How to Choose a Therapist

Whether you’re struggling with a particular challenge in your life right now, or you want to gain a better understanding of yourself, the support of a qualified therapist can be incredibly beneficial. However, finding the right therapist can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if it’s not something you’ve done before.

To help anyone currently trying to find a therapist, we have put together some useful information. It’s essential to know what to look for to make an informed decision that aligns with your needs. 

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In brief: how to choose a therapist

• Check their registration. Confirm they appear on the register of an accredited body such as the BPC, ACP, BACP or UKCP.
• Ask about their training. A qualified therapist can tell you how long they trained and whether it included clinical work and personal therapy.
• Trust how you feel. Choose someone you feel comfortable talking to, because the relationship matters as much as the method.
• Match the approach to your needs. Counselling is often shorter and focused on a specific issue, while psychotherapy explores deeper patterns and is usually longer term.
• Check the practicalities. Ask about fees, session length, location or online sessions, and how long you are expected to commit.

The Benefits of Seeing a Therapist

In the supportive environment therapy provides, you can reflect on and explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The process can help you to learn new coping strategies for navigating life’s challenges and improve your relationship with yourself and others. 

That’s not to say that therapy is always easy; after all, confronting sides of yourself that you don’t like is an inherently challenging process. A psychotherapist will create a safe, reliable space for you to explore your unconscious (we call this ‘containment’) and help you to think about your habitual behaviours and thoughts. It is crucial you find someone you can trust, and stick with, when therapy reaches its most challenging points.  

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Therapist

Qualifications, Training and Ethics

Finding a therapist who has undergone training and has the necessary qualifications is essential, especially since it is not technically illegal (but completely unethical) for someone to call themselves a therapist without any training.  

Therapists who qualify from the British Psychotherapy Foundation adhere to a strict ethical framework set out by the British Psychoanalytic Council or the Association of Child Psychotherapists, and have a minimum of four years of intensive training, clinical work and personal therapy. This ensures they are trained to work responsibly and safely with people seeking treatment. 

You should always ensure that your therapist is registered with a recognisable and trusted accrediting body, as only those who have undergone training will be able to register with these organisations. The BPC and ACP are the most well-respected accrediting bodies in the UK for psychoanalytic and Jungian psychotherapy, which the bpf specialises in. You should visit the accrediting-body’s website and double check that your therapist is on their list of approved practitioners. 

Most therapists will have had their own therapy during training (but not always), and we believe this is absolutely essential. The BPC and ACP, the organisations who accredit our courses, insist that any therapist on their registers must have had a prolonged period of their own psychotherapy or analysis whilst training. 

Many therapists are registered with other respected bodies, such as the BACP or UKCP. Registers that meet the standards of the Professional Standards Authority carry its Accredited Register quality mark, so look for that mark and check the practitioner’s entry on the register itself.

Personal Compatibility and Working Alliance

The foundation of an effective therapeutic relationship is trust, which means it’s crucial to choose a therapist who you feel comfortable around. During initial consultations, it’s important to consider how you feel talking to the therapist. A good personal connection allows for a more open and honest dialogue; it also makes it easier to feel safe when being vulnerable.  

Therapy can be a difficult process, so you need to feel that you would be able to stick with your therapist during difficult moments and work through particularly confronting issues as they arise. 

Therapy is also an emergent process, and you won’t always know what will come up for you. Having a good working relationship with your therapist, or ‘working alliance’, is the essential framework that will help you stick with the process through difficult times. 

If you take one piece of advice from this article, let it be prioritising finding someone who you feel comfortable working with, as the process can be very difficult.

Therapeutic Approach

Many don’t realise that counselling and psychotherapy are different, and the type of therapy you receive will differ depending on the therapist you book. 

Counselling typically focuses on specific issues or periods in a person’s life. It is often considered a short-term process that provides immediate support and strategies to manage current situations or life changes.  

Psychotherapy, on the other hand, delves deeper into the thoughts and feelings that underpin an individual’s experiences and behaviours. It’s a longer-term process aimed at uncovering the root causes of emotional difficulties, which may stem from past experiences or deeply rooted psychological issues and unconscious drives. 

To complicate matters further, there are a multitude of different types of therapy to consider, such as: Psychoanalytic, Jungian, Humanistic, Gestalt, Existential, Cognitive-Behavioural to name just a few.  

In psychoanalytic / psychodynamic therapy, the type of therapy we specialise in at the bpf, you have the opportunity to explore your unconscious behaviours and beliefs, often venturing back to early childhood to uncover how it has impacted the present. 

