How to choose a psychotherapist in nyc

HOW TO CHOOSE
A PSYCHOTHERAPIST
IN NEW YORK CITY
25 GUIDELINES
www.spiral2grow.com
25 GUIDELINES ON HOW TO
CHOOSE A PSYCHOTHERAPIST www.spiral2grow.com

If you are looking for a psychotherapist or a
therapist or you are already in counseling,
consider the checklist below. This list could also
be helpful to assess the ability of the
psychotherapist to meet your needs and provide
you with effective therapy treatment.
The following is a list of 25 major guidelines on how to
choose a psychotherapist in New York City or in any
other place that is right for you.
FIND A THEAPIST WHO:

01. MAKES YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE
You have to find a good match for your personality.
Find a therapist with whom you feel comfortable and
is warm and accepting.
The therapist should create a nurturing and safe
environment for therapy, yet is willing to challenge you
when necessary.

02. ACCEPT YOU
Choose a therapist that is non-judgmental.
The therapist should meet you where you are.
A therapist should respect you as an individual,
your background, your opinions as well as your
decisions.

03. CAN BE TRUSTED
A therapist should be someone you have a
rapport with and someone you can trust.
If you cannot be open with your therapist, then
you will not get the help you need and the
results you want.
Trust is Key to any healthy and constructive
relationship, particularly psychotherapy.

04. IS EXPERINCED AND PROFESSIONAL
A therapist should be educated, an expert in the field
and competent.
The psychotherapist should have the necessary
credentials/licenses ,
such as LMFT – License Marriage and Family Therapist.
If a therapist breaks appointments often, arrives late, or
allows interruptions, consider leaving the therapist.

05. IS EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
Psychotherapists are human being. Some are
healthier than others.
A therapist should feel comfortable with
himself/herself and not seem anxious, arrogant
or depressed.
Look for someone who appears confident (not
arrogant) and is relaxed.

06. IS RESPECTFUL
The therapist should always be respectful and
decent, and never condescending.
Effective therapy takes place in the context of a
respectful, equal therapeutic alliance between
two individuals.

07. DOES NOT GUARANTEE RESULTS
Regardless of the best effort put forth by the
therapist and the client, NO ONE can guarantee
results.
Be careful when a therapist PROMISES you results.
However, if after two months you don't see/feel
some change, consider replacing your therapist

08. IS AVAILABLE FOR A PHONE INTERVIEW
Before a first meeting, a therapist should be
available to have a 10 to 15 minute phone
conversation so that you can interview him/her
and get a sense of his/her style and your comfort
level.
Also, the therapist should be able to accept the
idea that clients are entitled to shop around
before they commit to any therapist.

09. PROVIDES THERAPEUTIC GUIDELINES
A therapist should provide you with a clear
policy and guidelines, including confidentiality, a
consent form, clients' rights, etc.
Therapeutic guidelines are important for
establishing healthy boundaries and procedures
that clarify rules of engagement.
Therapeutic guidelines provide the framework
in which a successful counseling takes place.

10. IS PATIENT
The therapist should allow you to explain your
problems and patiently listen and not diagnose
you prematurely.
Patience is an invaluable skill that all therapists
should demonstrate and also teach their clients.

11. IS PROACTIVE AND ENGAGED
A therapist who is too silent or too talkative is
not going to be a good fit for most people.
If the therapist does not promote interactive
dialogue, does not answer most questions or
pretends to be a "blank screen," consider
changing your therapist.
Proactively is the difference between talking
and acting.

12. IS OPEN-MINDED
A therapist should accept the idea that a consultation
or second opinion may be helpful in the course of
therapy.
Psychotherapist should have humility and be open-mind
to the variety way of thinking and possibilities.
Be open-minded allows us to see things in a new,
non-judgmental and creative way, which are the
foundation of innovative solutions.

13. HAS FLEXIBLE APPROACH
A therapist should be flexible in his clinical
orientation and fit his/her model to the client's
specific problems/needs instead of imposing
his/her approach on all patients.
A good therapist begins with the needs of the
client and then moves forward to find the
appropriate intervention.

14. PPROVIDES ASSIGNMENT
The therapist should recognize the needs of the
client to work outside the therapy room, so
greater skills internalization will take place.
The therapist should provide assignments from
time-to-time to reinforce the therapy process.
Client compliance with therapy assignment is one
of the crucial therapeutic skills that determine
the success of the intervention.

15. IS AVAILABE IN CRISIS
The therapist can be reached by phone or email
to briefly discuss the crisis.
Psychotherapist can help individuals deal with
the crisis by offering assistance, guidance and
support.

16. ALLOWS A VARIETY OF PARTICIPANTS
At times, it is helpful to bring your
friend/partner, child, parent, etc with you to
therapy.
The therapist should be flexible in terms of who
can participate in sessions as well as the
frequency of the sessions.

17. MAINTAINS BOUNDARIES
It is critical to maintain clear and healthy
boundaries.
No business offers are permitted. Any sexual
relationship is malpractice.
If you feel something is wrong with the
relationship or if you feel exploited in ANY way,
seriously consider leaving the therapist.

18. ADDRESSES PRESENT CHALLANGES
While it is important to discuss the background
and childhood of the client, the therapist must
help the client deal with real-present life issues.
There is no point of dealing with the past
without its applicability to the present moment
and addressing present challenges.

19. DOESN’T MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU
A therapist should not make your decisions, but
rather provide you with the skills and the
process to understand your situation, the
options available and their consequences to
allow you to make the decision.
The clients should be empowered to make their
decisions based on their values, belief system,
priorities and cost-benefit analysis.

20. CONDUCTS ONGOING EVALUATION
A therapist should conduct regular evaluations
regarding the progress of the therapy and revise
his/her intervention accordingly
An effective monitoring and evaluation is
required to determine how well the therapeutic
intervention meets its objectives and serves the
client.

21. IS AUTHENTIC AND CLIENT-CENTERED
A therapist is expected to be authentic and real•
while keeping in mind that the therapy is about
the client.
A therapist who reveals too much or irrelevant
information about himself/herself is taking the
therapy away from being productive.

22. IS OPEN TO FEEDBACK

23. IS NOT EAGER TO PLEASE
A therapist shouldn't be too eager to please and
need to do the right thing.
Instead, the therapist should challenge his client
and be proactive and deal with his issues.

24. COMMUNICATES CLEARLY
Sweeping issues under the rug can only work for so long.
Over time continual power struggles create erosion in the
relationship. Couples build deep-seated resentment and
anger that are hard to forgive and forget.
A healthy intimate relationship is built on trust and
vulnerability which involves sharing your innermost
feelings, thoughts, and wishes.
It's important to remember that all couples have perpetual
relationship problems and can develop tools to deal with them.
In this regard, professional help can help. Please feel free.

25. SERVES AS A ROLE MODEL
The therapist is inadvertently acting as a role
model for clients.
Modeling an interest in self-exploration, an
accepting attitude toward feeling, and the ability
to regulate feelings and behavior is key for good
therapist.
The therapist’s style of relating to another
person that is respectful, compassionate and
equal is important.

* CONTACT US

How to choose a psychotherapist in nyc

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to How to choose a psychotherapist in nyc

Similar to How to choose a psychotherapist in nyc (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

How to choose a psychotherapist in nyc