Find the Right Counselor for You
If you are shopping for a counselor in today’s market, you have many wonderful folks from whom to choose. In fact, there are so many counselors available to you that making a decision might feel overwhelming. Yet, you can select the right counselor for you, and your choice is critical to fuel your counseling goals.
Research consistently points to the client-counselor relationship as a critical component of the client’s progress. It would seem that if you were to select a counselor who felt right--someone you vibed with--then you could just quickly make progress and achieve your goal. Maybe that is true, and perhaps other factors might be considered in this all-important counseling decision, too. Within, let’s explore some other factors that might contribute to your counselor selection decision.
Start with the End in Mind
So, how do you do it? How does one decide on the counselor who is right for them? I suggest starting with the end in mind. Ask yourself: What is it that I am trying to accomplish by participating in counseling? The goal you seek to achieve can help you to identify the counselor who is right for you because all counselors have a personal style that they bring to the session. Some counselors are going to push you more than others. Some may hold you accountable for achieving your stated goal. Others may focus on misalignments between your behaviors and what you say is important to you. If you know what you seek to accomplish in counseling, your goal can help you find someone who is right for you when you need them, even if your goal is a bit vague.
Take Time to Shop Around
There are so many highly-qualified, highly trained counselors that the decision can feel daunting. Most counselors will advertise that they use evidence-based techniques, which nearly all do for ethical and legal reasons. The challenge is to pare down your options and rule out counselors who do not align with your endgame. The good news is that there is much information online to help you figure out who is the right partner for you.
You can start with online directories. You can go to the tried and true Psychology Today website to “find a therapist.” On Psychology Today, you can even get a feeling for potential counselors by watching their introduction videos.
You have a sea of counselors from which to choose. While you can find my Psychology Today directory listings and introduction video online, I know that I am not the right counselor for every person. So, I would like to encourage you to take the time to watch counselor videos and read profiles. If you find a counseling profile or video that seems right for you but feel hesitant, ask for a free, 15-minute consultation to learn more about the counselor and their approach to therapy. You can make the most out of an initial consultation by coming equipped with a set of questions.
Know What You are Getting Into
One of the biggest questions you may have to think about when selecting a counselor is the type of counseling the counselor provides. How does the counselor work? The type of counseling a counselor offers is called a modality. Knowing counseling “modalities” is something that you may have never needed to consider. Some counselors may not identify the modalities they use because they incorporate techniques from across the board. Others may strictly use one modality. I primary practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a third-way cognitive-behavioral therapy. ACT focuses on helping you accept painful thoughts, feeling, and bodily sensations so you can move on and live a values-guided, fulfilling life. I also incorporate Psychodynamic Therapy, the old Freud stuff modernized, and Internal Family Systems Therapy and Humanistic Therapy. Yet, the modalities available to you are seemingly endless. Take some time to learn about a counselor’s modalities to ensure you are best supported to achieve your counseling goal.
It is important to note that counseling is not a walk in the park. It takes work. Your counselor may challenge you. You could feel uncomfortable, and that is okay. Depending on what you seek to accomplish, you do not even have to trust your counselor to do the work together. As a counselor, I think of my job, much like a museum guide, and your job is the artist. I help you explore your creations. You show up, be you, and do the work.
Show Up and Do the Work
As I hope I have implied, counseling can be challenging, especially when you start the process. You can feel worse before you feel better, which is important to know before starting your counseling path. Also, there are no guarantees in counseling. It’s hard work. Yet, it seems that those who do make progress know that they are ready to do so. If you are prepared to get moving on your forward path, then request a free, 15-minute consultation to see if we are an excellent match to get you focused on a clear path forward.