Finding a therapist

[~Grace~]

Ive had two therapists, one on the nhs which i then extended the sessions and saw her privately. The other was following DBT, she was my therapist during DBT and then I started seeing her privately afterwards. I stopped seeing her as I realised I wasnt ready to get well and was wasting money....Im still not at that point of wanting to get well, but i really need someone to talk to, to listen and to hear me and validate how im feeling.

Ive been looking on the BACP website for accredited therapists...but their methods/approaches confuse me.....and for some reason I really need to see their face, see what they look like, do they seem approachable to me....but there arent that many in my area with websites where i can see them...

Also, their qualifications? do i go by those...i mean if theyre on the BACP list they should be fine shouldnt they?

Has anyone else found a therapist on their own, without going through a doctor etc...where did you find yours?

whats the most important thing? their qualifications or their approaches?

Very confused.

[Stellata]

Via the UKCP book, yes. I did it by where they'd trained, and the method, as I knew exactly pretty much what I wanted/needed.

What do you need to know about methods? I can provide info on most types if you need.

[startingagain]

I see someone on the NHS, but when I was on the waiting list CMHT gave me a list of people I could see privately.

[Rhea-Billie-Tate]

Everyone who is BACP accredited will be fully qualified with a lot of practising hours under their belts so that is a good place to start.
I've always felt, and have been told by many professionals I've been involved with, that it's not the approach or the specific training (although you obviously need to feel comfortable that they have appropriate qualifications and experience) that determines the effectiveness of therapy. I absolutely believe that whether or not therapy is effective comes down to the relationship between you and the therapist. They can have all the qualifications in the world, but if the relationship isn't there or isn't genuine it pretty much means nothing.
I realise that's not at all helpful for your situation. Finding a therapist is tricky, if you feel able to I would suggest that you call a number of people listed on the BACP website who you feel might be appropriate and see how you feel about them from the conversation you have. Tell them what you want out of your sessions and if you think it's worth looking into further, arrange to see them for an initial session (which should be free) and go from there.

I see a private therapist but I didn't have to go through the process of finding her myself. I started out seeing her nearly 10 years ago at one of those young people's drop-in places that offered counselling for free as a charitable organisation. When she left there, she took me on as a private client.

Only other places I can think that might have a list of therapists in your area is your local Mind or Rethink branch if you have one? They have a lot of information so they may be able to help, and www.cpdirectory.com is another website.

[MissAnonymous]

When I was looking, I did look on the BACP and UKCP websites, but I also looked for therapy/counselling practices based on the idea that within a practice, there will be several people to choose from, plenty of scope for 'supervision' of the therapist and security that if things were not working they could find someone else within the practice who I could get on better with easily due to the fact transferring information would be simpler. Practices also normally have a sliding scale option.

I assume you are looking for a counselling based therapy, somewhere to outlet your feelings, express yourself and explore new avenues of thinking in a non judgemental place?

I think qualifications do matter, but as long as the person is accredited I think that is sufficient, what matters most is that you can get on with the person so you can be honest with them.

I know a couple of places close to where I *think* you live, if you want me to PM the details to you, let me know.

[whirlpools]

Rowie, I'm encouraged that you're making this step. I don't have any practical advice but you have my support, even if you don't feel able to make changes at the moment, you are open to considering being able to make steps one day. I think it will be good for you to have someone you can talk through your fears with.

[~Grace~]

Thank you Laura....and thank you to every one whose replied with either suggestions or words of encouragement. Im not looking intio some that have been recommended to me...so we'll see

Thank you xx