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On choosing a therapist
Choosing a therapist is one of the most difficult question that patients are facing in recent times. One therapist's answer has received a strong enough response that he offers it to anyone considering therapy, along with links to other relevant sites, including some from the American Psychological Association.
Recommendations on choosing a therapist:
Having a therapist recommended to a person is a good place to start with, but even this can be a bit tricky.
For example you are undergoing a surgery and you're considering a particular surgeon. His operating room success rate will be widely known in the hospital, physical therapists and patients may talk freely about whether he is innovative or has all the relevant knowledge and as to how much aggressive he is in pursuing after-care procedures, how he relates to his patients.
Psychotherapy, by contrast, is completely confidential and most patients do not even want anyone to know they are in psychotherapy. Reliable information will be much harder to come by. So consider the source: the best recommendations come from people you trust who either themselves were actually in treatment with the therapist or else are themselves practitioners in the psychotherapy field, to be precise “people you trust.”
A Deep Connection - Problem areas and Understanding
Now let us take one situation wherein you are all on your own, without a recommendation. In that case what do you look for? Some therapists whom you can relate to? Someone whom you can trust? Research in the area of psychotherapy is difficult to do and often inconclusive but one strong finding consistently emerges: patients who find psychotherapy helpful say the most important part of therapy is the relationship with the therapist.
It is very important, firstly to find someone who can understand you and your problem. A therapist with whom you can be comfortable with, a warm person, someone easy to talk to and whom you feel is actively enganged with you in open conversations. To be precise a person who can interact with you and build a strong relationship of a family therapist.
Now coming to the point, that relationship alone is not enough, but while your therapist conducts his therapy, that should be free flowing like a river, i.e. the ideas should be free flowing between the patient and the therapist. And without which this deep connection everything else, even insights or wisdon, will seem to be empty words.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
There are a few questions that will help you decide whether a therapist is right for you or not:
1. "What expertise do they have with your type of problem?"
Although the therapist doesn't necessarily need to have had experience in helping with your exact problem, they should
be atleast familiar with your type of situation and be prepared to tell you that they have helped others in similar
situations.
2. "What do they think is usually the cause of most people's problems?"
There are usually many ways to approach to problems of individuals. A variety of factors must be considered
while tackling problems of people viz, their personal backgroud, training and preferences, culture, age, family
background, preferences, tastes - therapists attribute problems to different sources. Also therapists looks at the
childhood events and the relationship of the person with his or her family members too.
3. "What would your appointment schedule be?"
If time is a factor you should make sure that your therapist can accommodate your requirements according to your daily
schedule and give your appointments accordingly.
Remember, always keep in mind the most important key to having a good therapy experience . . . Find a therapist you feel comfortable with talking to and feel he or she is helping you work through your problems. Therapy isn't meant to be easy, so if it is, that might be a sign that your therapist or you are not working hard enough. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself on this important issue and change therapists as often as need be until you find the right fit.
Good luck!
Article Sources:
http://choosingatherapist.net/
http://www.4therapy.com
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