Choosing the right therapist
As you go through the
process of choosing the therapist that will best serve your needs, trying
to first decipher the confusing array of academic degrees, licenses, and
certifications used in the psychology profession can seem daunting, to say
the least. You also might be worried about making a wrong choice and these
concerns can be heightened by the fact that when you're in emotional pain,
you want help and you want it right away.
Wisdom, empathy, compassion and character are all attributes you'll want
your therapist to have, but they aren't enough. Knowledge and good
professional training are essential. You will want a therapist who has
acquired all of the following:
- Intensive
academic study in a field of mental health.
A good, competent therapist starts with a master's or a doctorate in a field of mental health (e.g., MA, MS, MSW, PhD, Psy.D, MD). - Supervised
clinical experience.
It is important to know whether or not the therapist you are considering choosing has completed an extensive psychotherapy training program ("clinical training"). This could have been part of their academic degree, or it could have been a separate postgraduate program. Some MA's and PhD's have academic knowledge about psychological research or medication, but have never had actual training or practice in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy cannot simply be learned out of a book or in a classroom. You want a therapist who has also benefited from supervised training. - Certification
or registration or licensure.
Following their successful training, the therapist is pronounced worthy by an authority to which they will then be accountable. This can be a government licensing board, or some other credentialing organization.
Individuals
often wonder if they would do better with a female or a male therapist.
Trust your instincts to determine if the gender of the therapist is a
significant issue for you. It could be that the nature of your particular
problem, as well as your own preferences, will lead to a decision that is
best suited to you. For example, a woman who was sexually abused by her
father may decide she feels more comfortable working with a woman
therapist. While the therapist's age and cultural background are certainly
not determinates of their capacity for empathy or their skill at providing
effective therapy, these may be characteristics that you have either an
intuitive or preferential response to. Choose what feels right for you
personally.
As you evaluate a potential therapist, there are some specific questions
to ask that can provide valuable insight into how good a match they are
for you. You can ask for further details during the initial meeting.
As
indicated above and in the training and experience section, Dr. Goldberg
is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has undergone intensive training
and supervision.
Basic questions to ask that will help you decide if a therapist is right
for you include:
- "What
expertise do they have with my type of problem?"
Although the therapist doesn't necessarily need to have had experience in helping with your exact problem, she or he should be at least familiar with your type of situation and be prepared to tell you how they've helped others in similar circumstances. - "What
do they think is usually the cause of most people's problems?"
There are many ways to approach people's problems. Depending on their personal background, training, and preferences, therapists attribute problems to different sources. Some look to childhood events, some to the interrelationship of family members, others to faulty thinking, bad habits, or societal and cultural influences. Make sure your therapist's beliefs are at least somewhat in sync with your own views. - "What
is their fee?"
If you have no mental health insurance coverage, or you must pay a portion of the fee out of pocket, determine if you are able to comfortably afford the therapist's fee. During the first session, you and the therapist will determine an approximate length of therapy necessary to help with your particular issues and goals which will provide you with a "ballpark" figure for the total cost of therapy. - "What
would my appointment schedule be?"
If time is a factor (e.g., if your only availability for appointments is on Monday evenings, or every other week), you should make sure that the therapist can accommodate your requirements—and will be comfortable working with you on that basis.
Although
you might be feeling nervous during this initial conversation with the
therapist, it can still offer an opportunity to evaluate how clearly you
are able to communicate with one another and how the rapport feels.
Remember, you are the one doing the choosing.
During your first meeting with the therapist, pay attention to how you
feel in their presence and in the therapeutic setting they've created.
Note how "listened to" you feel and how their style of
responding to you and sharing information makes you feel. Although making
yourself vulnerable to another human being is always anxiety provoking,
observe how you feel as the session progresses, including changes in your
level of ease and shifts in the depth of information you reveal.
It's important to remember that therapy is a much, much richer experience
than just problem solving. The foundation of good therapy is the
relationship you and the therapist build together. Because this
relationship is going to be so crucial to the effectiveness of your
therapy, it is essential you find someone with whom you feel a comfortable
connection, someone who makes you feel understood and accepted, a
therapist who creates and maintains an environment within which you can
feel safe to explore even the most deeply felt sources of pain or
conflict. Choose a therapist with whom it feels very right to establish
such a life-changing and life-enhancing relationship. You deserve the best
possible therapy experience.
Please call (703) 550-4848 for additional information or to schedule an appointment. For directions to my office location click HERE
FURTHER INFORMATION
