top of page

I took this photo in Algonquin Provincial Park :)

How Do I Find The Right Therapist For Me?

It's hard looking for a therapist! I get the urge to want one right now so you can get the ball rolling on your therapy. Obviously, I hope your search ends here but if not that is okay. I remember struggling back in the day typing in "therapist near me" or "best therapist in KW" etc. Just to get random clinics that were probably just putting enough money into google ads. Here I will share my thoughts on what to look for in finding the right therapist

Credentials Matter But Aren't Everything

Ah credentials. The funky letters professionals put after their name on linkedin or wherever else. You'll notice mine say MA or MACP and RP. That's Master of Arts (In Counselling Psychology) and Registered Psychotherapist. The latter being most important because that is my regulatory body. I would say look for people who have regulated professions. Which basically means avoid life coaches because it is not regulated. I have personally had success with someone who was not licensed and was technically a life coach, so I don't want to speak rudely of the profession, it's just less predictable and not regulated hence it may be stuff that sounds good but is not necessarily likely to work. Regulated mental health professions include: Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists will vary in the amount of talk therapy they do vs strictly medication, Social workers which are often (to my understanding) educated more broadly than psychotherapists on a lot of environmental factors and broader life elements while psychotherapists are more focused on psychological and emotional elements. 

​

In addition to the regulatory bodies and education people get there's additional training. Some people may say they are trained in or certified in XYZ. EMDR, CBT, ACT, Gottman Couples Counselling, EFT, IFS, and a bunch of other acronyms. It's generally good to look for someone with a few of these but you don't need someone who has collected all of the pokemon. There's pros and cons. If I have trained in just about everything then it is a valid question how much I have actually spent really honing my skills in any one modality. But I can draw upon a huge pool of strategies and theories to better fit the present moment. So again, it is trade offs but more isn't necessarily better than less and less isn't necessarily better either. Seek what feels right to you! Which may not sound that helpful, but I am just trying to help cut through the noise. The next part may help more or be similarly vague, I apologize in advance.

It's About The *Vibes*

So, what to do if I am unsure on the education/regulatory body specializations that would be best for me or the trainings I think my therapist should have? The Vibes. Plain and simple. There's actually a good body of research on therapeutic outcomes. Now about 40% was outside of the therapy, extraneous life circumstances. 15% was the actually modalities used, 15% was miscellaneous, and the remaining 30%, the whole remaining portion of actually in-therapy controllable factors was the therapeutic relationship. Basically do we get along, do we jive, could we hangout outside of this context if we met under different circumstances? That's the question. Psychology today is alright for this in that it allows therapists to put up a video intro so you can start to just feel it out but it is capped at 15 seconds which is no time at all. This is why I am a big proponent of taking the time to schedule a 15-minute meet and greet with a therapist that catches your eye. Pay attention to the language they use and the way they present themselves on their websites, bios, etc. Therapy is intimate, it involves exploring parts of ourselves that we may not have really explored at all before, and that is most easily done when we are with someone who we can be at ease with, not uneasy or on guard with. Schedule a bunch of free consultations with different therapists one week and pick one over the weekend to get rolling with. That's my go-to strategy for people. "Do they seem professional?" I sure hope so, most of us do though, the better questions are in the ballpark of, "would we be friends if they were a part of my intramural team, or XYZ club I am a member of?" or "If we had to hangout in XYZ situation would that be comfortable enough or kind of uneasy?" It's personal as much as professional so pay attention to the former because it is easier to miss. 

Contact

Reach out if it feels right. I am accepting new clients and would love to meet you!

bottom of page