When it comes to taking care of your mental health, choosing the right registered psychotherapist in Cambridge, Ontario is the most important step right after making the decision to attend therapy. It’s extremely important that you and your therapist are a good fit. While you may not always see eye to eye on everything throughout the therapeutic process, there should be a sense of comfort and mutual trust between you and your therapist. Attending therapy sessions can offer some much-needed insight and perspective into difficulties you’re facing and how to better manage them. Keep reading to learn how to find a therapist that’s compatible with you.
When Should You Consult a Psychotherapist?
We all face difficulties throughout our lifetime, and sometimes, it really helps to openly discuss our challenges in a safe and judgement-free space. If you find yourself feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, or are unable to function in the manner you once did, then perhaps it is time to seek out therapy. Psychotherapy, in particular, can help you sort through these difficulties and get to the root cause of them.
Oftentimes, you might not even realize it; however, allowing the above-mentioned emotions and mental health challenges to overtake your life can have a significant impact. You may find that you distance yourself from the people you love, your zest for life might be diminishing, or you may experience a loss of your former self. These are all challenging responses to be sure, however, with the assistance of a licensed psychotherapist, they can become much more manageable and less impactful to you and those you care about.
Important Factors to Consider when Choosing a Psychotherapist
Just because you’ve chosen to start therapy doesn’t mean that every therapist you meet will be a good fit for you. This is not a negative statement about the client or the capabilities of the therapist, rather it has more to do with incompatibility.
Your therapist is there to help you, so one of the most important factors you need to consider is how comfortable you are talking to him/her about your most personally related challenges. Also, keep in mind that there’s no shame in telling your therapist that it’s simply not working out and you want to try seeing someone else. Your therapist should value transparency and ultimately wants you to find the help you seek. Any therapist you see should always have your best interest at heart. With that in mind, here are a few more important factors you should consider:
Location
Given at the onset of therapy, you will most likely be seeing your therapist once per week, you want to ensure that their office is located within close proximity to where you work and live. Convenience is an important factor to consider, and sometimes this can become quite discouraging for clients who live a greater distance from the therapist’s office. Growth Counselling Services is within easy reach from Cambridge, Kitchener, Guelph and Waterloo.
Experience
Even though it’s true that every therapist has to start somewhere, it is advisable to ensure that your psychotherapist has credited and relatable experience with your particular difficulties. Sometimes, a therapists’ requirements vary, thus it is advantageous to learn about the background and level of expertise your therapist has to offer.
Accessibility
In the context of therapy, the term accessibility can have a dual meaning. It can be used to discern physical accessibility into the therapist’s office (i.e. handicapped parking, wheelchair ramps, railings, etc.). But it can also refer to the actual accessibility of your therapist. How easy or difficult is it to schedule an appointment with them? These are things you need to consider before choosing a therapist as these realities could inadvertently affect the quality of the treatment you receive and any progress that can be gained.
Therapeutic Approach
Every therapist operates under a unique school of thought or theoretical orientation. Some are more eclectic while others may be more specific and practice one dimensional. The type of therapeutic approach your psychotherapist employs will have an impact on your treatment. Today, many therapists tend to take on a more personalized approach to psychotherapy that’s tailored for the specific needs of their clients. Keep in mind, however, if you’re meeting your therapist for the first time, it may take several sessions for the therapeutic relationship, and a sense of overall comfort to be built; this is extremely important before therapy can be effective and typically before change can occur.