Choosing your therapist.

Once you have decided to see a therapist regarding your problem you need to decide if it would be more comfortable talking with a man or a woman. There is no one therapist who is perfect for everybody and the choice must be yours, to whom you can open up, be frank and totally honest about what has happened and what is happening in your life.

A doctor would not tell a patient he must see a particular psychological therapist he/she will give a list of therapists who might be able to help, or suggest the patient do an internet search for someone in his local area. The patient would then do telephone interviews with the therapists, looking at the tone of voice, the feeling of empathy and their availability. Importantly it is the nature of the therapist’s relationship with the client that enables change.

Most therapists are skilled in differing therapies and can bring the right kind of therapy to the patient, understanding where the problem is coming from, is it a pattern in his/her life or is it relatively recent anxiety or onset of depression. The causes are varied and need to be investigated by the therapist and discussed with the patient before treatment would begin.

Some clients will leave during the first feeling of well-being and some might even maintain the improvement, but no underlying change will have taken place. If the client sticks with therapy at this point real work begins.

However, a therapist cannot eliminate all of life’s uncertainties and the problems of living, but can bring into focus what is not working and with guidance the patient will find the answers to resolve the problem or how to manage their problem by using skills taught by the therapist. It is to be expected there will be improved capacity for self-management, increased self-knowledge and self-acceptance.

For ongoing therapy many people are able to claim on their work insurance or personal insurance. In a few cases the insurance company will ask for a doctor’s referral, your doctor will be able to give you a referral to a psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor for the therapist of your choice.

Johanna Richmond Psy Dip,

Social Psychologist

BACP Accredited Psychotherapist and Counsellor

Cognitive Behaviour Clinic

Tel: 050 3458076