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What to look for in a therapist: a thread.
I am often asked what to look for in a therapist and/or how to know if a therapy is the right match for you. I think there are a few key pieces to keep an eye out for:
1. Does the provider ask you what your goals are and how you (1/
I am often asked what to look for in a therapist and/or how to know if a therapy is the right match for you. I think there are a few key pieces to keep an eye out for:
1. Does the provider ask you what your goals are and how you (1/
would like to be different. Furthermore, and this is important, are they collaborative in setting goals, planning treatment, and communicating what they expect would be a helpful treatment approach? It’s important to know what you are working towards, even if this changes (2/
many times over. Furthermore, it’s important for you to be in the know about why the provider would choose, or is choosing their approach. As a consumer, thats important.
2. Do they focus on present and future functioning? Do they ask you what you would want to change in (3/
2. Do they focus on present and future functioning? Do they ask you what you would want to change in (3/
your present or future, or do they focus primarily on the past? It can be helpful to incorporate past experiences into treatment (especially in trauma-work), but this is important insofar as it it relevant to your goals for you present and future. If it feels like the (4/
provider is too focused on the past without an indication of why it may be relevant, that may something to question.
3. Do they have ways to measure progress, either through questionnaires or by measurable goals you have identified together? This is important so that you (5/
3. Do they have ways to measure progress, either through questionnaires or by measurable goals you have identified together? This is important so that you (5/
know of you are moving forward. Progress is NOT always linear, and that is it be expected, but you should have a way to know whether you are moving and the therapist should communicate that with you.
4. Does this therapist work with a skills-based approach? It is most (6/
4. Does this therapist work with a skills-based approach? It is most (6/
effective when you learn to fish rather than have fish caught for you, so best for you to learn skills from your therapist, rather than just chatting. (Chatting should be including, but skills too!)
5. Do they seem warm, human, and yet boundaried? Therapists maintain (7/
5. Do they seem warm, human, and yet boundaried? Therapists maintain (7/
boundaries not to be cold, but as a way of maintaining professionalism. More importantly, setting a (somewhat) blank space for you to make of it what you need. Yet, if the therapist is hard to connect with, you deserve better! (8/
Tip: give a therapist two/three sessions to decide if it may work (unless, of course, it was very uncomfortable, unprofessional, or clearly a poor fit) BUT, also feel empowered to try something new of this one doesn’t work out.
Remember: you deserve great care. Ask questions.
Remember: you deserve great care. Ask questions.
