This series in three parts started with 15 Ways on How To Choose Your Therapist (Part 1).
Make sure you don’t just find any therapist close to your home or work, find one that works for you. This might take a little time and experimentation, but finding the right fit is important for your therapy to be efficient and successful.
I encourage you to consider the following ideas. Look for a therapist who:
(6) Maintains clear and healthy boundaries. Your therapist as well as you should avoid blurring the boundaries between your therapeutic relationship and personal lives. Run if your psychologist starts giving you accounting advice or tips for your next vacation. You want your accountant to do your accounting, your travel planner to plan your trips and your psychologist to assist you with your emotional distress. Maintain clear and healthy boundaries.
(7) Is emotionally stable. It can be a huge plus that a professional has experienced what you are going through since he has and brings real-life knowledge and understanding to his work. Make sure he is now in a position to help you. You do not want to start a therapeutic treatment with someone who needs help… when you are the one in need of his expertise. Seek out a therapist who is emotionally healthy.
(8) Treats you as someone he can help, not just as another case with such and such a pathology. Make sure your therapist really listens to your story, to your issues, and treats you as a human being he is going to help. Avoid the therapist quick to label you with the sole purpose of applying a technique.
(9) Is non-judgmental. Is genuinely caring and attentive to your story, your pain, your issues. Your therapist is not there to judge you, his job is to work with you to solve your problem. Avoid a therapist who might seem distant or aloof, either on the phone or during your first consultations.
(10) Provides clear office policies and pricing. It is always reassuring if you can count on clear policies from your therapist: no sex, no business other than the service you are paying for, no partying, etc. It is also normal for your therapist to either explain to you or provide you with a document detailing how they work, what you can expect from them and what they expect from you. Finally, your therapist shouldn’t be charging fees that go through the roof, just as his fees shouldn’t be too low either. Seek out a therapist who provides great value, and understand that such service also has a price.
The third and final part of this series will be available shortly.
Debra Berg, Psychologist in Paris