Is Your Therapist Professional?
When selecting a therapist to work with, it’s vital that you check things thoroughly. Here are an informal “Top 10” of things to check before embarking with your therapist:
- What are their qualifications? It is vital that your new psychotherapist or counsellor is competent to be doing the work you are needing. I would want to know the level of their qualifications and for how many years have they been practising?
- Are they a member of a professional organisation? As it stands in August 2013 anyone can call themselves a “psychotherapist” or “counsellor” – they are not protected job titles. Because of this it is vital to check to see if your therapist belongs to a recognised and respected professional organisation for example: UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) or BACP (British Association for Counselling or Psychotherapy) or BABCP (British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies).
- Do they subscribe to a recognised mainstream code of ethics?
- Do they submit to a recognised mainstream complaints and resolution process?
- Are they committed to professional development?
- Do they offer you clear terms of business – ideally in the form of a written arrangement?
- Do you get a sense that they are connected to the profession? GP’s are encouraged not to practice on their own and to belong to a group. It is the same for therapists that they are encouraged to belong to professional networks, organisations or to expose themselves to some accountability.
- TA would always be interested in clear, open communication and a sense that both parties are OK – that both parties can think and change and be responsive to the situation. Do you get a good sense of collaboration from your new therapist?
- What is their experience around your specific difficulty?
- Do you feel safe and respected in the therapeutic space?
I hope that this list will help you to find the right person to work with – needless to say, I feel that I and my colleagues at The Horsforth Centre can safely say that we tick all these boxes. These are also the standards that are upheld by the vast majority of professional colleagues in Leeds.