How To Choose Right Therapist; What kind of person would you like to be the person with whom you can share your secrets that you have not shared with anyone before, discover the features of your personality that you do not even know about yourself, with whom you can sometimes cry and sometimes laugh? Here we are to help you how to choose right therapist.
While it is a very serious decision to accept that you have lost control of your life or that you cannot cope with your emotions alone and take a step for change, it is also very important to find the right person who will accompany you in this process. In addition to having so many options, the therapist selection process can be quite challenging as you have to evaluate dozens of factors as it is your mental health.
Before asking how to choose right terapist yourself, we have brought together for you what points you should pay attention to when choosing a therapist, the competencies that a good therapist should have, and what factors you should consider in the decision-making process.
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Titles Included in Content
Who is the therapist?
How To Choose Right Therapist; In its simplest definition, it helps you change the things you are not satisfied with in your life, protect your mental health in the face of challenging life events, or help you to know yourself and develop insight even if there is nothing difficult in your life; Persons who can use their professional knowledge and skills for this purpose and who have received professional training to guide you in this process can be called therapists. From relationship difficulties to developmental disorders; From mood problems such as stress, depression, anxiety to improving the quality of life, all subjects concerning the mental and mental health of the person fall into the working area of therapists.
A good therapist listens to you objectively and without judgment, accepts you as you are, and guides you to recognize and change negative thought patterns or situations and behaviors that you see as problems in your life. It helps you to create a roadmap on how to use your potential in the best way with the resources you have, not with advice, suggestions or examples from your own life; supports and encourages you for change.
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What are the characteristics of a good therapist?
How To Choose Right Therapist; Although many different criteria should be considered in the selection of a therapist, the American Psychological Association (APA) says that the therapist’s educational background, the relationship established with the therapist and the school he works with are the most important criteria that should be considered and researched well when choosing a therapist. Establishing a therapeutic relationship based on mutual trust with the therapist and using skills such as effective listening, reflection and empathy in the right places and at the right times are also very important for the continuity of the process and for the client to benefit from the process.
Therapist-client relationship (Therapeutic relationship)
How To Choose Right Therapist; Edward Bordin, one of the first researchers to examine the effects of the therapeutic relationship on the therapy process, says that the relationship between the therapist and the client is not only about establishing a secure bond, but also about reaching an agreement on the therapy goals and the methods used to achieve these goals.
The therapist and the client need to warm up to each other from the pre-interview process, their chemistry should hold, they should be able to communicate well, and they should be able to make each other feel that they have a mutual desire to work together. A well-established therapist-client relationship often depends on these factors:
Personality:
Your personality traits match with your therapist, you speak the same language; your relationship is friendly, honest and reliable, but at the same time the boundaries are determined with clear and sharp lines, and both parties mutually respect these boundaries.
Confidence:
Your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; creating a ground of trust where you can openly share aspects of yourself that you cannot even admit to yourself.
Authenticity:
The therapist’s being honest and sincere, avoiding artificial tone and movements while sharing what he knows with you, being an expert in his field, maintaining his modesty, being aware of his human nature and sincerely accepting the mistakes he can make from time to time.
Unconditional respect:
Respecting the client’s personality, values, beliefs, needs and wishes. Unconditional support of the client’s capacity for advancement, internal resources and effort.
Positive communication:
Communicating openly, sincerely and honestly while conveying observations about the client’s development areas.
Client’s preference and feeling comfortable:
In a way that the client can feel most comfortable during the process; the freedom to choose a therapist who can respect their personality, identity, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, race, religious belief and different aspects of their personality.
Many studies examining the relationship between the therapist and client relationship to the therapy process show that beyond the method used and how experienced the therapist is, the relationship itself can be a healing factor. In the light of the data obtained from all these research results, the report published by the APA in 2014 explains that the clients’ feeling of being supported by their therapists makes a big difference in taking steps for change and being willing to change.
Therefore, therapists need to monitor their relationships with their clients throughout the process, try to improve the relationship in case communication problems or problems with trust arise, and refer them to another specialist who can benefit the client if the relationship does not improve.
The therapist’s orientation and expertise
How To Choose Right Therapist; Another important point to consider when choosing a therapist is which orientation your therapist works with, how much experience he has in this orientation, and whether the methods and tools he uses depending on his orientation are suitable for you.
In order to work with different types of problems such as depression, anxiety, phobias, obsessions, and developmental disorders, therapists may prefer to work with any or more of the scientifically proven schools for that problem. Besides what the problem is, they may also specialize in working with only certain groups (such as a child-adolescent or a couple and family).
Child – Adolescent Therapists
They work with developmental problems in childhood and adolescence by using methods such as play therapy and art therapy developed specifically for this period. Post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity, test anxiety, impulsivity, reading disorders, sibling jealousy, peer bullying, eating disorders, sleep problems, toilet problems, behavioral problems, social withdrawal, depression, lack of confidence, anger control, nail biting Many problems specific to childhood and adolescence such as adaptation after divorce/moving/school change, anti-social behaviors, substance use, rapidly changing mood, self-confidence problems, relationship problems, dating violence are among the subjects of study of therapists who specialize in working with this age group. .
Couple and Family Therapists
In couple and family therapy, issues related to families and close relationships between couples are studied. Difficult and troublesome situations such as conflicts, violation of personal boundaries, divorce and separation, which may occur from time to time, especially in close relationships with family members such as parents, spouses and children, fall into the working area of couple and family therapists.
The aim of therapy is to improve relations by addressing these conflicts, challenging situations and processes within the family and between couples in a safe environment, in the company of a professional, with healthy communication ways, and by ensuring that each family member affected by these situations develop healthy coping and communication skills.
Divorce, marital problems, kinship relationships; loss, grief and trauma in close relationships; Many issues such as domestic violence and abuse, adoption processes, parenting skills, sexual problems, and economic difficulties are the working areas of couple and family therapists.
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What should you do when you feel that you do not have a good rapport with your therapist or that the process is not working for you?
How To Choose Right Therapist; Although you can usually understand whether you can work with your therapist at the first meeting (trust your feelings), you feel that you are not supported enough in the later stages of the therapy process and that the process is not good for you; You can end the process at the point where it is difficult for you to continue the therapy, and you can openly share all your thoughts and feelings with your therapist. In such a situation, a competent and ethical therapist will offer to refer you to one or more colleagues who they think might work better together before you request it.
If you have been working with your therapist for a long time, you can share with them the disruptions you feel in your relationship, even if it may seem uncomfortable and awkward. Remember, everything you feel and think during the process has meaning, and therapists talk about these kinds of issues with their clients very often. From time to time, clients who cannot cope with the difficult emotions brought about by the disturbing issues discussed in therapy may resist continuing the therapy. Sharing your discomfort with your therapist can bring to light various factors that may lie behind your unwillingness to continue.
How To Choose Right Therapist; In summary, if you want to get psychological support but need a guide on what to consider when choosing the right therapist; You can pay attention to which school and department your therapist graduated from, what his title is, what orientation he works with and where he got his expertise, how well you feel with him and how good the relationship you have established, and you can do preliminary research.
