CHOOSING A THERAPIST
The most important part of choosing your therapist is spending an hour with them in their office. That way can you have an experience of what you feel when you are sitting with that person. What is it like to be there? Can you bring up the topics that have been on your mind? Or do you find that suddenly you aren’t comfortable talking? How does the therapist respond to you?
What do you feel after you leave the office? Do your feelings about the hour change? Do you have a dream the next morning that seems to be about the hour you spent?
Another way is to ask for an introductory half hour on the phone. I see this as the next best way to evaluate your responses to the therapist, because it is live and you can get a sense of who the person is. Some therapists offer this free.
Referrals by someone you trust who knows you well can also be helpful.
If you are not yet at the point of choosing a therapist and would like to think more about whether to go into therapy at all, please visit FAQs on the About Sidney page.