Consider what you want to achieve with psychotherapy or what issue you want to resolve
When searching for a suitable therapist, it will be helpful if you have at least a rough idea of the nature of your problem. Are you feeling depressed, experiencing panic attacks, wanting to improve your relationship, or finding it difficult to cope with major life challenges such as divorce or the death of a loved one? Based on the type of problem, you will more easily identify those therapists among the many who specialize in issues similar to yours.
Research which psychotherapy approach would suit your personality best
There are several different psychotherapy approaches or schools of psychotherapy. Broadly, they can be divided into analytical (psychodynamic) psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), systemic psychotherapy, and various humanistic-existential psychotherapies (e.g., transactional analysis, reality therapy, integrative psychotherapy). The approaches differ in their theoretical foundations, therapy goals, methods of work, and even the duration of therapy. We've already written in detail about some psychotherapy approaches on our blog about psychotherapy.
The therapist's gender and age can also be important
All properly trained psychotherapists are qualified to work with both male and female clients of various ages. However, you might find that a certain gender or age of the therapist is more suitable for you. Sometimes, this can depend on the nature of your issue. For example, if you've decided to seek therapy to resolve specific sexual issues and feel that discussing this topic would be easier with a therapist of the same gender, it's certainly wise to consider that. The same applies if you're seeking psychotherapeutic help for parenting difficulties and feel that an older therapist might better understand your concerns than a younger colleague.
Check if the selected psychotherapist is adequately professionally qualified
It’s very important to be cautious when searching for a therapist and to always verify their professional qualifications. Because we strive to provide high-quality services, we always require our psychotherapists to be transparent in their presentations. Each therapist's title, psychotherapy approach, areas of work, years of experience, and, for residents, their supervisor is listed.
Trust your feelings
The success of psychotherapy largely depends on the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the client, so it makes sense to consider your feelings as well. When you choose a therapist, take advantage of the introductory session to get to know each other and determine if you "match." In the first meeting, you can roughly assess whether the therapist is someone:
- who gives you a sense of security,
- whom you believe you could trust with your most intimate experiences,
- with whom you could be completely honest,
- to whom you could express your feelings without hesitation,
- whose working style encourages you to explore yourself.