Interviewing to Find a Therapist is Rarely Quick and Simple

Interviewing to Find a Therapist is Rarely Quick and Simple

This is a very interesting, but in my opinion a somewhat flawed article on how to find a therapist.  The author does a great job describing the dilemmas facing people when they want to find a therapist.  The biggest problem is that they are in a time of great stress and are seeking help that requires them to be at their most vulnerable.  If you’re going to go out pay someone to see you at your most vulnerable you definitely want to make sure it’s the right person.

The place where the author of this article loses me is when they say that the solution is to talk to and meet with a handful of therapists before choosing one.  I realize that this advice is given all the time, and that some people actually do interview a number of therapists before choosing one.  It’s exhausting however, and a fair number of inquiries I receive are from people who have started interviewing therapists and are frustrated and exhausted by the process. Most people are cringing when they pick up the phone to call even one therapist. They are very invested in the therapist being “the right one” for them and when he or she isn’t what they had hoped for it’s a real let down.

Compatible Counseling Solutions was created as a way to help the client through this process and link them with someone that will be a good match for them the first time. My goal is always to make this tough task a little less stressful for the client and leave them with a better sense of where they’re going and what they need.

If you want to try the search and interview process, the article below gives you some good places to start. In the end, though, the information and biographical statements provided on websites and in directories may not get you to the right therapist very quickly.  You’ll still have to rely on your feelings to guide you, as the traits that will repel you from a particular therapist are rarely apparent on paper.  In my next posting I will discuss the characteristics I look for and the questions I ask when looking for therapists for my network.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-18/health/sc-health-0118-therapist-20120118_1_therapist-practice-executive-director

 

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