| Psychologist | Therapist | | | | relating to counselling. |
| People often ask me, How do I choose a Counsellor? | | | | If you are seeking counselling for a specific condition, |
| How do I know what their qualifications are? I always | | | | such as anxiety or depression, ask |
| reply - Ask! | | | | - What mental health training does the counsellor |
| All reputable counsellors, psychologists, therapists and | | | | have? |
| coaches will be happy to discuss their training with you, | | | | - Was their training supervised - did they have |
| after all they are providing a service. | | | | counselling placements during training, and if so, what |
| The following questions may help you decide on how | | | | was their duration? |
| to choose a counsellor that is suitable to your needs. | | | | If you don't understand the letters some counsellors |
| Ask; | | | | put after their name, again, ask. |
| If the counsellor does not have a recognised degree | | | | What experience does the counsellor have relating to |
| or post graduate training, ask them what their training | | | | the issues you want to discuss? |
| entailed | | | | What models of therapy does the counsellor work in? |
| - How many years did the counsellor study? | | | | - Are the counsellors available models of therapy |
| - Was the course full time, or weekends, and if so, | | | | recommended for the issue you want to discuss? (not |
| how many weekends did they study? | | | | all models of therapy are suitable for all issues. There |
| - What models of therapy did the counsellor study, for | | | | are best practice issues and research that inform the |
| example, if they are advertising Cognitive Behavioural | | | | counsellor as to what model of therapy is |
| Therapy, it's acceptable to ask where they completed | | | | recommended for a certain issue.) |
| their training, again, how many years did it involve, who | | | | What to look for in the first meeting with the counsellor |
| provided the training, what professional body | | | | - Does the counsellor explain what they can offer and |
| accredited the training? | | | | how they propose to facilitate getting you from where |
| If your counsellor has a degree, ask if it is in an area | | | | you are now, to where you want to be? |