Whether for deep rooted personal issues or to save a marriage, many people at some point in their lives find that they need counselling services.
Finding a counsellor who is convenient to one's home, school or office is almost as important as assuring they are good at what they do, simply because counselling requires a number of sessions to effective.
Picking a counsellor is a very personal thing too, so interviewing a number of counsellors before settling on one is important.
Finding local counselling services really boils down to a couple factors: Get referrals from various sources While it may be difficult, asking trusted friends and family members is the best way to find a quality counsellor.
If they have had to go down the counselling road themselves, they will be able to easily tell you the good and bad of counsellors they have used.
For example, even if marriage counselling is not successful, the person involved will know whether the counsellor is good or not based on the experience.
Another place to seek a referral is from your physician.
They will have experience with other patients who have sought counselling services as well as most likely knowing some personally, whether through their practice or through networking that the counsellor has done.
Finally, looking through web sites and directories of local counsellors can help at least build up a list of potential therapists and some sites even have ratings for them.
Prioritise based on location Because getting counselling is a long term commitment, finding a quality counsellor who is convenient is incredibly important to the healing process.
If it is stressful to simply get to each appointment, the person seeking therapy is less apt to return and also more resistant to the efforts and goals that the therapist is putting into place.
The person seeking therapy will be more likely to skip appointments if it is inconvenient, especially if their therapy sessions are uncomfortable anyway.
Interview each of them Speaking with the therapists is important in making sure that the person seeking therapy finds one who they will be able to work with.
Finding out what the therapist believes is the best approach to therapy as well as finding out how open minded they are about various issues that may arise during the counselling sessions before hand will help the person and the counsellor better see eye to eye during sessions.
Getting to know the therapist's personality is important too.
The counsellor who almost feels like a friend, will at times be the best asset or the biggest detriment to the person seeking therapy, depending on the issues that counselling is being sought for, as well as the personality of the person seeking therapy.
Some need the feeling of friendship to open up whereas others will feel that because of that friendship connection that they do not need to work as hard as they would otherwise with a therapist who acts more like an authority.
In other words, the therapist needs to be a proper fit the person's personality and how they work.
An interview is a great way to start, however, at times finding a counsellor may require a couple visits to determine if they are a good fit.