Finding the Right Therapist for You
How to choose a therapist: what to ask yourself, which professional registers to check, and what to expect from a first session.
Finding a therapist can feel overwhelming. There are so many different approaches, qualifications, and price points to consider. The quality of the relationship between you and your therapist matters more than the modality they use.
Questions to ask yourself
Before you begin searching, it can help to reflect on a few questions:
- What am I hoping to get from therapy?
- Do I have a preference for a particular approach (e.g. CBT, person-centred, psychodynamic)?
- Do I want short-term or longer-term work?
- Are there any practical considerations, such as location, cost, or availability?
Checking qualifications
In the UK, therapy is currently an unregulated profession, which means anyone can technically call themselves a therapist. Look for practitioners who are registered with a recognised professional body such as the BACP, UKCP, or BABCP.
The first session
Most therapists offer an initial consultation, sometimes free, sometimes at a reduced rate, so you can get a sense of whether you feel comfortable with them before committing to ongoing work. If something doesn't feel right in that first meeting, it's perfectly okay to try someone else.