• FAQ’s: About Therapy
• FAQ’s About Treatment & Rehab

FAQs Therapists

Deciding on which therapist to choose involves a number of factors, what are their areas of expertise and do they match your needs? Is their practice based near to you making it easy for you to visit them on a regular basis? And most importantly you being confident of their skills to work with them.

Below we have listed various Frequently Asked Questions and Considerations to assist you in identifying the best therapist for you and your needs.

Considerations

• Inquire to the potential therapist's education, training, licence status, and membership in a professional organisation for that licence. You may check online with the appropriate association to see if the therapist is licensed with them, and also if there has been any disciplinary action taken against that particular therapist.
• Is the therapist experienced in working with issues similar to yours?
  While it is certainly not necessary for a therapist to have personally experienced whatever you are going through, you need some reassurance that what you are bringing to the table is not beyond the scope of competence of the therapist.
• Notice how you feel when in the presence of the therapist.
  • Are they someone you can imagine seeing regularly and feeling respected by and comfortable with?
  • Does the therapist pay attention to you? Is he/she too distant? Too cold? Too effusive? Sufficiently empathic? Too sure of herself/himself?
  • Is she/he defensive about your questions?
  • Does the office have an atmosphere that is appealing to you?

FAQ's

1. How much is the charge per session and are there discounts for courses booked?
2. How long are individual sessions
3. What are their areas of expertise?
4. What are their theoretical approaches?
5. How many clients have they worked with, with issues similar to yours?
6. How long have they been in private practice
7. What are their beliefs about how therapy should work? What do you they do during sessions and what do they expect from a client during and between sessions?
8. Do they accept medical insurance cover?
9. Has a client ever made a complaint about them to their governing body or association?
10. How can they be contacted in an emergency?

 

1. How much is the charge per session and are there discounts for courses booked?

Its important that you establish at the beginning how much the therapist charges for their time. Some therapists offer concessions for people on benefits and low incomes.

 

2. How long are individual sessions

Each therapist's sessions vary but on average sessions tend to be between 55 and 90 minutes.

 

3. What are their areas of expertise?

All therapists have experience in various areas of therapy, some have broader experience than others and it is in your interest to enquire whether their experience matches your therapeutic needs.

 

4. What are their theoretical approaches?

As detailed in the LifeLine Therapy Directory there are various Types of Therapy used in counselling and psychotherapy. Our descriptions along with discussing with any potential therapist the different approaches should give you a good insight to what is most suitable for you.

 

5. How many clients have they worked with, with issues similar to yours?

You will probably find it helpful discussing with them their experience of clients with issues similar to yours. Take the time to ask them how they dealt with those particular clients, how they worked with them and how they managed to help them.

 

6. How long have they been in private practice

To help you understand their experience, it is useful for you to know how long they have been in private practice.

 

7. What are their beliefs about how therapy should work? What do you they do during sessions and what do they expect from a client during and between sessions?

This element will give you an insight of their expectations of you, what you can expect from them and get a feel for their sense of therapy, it's approaches and how it is successfully applied.

 

8. Do they accept medical insurance cover?

Some therapists are recognised by medical insurance providers like for example, BUPA, AXA PPP or Norwich Union. If you have an insurance policy you may want to enquire whether the therapists is one of their recognised providers. The LifeLine Therapy Directory enables you to search for therapists that are recognised by insurance providers.

 

9. Has a client ever made a complaint about them to their governing body or association?

Its important that you feel confident that your therapist at all times acts with professionalism with all their clients and whether there has been a query about their ethics. If there has been a past complaint, ask how this was rectified and what was the outcome.

 

10. How can they be contacted in an emergency?

A time could arise when you may need to speak to them in an emergency, are they contactable out of hours and what systems do they have in place for emergency situations.

Back to top