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Say you're having trouble overcoming guilt, grief, depression, anger, resentment, or other emotional problems and you decide you need counseling. Two factors are critical to successful counseling. One is the therapist's qualifications and credentials. The second is your relationship with the therapist.
Research shows that whether or not you like and trust your therapist is more critical to success than the method of counseling or treatment the therapist uses.
Use the following checklist to decide if the therapist you're considering is right for you.
- Summarize your problem and ask if the therapist has treated people with a problem similar to yours.
- Tell the therapist what you expect to get out of therapy, and find out what approach the therapist uses. Will the therapist's method of treatment help you reach your goal?
- Do you feel confident with the therapist's experience?
- Ask the therapist how long you are likely to need therapy. (Don't expect a quick and easy fix, though. Therapy is usually a slow process, and some problems take months to resolve.)
- Find out if your medical insurance will cover all or part of the cost of the proposed treatment. If you need marriage counseling or sex therapy, your spouse should accompany you for treatment to be effective.
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