If you’re searching for a therapist, you might be a little stuck about who to seek support from and knowing what support is right for you. We know that this can feel daunting especially because as therapists we all have different personalities and offer different types of therapy! We’ve created a handy guide for you of things to consider when finding a therapist. 

Things to consider:

• Therapist accreditation, skills and qualifications
• Therapist values
• Location(s)
• Affordability

Therapist skills and qualifications

It is important that you ensure that a therapist is fully accredited and registered with a professional body such as the BABCP (for CBT Therapists). If your therapist is registered with the BABCP, this means that they have met the training standards to become a CBT Therapist. You can find out if your therapist is registered by visiting the CBT register. 

As CBT Therapists, we all undergo specific training (it’s absolutely okay for you to check what training your therapist has had!). Some therapists will specialise in certain areas including physical health/long term conditions, relationships, eating disorders or military trauma and have completed additional training.

CBT Therapists should all have:

• 1-2 year postgraduate diploma
• Extensive experience working within mental health settings
• Accredited with a governing body – CBT therapists should all be accredited with the BABCP (British Association Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies)

Here at Lifted Therapy, we ensure all our therapists are appropriately trained, continue to attend additional training (to keep up to date) and are accredited with the BABCP.

Therapist values

We’re all different in terms of our personality and values and it’s important that your therapist holds values and qualities that you are looking for!

Everyone is different in terms of what they are looking for in their therapist for example:

• Most people would like their therapist to be compassionate, warm and non-judgmental (some therapists are softly spoken whereas others might be a little more direct)
• Some people may prefer their therapist to be a similar gender to themselves.

At Lifted Therapy, we provide details about our therapists, including how we work as therapists and things we like! (We’re often talking about cups of tea and pets!). We also offer a free initial telephone consultation, so you can find out more about us and we can see if we’d be a good fit!

When choosing a therapist it’s your personal choice! Sometimes, it can require a bit of trial and error to find the right person for you – and that’s okay!

Location(s)

The location of therapy sessions can vary depending on area. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all therapy sessions were conducted in person (face to face) in the same location and room each week. This means, that you would need to be sure that your therapist was local.

Since, the COVID-19 pandemic, things have changed. This means that therapists have continued to offer in person sessions, but many therapists offer online sessions (usually by video). Research has found that online therapy sessions has been helpful in making therapy sessions more accessible, meaning that there is no travel involved and it’s just as effective as being seen in person.

At Lifted Therapy we offer a choice of being seen in-person at our therapy space in Odiham, Hampshire (just outside of Basingstoke) or online through video. This means, that you have flexibility of when your appointments take place, no matter where you live in the United Kingdom and around other commitments including work, childcare and school.

Getting in touch

If you’re unsure, about whether therapy might be helpful, what type of support would help or you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us through the contact us page. You can also book in a free, no obligation 20 minute telephone call, where we can discuss any questions, you may have and identify a plan/next steps together about what would be most helpful for you.

You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more information about mental health and wellbeing discussions!