New to therapy

How do you find a legit therapist?

It’s important for you to know that the term therapist is not a regulated profession in the UK. That means that unfortunately anyone can call themselves a therapist, psychotherapist, counsellor etc. But fear not, because there are ways to determine if someone has had sufficient training or not. The biggest indicator is being registered to a counselling/psychotherapy organisation like the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA), and UK Counsel for Psychotherapy (UKCP) to name a few.

These organisations provide an ethical framework for practitioners to abide by and offer support, education, as well as minimum requirements for practice for those to be eligible to be members.

I am a member of the BACP and you can find me on their registry here.

How long does therapy take?

This will vary for all therapists, but for me I offer tailored plans to suit your needs in therapy. But some therapist work on more strict sessions plans. For me, I use your goals and focuses of therapy to discuss how often we might meet and for how long.

I know this answer is vague but it’s true. But I can tell you that the shortest time I have worked with someone was 8 sessions, at one session per week which meant about 2 months.

What is your experience like?

This is great question to ask potential therapists! For example, if you are looking for a couples therapist, it would be ideal for the therapist to have experience in working with couples.

I predominantly work on a 1-on-1 basis with adults only. My expertise is for the most part generalist, meaning that I have worked with an array of different things. Ages I have worked with range from 18-78 thus far.

When it comes to what I work with, I often work with navigating self-worth and relationship dynamics. Some reoccurring themes from my former clients have been:

• Low self-esteem

• Emotional blindness and suppression​

• Communication difficulties

• Anxiety disorders

• Low mood

• Traumatic experiences

My practice is open to all, including women, men, trans, and non-binary folks.

What makes a good therapist? What should I be looking for?

There are a number of things that make a therapist the right fit for you. First and foremost, a therapist should have relevant training for being a mental healthcare professional, for me that is my postgraduate diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy and my subsequent developmental training. If you can’t find a therapists training or qualification history, just ask! Some don’t post it because they have been working for so long so checking in is always worth it.

A good therapist will be open-minded, non-judgmental, and not make you feel shame or bad for what you say. It is a therapists role to provide a safe space for you to explore. Most importantly they should listen to you. 

However, it is important to remember that a therapist is an un-biased professional who is there to guide you in your journey - what this means is therapy isn't easy and sometimes sessions are hard; but a good therapist will hold the space and ensure support while navigating those sessions.

If for example, and for whatever reason, we are not a good fit I will do my best to suggest or signpost to other therapists who better meets your needs. 

What is the sliding scale for session fees?

Accessibility is important and therapy is an investment. Many therapist offer a sliding scale to help with accessible options. I use a scale myself and am currently trying to align for folks to use health insurance to cover costs as well. Students, therapist trainees, and low-income folks are eligible for reduced fees. I also take a few clients at a time who is eligible for my For All Scheme.