural, using CBT to work on your symptoms practically, actively, in the here and now. Some are humanistic, taking a middle-way approach that honours, values and supports the growing and developing client and their experience (humanistic approaches include person-centred, existential, Gestalt, transactional analysis, to name just a few). Most therapists these days become integrative, finding their own unique way of working that is informed by all of the approaches above. Pay attention, too, to how the therapist looks (though of course, appearances and first impressions can be deceptive). Maybe you have an image in your mind of your ideal therapist—some preconceived ideas about what gender, age, sexual orientation, class, nationality, or ethnicity your therapist "should" be, which is fine, although it's worth challenging yourself on those ideas and remaining open-minded.
3. Once you've got a shortlist, shop around. Make a few preliminary phone calls, then some appointments. Start with an initial let's-see-if-we-can-work-together session. During the meeting, ask lots of questions and see how you feel—to me that counts for a lot more than word-of-mouth personal recommendations. Trust your instincts.
Start your search here
• British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Register (BACP): www.bacp.co.uk; www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/therapists
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy Register (UKCP): www.psychotherapy.org.uk
• Counselling Directory: www.counselling-directory.org.uk
Other organisations
• British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP): www.babcp.com
• British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC): www.psychoanalytic-council.org
• British Psychotherapy Foundation (BPF): www.britishpsychotherapyfoundation.org.uk
• British Psychological Society (BPS): www.bps.org.uk
• Royal College of Psychiatrists: www.rcpsych.ac.uk
Therapy videos
• Carl Rogers and Gloria
• Clips from the HBO series In Treatment
• Stop it!
Contact me
If you think I might be able to help you, please get in touch. Leave a message, I'll call you and we'll have a chat.
• Phone: 0203-092-0184
• Email: [email protected]
1. Search online for practitioners that have some professional affiliation and are easy for you to get to (see links below). As with gym memberships, attendance and commitment tend to be inversely proportional to the distance you have to travel to get there. Although having said that, a reasonable or even lengthy journey to and from can make the experience more of a serious commitment, bigger, more reflective, more meaningful.
2. Read what they have to say about themselves, their training, experience and their way of working. Broadly, some therapists are largely psychodynamic, which means they're interested in unconscious processes, early formative experiences, "transference"; you might be lying on a couch with the analyst behind you, out of sight, rather than sitting face to face. Some are cognitive-behavioural, using CBT to work on your symptoms practically, actively, in the here and now. Some are humanistic, taking a middle-way approach that honours, values and supports the growing and developing client and their experience (humanistic approaches include person-centred, existential, Gestalt, transactional analysis, to name just a few). Most therapists these days become integrative, finding their own unique way of working that is informed by all of the approaches above. Pay attention, too, to how the therapist looks (though of course, appearances and first impressions can be deceptive). Maybe you have an image in your mind of your ideal therapist—some preconceived ideas about what gender, age, sexual orientation, class, nationality, or ethnicity your therapist "should" be, which is fine, although it's worth challenging yourself on those ideas and remaining open-minded.
3. Once you've got a shortlist, shop around. Make a few preliminary phone calls, then some appointments. Start with an initial let's-see-if-we-can-work-together session. During the meeting, ask lots of questions and see how you feel—to me that counts for a lot more than word-of-mouth personal recommendations. Trust your instincts.
Start your search here
• British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Register (BACP): www.bacp.co.uk; www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/therapists
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy Register (UKCP): www.psychotherapy.org.uk
• Counselling Directory: www.counselling-directory.org.uk
Other organisations
• British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP): www.babcp.com
• British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC): www.psychoanalytic-council.org
• British Psychotherapy Foundation (BPF): www.britishpsychotherapyfoundation.org.uk
• British Psychological Society (BPS): www.bps.org.uk
• Royal College of Psychiatrists: www.rcpsych.ac.uk
Therapy videos
• Carl Rogers and Gloria
• Clips from the HBO series In Treatment
• Stop it!
Contact me
If you think I might be able to help you, please get in touch. Leave a message, I'll call you and we'll have a chat.
• Phone: 0203-092-0184
• Email: [email protected]