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Finding the Right Counselor for You
Finding a therapist that works for you is extremely important. To get the most out of your counseling sessions, you should feel comfortable and relaxed around your therapist. While you may be discussing issues in your life that are uncomfortable and hard to deal with at times, having a rapport and relationship with your therapist based on open communication and mutual trust is the only way you will be able to successfully work through your issues. Many people will try therapy and proclaim it does not work when they do not take the time to get a feel for their therapist or expect immediate results. If you are considering counseling, here are a few tips for finding the right counselor for you or your loved one.
1. Do Your Homework
The first, and arguably most important step for finding the right therapist is to first do your homework on available counseling centers and therapists. Check into their background, specialities, and philosophies. Make sure that they match with your own. For example, if you are a person looking for centennial counseling, you should look into each therapist’s bios, educational background, and special interest. If you are looking to work through some issues in your relationship with your spouse, it would be helpful to seek out therapists that specialize in couples counseling.
Ultimately, you want to make a short list of potential counselors and make appointments for a consultation. Another pro tip: make sure that your insurance is covered by all of your potential therapists. Therapy is a financial investment. While many therapists do offer self-pay and sliding scale options, this can add up very quickly. If your insurance provider can recoup some or all of the cost of your therapy sessions, you should take full advantage of it Right Counselor for You.
2. Shop Around
Once you have a list of potential therapist candidates, it is then time to do your consultation appointments. During these phone calls, you and the therapist can chat about your goals, what their philosophies and techniques, and what a potential session with them would look like. Perhaps you would be more comfortable doing your therapy sessions over telehealth or maybe you would rather go see the Central Park Counseling center in-person. This would also be a time for you and your potential therapist to discuss how payment and insurance would work. From here, you should have a good idea of which therapist you had a good first impression with. You should feel comfortable and ready to open up to them about the issues you wish to work through.
3. Don’t Expect Immediate Results
While counseling can be very effective, it takes time. Do not get discouraged if the first few sessions feel more like a biography of your past than anything else. Your therapist needs time to understand you as a person to be able to accurately offer solutions. This is good time to build a relationship with your therapist and allow them to gain some insight into your life and lifestyle.
4. Make Sure Everyone is On Board
If you are participating in group or couples counseling, it is also a good idea to make sure that everyone participating in the sessions feels rightful in being there. Right Counselor for You. For couples, one partner might have suggested therapy but for there to be real, lasting progress made in the relationship, both parties need to fully invest in their time together counseling.
5. Gauge How You Feel
After a few weeks, you should have a good idea of how you are feeling during your sessions. You should be leaving them feeling more confident and empowered to handle your issues as they come. If not, that’s ok. it might be time to start over and seek out a new therapist. Do not give up! Therapy is a powerful tool but the connection between therapist and patient needs to be right for it to truly show results. Check the therapists in your local area to get started.
