When looking for a counsellor, what do I look for? There are so many counsellors to chose from, where do I even start? Starting therapy can be overwhelming, and we don’t want it to be that way! Finding the right counsellor for you is based off one key factor – the therapeutic relationship.
This is a fancy word for being comfortable with your counsellor.
What makes a good therapeutic relationship?
Great! So, I know I need to be comfortable with my counsellor, but how do I find that? The initial contact with any counsellor can start with a call or an email. From this point of contact you can get indirect details about them such as tone, etiquette, response time, availability and of course, personality. From this point, most practitioners offer a free consultation which allows you to get to know your counsellor a bit better and get an idea if you and them will be a good fit.
What does a good fit mean?
Finding a good fits start with asking yourself some important questions. Are you comfortable talking to them? Are you willing to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly or that eventually, you could? Do you get a sense of ease when interacting with them? Do you feel they have a positive effect on you? You want to ensure that you understand how your counsellor communicates. On top of that, it’s ensuring that you feel your therapist is competent and capable of helping you with the struggles you’re facing. This could come down to their education and training, their experience, specialties or even their own lived in experiences with the struggles you yourself are facing.
Thinking about this on a deeper level, we can look at what traits the counsellor brings to the table. As the figure below shows, there are several traits that need to be present. Some of these are ones that many not be apparent, but many are traits that can present themselves as early as the initial consultation. Right away the counsellor must remain ethical and maintain confidentiality. They should show up on time to your scheduled appointment and look professional. They should be encouraging, supportive and responsive to you. Remember therapy is about the client not the counselor. They should be able to tell you about themselves but in a professional way that makes sense.
Traits of an effective Counsellor:
This therapeutic relationship isn’t something that occurs only at the beginning of therapy. This relationship is constantly present and developing as we work through sessions. It is important to check in and ensure that everything is working well in this relationship throughout the entire process. Remember that you are in the driver’s seat and you can change any aspect of therapy at any point. If things aren’t going the way you expected, feel free to speak up and let your counsellor know. If there is still an issue at hand, you can still reach out to an alternative counsellor. It doesn’t mean that therapy isn’t for you, but simply means that you and your counsellor didn’t have that ideal fit. This doesn’t mean anything is anything wrong with you or your counsellor because of it! Therapy is all about what works best for the client! So, if things aren’t working out, reach out and let us know. We may just have the right connection for you that we can refer you directly to!
Finding your fit
Now that you have an idea of one of the fundamental aspects of successful counselling – the therapeutic relationship, now it’s time to find that fit for you! At Rebound Total Health, we try to make the process of finding this fit, easy. We offer free consultations with our consultation counsellor, who is an expert at matching clients with a therapist that’s right for them. If you’re not sure where to start or who might be good for you, we can help.
Of course, there’s never any pressure or obligation to continue, meaning at any point you can stop with the process or with therapy – we also welcome you to reach out to us at any point if you’d like to change therapists, we don’t take it personally, we’re here to help you Bounce Back.
Give it a shot with a free consultation where we’ll help you find the right fit:
Book Online: https://reboundtotalhealth.janeapp.com/