Whether to restore your relationship, recover from trauma, improve your mental health, or adjust to a new life, you need a good therapist to assist you in your journey. The special bond will impact your future growth and mental well-being. That is the reason you need to do a lot of research and raise queries before choosing anyone as your therapist.

Here are some ways that will help you to choose a therapist. Read on more to learn the things you must consider before choosing anyone for therapy.

A right therapist isn't a person who will only listen to your woes and give advice accordingly but the one who will help you recognise yourself. That person will try to change your negative behavioural patterns and thought processes without judging you.

Therefore, you must choose a therapist with strong interpersonal skills, years of experience and valid credentials for you to trust them completely.

There are various ways to pick the right therapist. Some of them are mentioned below:

• Insurance Directory - Your health insurance provider must have a strong network of doctors and medical professionals. Therefore, they must have a directory of therapists. You can check with them to get a list of the therapists who can accept your insurance.
• Referrals and Recommendations - You can also seek referrals and recommendations from friends who have benefitted from any therapist. Similarly, if you are seeing any doctor, you can ask them to provide a reference for any therapist.
• Reliable Online Directories - The other way to find a good therapist is to do online research where you can select them based on their speciality, education, location and experience. Some organisations maintain a proper database of licenced therapists to choose from.
• Online Platforms - There are many online platforms that want you to provide basic information on your issues so that therapists can address them during the sessions. As you provide them with the details, they will provide you with a list of therapists so you can choose among them.

Many factors contribute to choosing the right therapist. This includes their personality traits, specialisations, licensing and education, etc. However, the following are the things you must look for while choosing the right therapist:

1. Personality Fit: When looking for the right therapist, you must find someone to have a strong bond with your therapist for a successful therapy session. You cannot term it friendship but a positive connection between the two. It is necessary to trust your therapist enough to discuss your feelings and thoughts, even if they are harmful and uncomfortable. A good therapist must be a knowledgeable person with an honest and genuine personality.
2. Encouraging: They must respect you, and push you towards development with a believe in your ability to progress. When pointing out areas of your growth, the therapist must communicate openly with you. Encouraging patients to understand their situation and help them move forward should be the approach of a good therapist.
3. Observant: While picking the right therapist you must always seek someone who has excellent observation skills. A good therapist can understand deeply from your body language and your communication skills. Therefore, the power of observation is an added quality that your therapist must possess.
4. Recognise Patterns: Since most mental health problems are patterns. Hence, it is necessary for a good therapist to recognise those patterns and treat their patients accordingly.
5. Specialisation: If you are already aware what kind of therapy you need, look for therapists who have specialisation in that arena. For example, some may have special training in conducting Cognitive behaviour therapy while others in Dialectical behaviour therapy.
6. Licencing or Certification: Many people fall into the traps of fraud therapists when they do not check their licence or certification. Different therapists have different levels of certification and licensing. It means they have completed years of training to help people deal with their issues. Therefore, you must carefully look into the certificates and credentials before booking an appointment with them.
7. Ethical: Most patients fail to draw a line when sharing their feelings to a therapist. It is the job of a reliable therapist to maintain ethical boundaries and act appropriately. You must know a good therapist would never ask you to meet outside your session or overstep your personal boundaries.
8. Congruent: If a therapist is making you believe they have all the answers or manipulates you in any given situation. You must consider it as a warning sign. A good and reliable therapist would work to be themselves around their client. This is called being congruent.

However, now that you know how to choose a good therapist, you must find a therapist from a reliable source before selecting one.

As per scholars, you must resolve all your queries before choosing the right therapist. Here are some questions you must ask when choosing your therapist.

• Question about their licence and education to be sure they are ethical practitioner.
• Ask them if they have relevant experience with others with similar conditions like yours.
• Inquire about the frequency of sessions they recommend.
• Directly ask about expertise and specialisation.
• Ask your therapist about the types of therapy they offer.
• Inquire how much they charge per session.
• Ask your therapist if they accept insurance. If yes, what type of insurance do they accept?

You can seek a new therapist if you already have a therapist treating you and are not satisfied with their treatment procedure. For example, you can seek a new therapist when the present one does the following:

• Seldom listens to you and is too judgemental about your behavioural patterns.
• Provides treatment procedures that are not impactful.
• Grows impatient when you ask questions to the person or are unable to answer your queries.
• Doesn’t provide any feedback to you.