When you are struggling with anxiety, depression, the impacts of trauma, or even general stress, life transitions, and relationship problems, and you decide that it is time to seek professional help, clinician training and experience matter. If you are seeking a therapist, here are some questions that can help you find the right fit:
Do you offer a complimentary phone call for new clients?
Speaking to a therapist in person before you commit can help you get a feel for the therapist as an individual. Do they sound friendly? Are they responsive? Do they appear knowledgeable? Is this someone you can imagine yourself trusting and sharing difficult aspects of your life with? If no, keep looking for the right fit for your needs.
How long have you been working as a therapist?
After obtaining a master’s degree, I recommend that any therapist work consistently with a supervisor or consultant for the first five years of their careers. This level of supervision and training is required for all psychologists, psychological associates, and psychiatrists in Ontario, but is not required for social workers, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, or physicians. Truly mastering the art and science of psychotherapy takes time and study. If you are going to spend the time and money to see a therapist, seek someone who is well-trained or has ongoing consultation with an experienced provider.
Have you worked with issues like mine before? Was treatment successful?
It is helpful to work with a clinician who is already experienced in working with the kinds of changes you are seeking to make (or who has a supervisor who is overseeing their skill development).
Can you describe to me the way that you work?
There are many ways of approaching change in psychotherapy. See if the way this person works makes sense to you and whether their approach sounds like something that may be helpful to you. If a therapist is not able to articulate how they seek to effect change in therapy, they are probably still working on developing their skills in this area.
What is the evidence that the kind of treatment you provide works?
At this point, there is a very large body of research on psychotherapy helping us to understand what works and how. A clinician who can articulate this evidence-base is more likely to have excellent training.
If you are interested in reading more about what we know about how change occurs in therapy, I welcome you to take a look at my blog – how and why therapy works.
At Transforming Emotions, we have a wide range of therapists including psychologists, psychological associates, social workers, psychotherapists, and closely supervised student therapists. We select clinicians at TE who are passionate about life-long learning, and all team members have access to consultation with a senior team member along with professional development opportunities.
