Therapy | Finding the Right Therapy + Therapist

Guide to Finding the Right Therapy +Therapist 

Moore & Moore Living

Choosing a therapist these days for some can feel like a swiping exercise. Similar to online dating but a different kind of relationship. Some clients report having had various therapists over a period of time but things didn't quite come together and it just wasn't quite right but they couldn't put their finger on it. Finding the right therapist is really crucial to getting the most out of the experience and making those all important desired changes to assist you to live the life you aspire. 

1) Suffering from Depression or an Anxiety Disorder - Look for a registered Cognitive Behavioural Therapists (British Association for Behavioural + Cognitive Psychotherapies - BABCP) or Clinical Psychologist (British Psychological Society - BPS). The BABCP website has a registered Therapist list you can search by location. Look for one that specialises within the problem area you are experiencing and check for experience post qualification. Specialised CBT Therapists/Clinical Psychologists may also have trained in other contemporary approaches within CBT including Acceptance + Commitment Therapy (ACT), Functional Analytical Psychotherapy (FAP), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Eye Movement Sensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR). The Therapist will assist with any recommendations of medication which can be managed by your GP along side therapy for maximum results where relevant. 

2) Suffering from Bi-Polar, Schizophrenia or Personality Disorder - Look for a Psychiatrist/Therapist that specialise within these areas and have considerable experience. The Therapist will assist with any recommendations of medication which can be managed by a Psychiatrist along side therapy for maximum results and stabilisation. 

3) Start Vetting - Don't be afraid to do a full social media and background check. On their main website or page, look for registration details and indication of continued professional development, professional standards of clinical practice and client reviews. You want to get an experience of other clients who have gone through the therapeutic experience with good outcome recovery. After all, you want to be reaching those therapy GOALS!

4) Connection - See if you gravitate towards their bio including practice values and profile image. Obviously, it is not a dating site but feeling potential that you can connect with the Therapist as early on in therapy as possible is priceless. Is this someone you can be open with?

5) Initial Face to Face/Online Assessment - Key areas to be identified include area for therapy focus/problem area, collaboration of treatment plan, outline + frequency of sessions and treatment duration, therapy goals, use of measurement of change (questionnaires etc) and the space for end of assessment questions, feedback and reflections from therapist and client.

6) Reflections - Does the Therapist facilitate a professional space of safety, confidentiality, openness, hope for change, honesty, compassion, lack of judgement, mindful presence (not checking their phones etc - sadly this does happen) and creates opportunities for empowerment to change and collaboration together in reaching your identified goals?