How to find a good psychotherapist
Searching for a psychotherapist is not always simple.
So, you’ve decided to get help, that’s great! But now what? Finding someone to work with is the easy part. Finding someone good can get more difficult. Here are some tips to help you on your way.
1. Are they really a psychotherapist?
It is frustrating that this is the first thing to consider. But unfortunately, psychotherapy in the UK is not a formally regulated profession, which means anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist. This is also true for counsellors. So, it’s a good idea to look beyond just what someone says they are. They should have completed substantial training. It takes years, not a few weekends or a couple of hours doing an online course.
2. What is their approach?
Psychotherapists can work in very different ways while still having the same intention to help you. So if you have had some really positive experiences working with a previous therapist and want to look for something similar, finding someone with a similar approach or modality might be helpful.
For everyone who is doing this for the first time, it can be difficult to predict what to expect, so ask about this. You might also have some ideas about how it will be or what you want, so check those out too.
3. Ask them questions
Any professional psychotherapist should be happy for you to ask questions about them, their training, their experience, and how they work. Many psychotherapists will be happy to have a free initial conversation with you, which allows you to start narrowing down whether this is someone you want to work with or not.
Any professional psychotherapist should be happy for you to ask questions about them, their training, their experience, and how they work. Many psychotherapists will be happy to have a free initial conversation with you, which allows you to start narrowing down whether this is someone you want to work with or not.
4. Accreditation
Some national bodies provide accreditation for psychotherapists, meaning that a psychotherapist has undergone significant and robust training and has accrued hundreds of hours of experience. Several different organisations hold a register of psychotherapists recognised by the Professional Standards Authority, which you can see here.
These are three major accrediting bodies that are a great place to start when checking out your potential psychotherapist:
UKCP
The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. Any full member of the UKCP has been accredited by them.
BACP
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. There are different levels of membership, which can mean different things.
i. Individual member – this is someone who has completed a training course but has not yet met the further criteria.
ii. Registered member (MBACP) – this is someone who has completed a BACP-accredited training course or who has passed the BACP certificate of proficiency.
iii. Accredited member (MBACP – Accred) This level is broadly equivalent to UKCP accreditation. This is a quality status for experienced practitioners who can demonstrate high standards of competent and ethical practice. Becoming an accredited member involves a detailed application and assessment process that takes several months to complete.
iv. Senior accredited member (MBAPC – Snr Accred) This recognises a practitioner’s experience, accomplishments, and development within their specialist area.
BACP Members also have an individual badge indicating their membership status and individual number, like mine at the bottom of this page. You might see these on their directory listings or websites.
NCPS
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. The different levels of membership within NCS can be confusing, as they do not mean the same as the BACP.
i. Accredited Registrant (MNCPS Acc) - a counsellor who has met the standards for registration. Despite using the word “accredited”, this is not the same level as a BACP-accredited member or a UKCP member.
ii. Accredited Professional Registrant (PNCPS Acc) This level is broadly equivalent to UKCP accreditation. This is a counsellor who has met the standards for registration and demonstrated substantial post-training professional development.
iii. Senior Accredited Registrant (SNCS Acc)This counsellor has met the standards for Accredited Professional Registrant membership and has also gained significant further professional development.
5. Qualifications
There are various routes and training options available in psychotherapy, and qualifying does not automatically mean that someone is a great or even good psychotherapist, but it's a prerequisite for an accredited psychotherapist, as outlined above, who will usually have trained to at least an undergraduate degree level.
6. Experience
If you know that you want to look at a specific problem or difficulty, do not be afraid to ask about their experience of working with this.
7. Meet them
Talking and asking questions can only tell you so much about a person. The absolute best way to get a sense of whether you could work with someone is to meet them in whatever format you are going to be working with them. So if you want your therapy to be online, meet them online. This can be the most time-consuming (and expensive) part of the decision-making, but it is time and money well spent. The quality of your relationship with your psychotherapist is the most critical factor in your future success and benefit from being in therapy with them.
8. It's about you
This guide would be much simpler if it were possible to guarantee what would make a good psychotherapist for you. But the truth is, it is different for everyone. Training, experience, and a particular approach can all play a part. But the most essential part is finding someone who works well for you. So, that fantastic therapist someone recommended is worth checking out. But just because your friend, colleague, partner, or barista thinks they are amazing does not mean you will. And that’s OK.
Hi, I'm Justin. I'm a psychotherapist and supervisor, and the clinical lead for online psychotherapy here at enlightn.
If you're looking to start psychotherapy, you can book a free consultation to find out more.
