Choosing a Therapist
Why Do You See A Therapist?
- sad, depressed,
tired
- lose interest
in daily activities
- trouble sleeping,
trouble eating
- unmanageable
fears
- to seek support
In Alberta, Canada,
approximately 200,000 people each year
seek help. Counseling
may not fix your life but can enable you to
cope more effectively.
What Is A Therapist?
A therapist is a
person who has training and skills to help you sort
out problems.
Before You
Begin Looking For A Therapist, You Should
Know:
- what has led you
to want a therapist?
- do you want short
term or long term counseling?
- what are your
expectations about therapy?
- what are your
fears?
- do you have concerns
about gender, sexual preferences,
race, religion of
a therapist?
- what can you pay?
- have you had a
physical exam by your doctor?
Helpful Therapists Are:
- genuine, willing
to share
- have respect and
a high positive requard for the consumer
- warm and empathetic,
responsive and active
- firm but NOT authoritarian
- sees consumer
as an expert on their own lives and is an active
partner in the healing
process
- they will be willing
to refer you to another professional if
necessary
Types Of Therapists:
Medical model - until
recently this was the leading type of therapy.
An example may be
a psychiatrist.
Counselors:
have various backgrounds
and training. A title does not
necessarily mean
quality. However, background of a therapist is
a good starting
point to evaluate a therapist.
* Should you ever
have a harmful therapy experience you should
notify the licensing
body or association *
This page continued.
If you would like to continue, just click
on the next button.
![]() |
![]() |
*Once
again these are only suggestions,
should
you feel someone needs ,
help,
get them help immediately. NEVER try to
help
someone alone*