Choosing a Counsellor
Choosing a counsellor may seem like a daunting task especially if you are already feeling nervous and vulnerable just deciding to take this step to seek therapy.
We understand this and hope that our process will make it easier. On this page, we have tried to build a bit of a roadmap for starting you with one of our therapists and give you some things to think about as you choose.
Three things will be important in your decision.
- Information you gather about the therapist.
- How you feel in their presence.
- Does their style/approach work for you?
Gathering Information.
Each of our therapists has a bio page where you can begin to get some ideas of how they work, the training they have, and general life experience. Take a look and see who you feel drawn to or interested in as you read their information.
Meet the Therapist
Once you have researched this information and narrowed it down we offer up to 2 free 1/2hr consultations. In this way, you get to compare if there is more than one you want to check out before booking.
This can be an online/phone or in-person contact. Think about some questions you might ask to get a sense of them and how you feel in their presence. We usually know pretty quickly if we feel comfortable in someone's presence even if we feel nervous. Here are some questions you might ask but are not limited to.
Ask Questions
Here are some suggestions of the kind of questions you could ask.
- What typically happens in one of your sessions?
- How would you work with ________?
- What is your availability?
- I need someone who _____, is this you?
- Do you think people can change and how does therapy help?
- How might you challenge a client you are working with?
These questions may spark others that you have.
Is The Approach Important?
Simple answer is yes and no.
Counselling is based on a relationship and like all relationships some fit and some don't. With so much information about different approaches, it can be easy to get caught up in the latest fad. This can feed our need to find the answer to our pain and we just have to find the right approach.
Here at Turning Point Therapy, we believe that you can learn something from any approach and there is no particular approach that is right for say, trauma or depression, despite what your Doctor or friend might say. Most of our therapists work from a combination of approaches they have been trained in and fit for them and their style. All of our therapists have experience working with trauma of various kinds. Some have training in working with couples and families.
Having said that, at Turning Point Therapy we tend to work from approaches that fit into an Experiential and Relational focus. We engage in talking through things as well as times we are guiding an awareness exercise or mindfulness exercise in session. There is often a focus on slowing down and reflecting on what we notice in our bodies, emotions, or thoughts. Check out our main approaches and which therapists have specific training.
It is important to work with someone whom you feel comfortable with and confident in their experience and from there does their approach make sense to you?