The dynamic between therapist and client is also very important, as the client’s unconscious projections get played out in the therapy relationship. In other words, the way you behave in other significant relationships in your life will start to be acted out with your therapist, and their job is to help you to become more aware, or conscious, of these behaviours. The essential rationale is: once habitual behaviours are consciously known, you have the chance to be more in control of them and to decide whether they are helpful to you moving forward.

Freud described psychoanalysis as a process in which the ego extends its reach, claiming territory that was once submerged in the unconscious. He compared this to reclaiming land from the sea, as in the draining of the Zuider Zee.

What Type of Therapy Do I Need?

Whilst this guide is hopefully helpful, we advise you to contact your local GP to discuss your needs. There is no single right answer, but it helps to think about what you want from therapy.

If you want support with a specific problem or a current life change, counselling or a structured approach such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may be a good fit. If you want to understand longstanding patterns in your feelings and relationships, psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapy may suit you better.

If you are unsure what sort of therapist you need, you do not have to decide alone. A consultation with a senior psychotherapist can help you work out which approach fits, and your GP can also talk through the options with you. Our guides to the difference between counselling and psychotherapy and to psychodynamic therapy explain the approaches in more detail.

Clinical Psychology and EMDR Therapy: How Do They Differ?

When you search for support, you may also come across clinical psychologists and a therapy called EMDR. Both are different from counselling and psychotherapy, and it helps to understand how.

Clinical psychology. A clinical psychologist is a regulated health professional. The title is protected by law, and clinical psychologists must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). They usually train through a psychology degree followed by a doctorate in clinical psychology, and many work in the NHS, assessing mental health difficulties and offering psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Counsellor and psychotherapist are not protected titles, which is why it is important to check a therapist’s training and registration with an accredited body.

EMDR. EMDR stands for eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. It is a specific, structured therapy used mainly to help people process traumatic memories, and the NHS lists it as one of the treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR is a method, not a profession. It is delivered by practitioners such as psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors who have completed additional EMDR training, so it is worth asking about their core qualification and registration as well as their EMDR training.

In short:

• Counselling is usually shorter term and focuses on a specific issue or life change.
• Psychotherapy is usually longer term and explores deeper, longstanding patterns in your feelings and relationships.
• Clinical psychology is a regulated profession that assesses mental health difficulties and offers psychological therapies, often within the NHS.
• EMDR is a structured therapy for processing traumatic memories, delivered by practitioners with additional EMDR training.

Symptom-Focused or Root-Cause Approaches?

Some therapies are mainly goal and symptom oriented. CBT, much of clinical psychology and structured methods such as EMDR usually begin with a clear problem or symptom, such as panic, low mood or a traumatic memory, and work towards a defined goal, often within a set number of sessions. These approaches can help, particularly when you want practical tools for a specific difficulty. However, it is not always possible to know what exactly is causing the difficulties a person is experiencing. This is an important point to emphasise. How can you get to the root cause of a problem if you not not know what it is yet? This is where psychoanalytic approaches can help.

Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapists believe that symptoms and defences can be a kind of coping mechanism. They can arise from past trauma that is too difficult for us to process or from drives that are unacceptable to us and therefore remain in the unconscious. The problem is that unconscious elements still have a strong influence on our behaviour.

For example, you may have a new manager at work whom you instantly dislike. You feel anxious, cannot sleep and do not want to be anywhere near them, and your performance starts to suffer. Psychotherapy might help you realise that the manager unconsciously reminds you of figures from your past, such as a bully at school or a teacher you feared. You may be seeing someone who is not doing anything harmful through the lens of people who once made you feel scared.

The logic is that once you have a better idea of what is going on in your psyche, you can make more conscious choices about your defences and symptoms. We see this as getting to the root cause of difficulties, not only focusing on the symptom. Unlike shorter-term approaches, psychotherapy is usually long-term work. After all, we are complex beings, and it takes time and commitment to uncover what it is that is causing us difficulties in our lives.

Neither approach is right for everyone, and the best fit depends on what you want from therapy.

Arranging a Professional Consultation

If you’re not sure where to start when narrowing down the directory of qualified therapists, it can be beneficial to arrange a consultation. This service provides you with an opportunity to explore your needs, discuss your readiness for psychotherapy and determine the best course of action. A senior psychotherapist can offer advice on the most suitable type of psychotherapy or treatment based on your individual circumstances. If appropriate, they can also help you find the right therapist who meets your needs and goals. 

How much does therapy cost?

Private therapy fees vary with the therapist, their experience and where they practise. Before you begin, ask about the fee, the length of each session, the cancellation policy and how long you are expected to commit.

At the bpf, our low-fee once-weekly scheme offers sessions with experienced trainee therapists at £30 to £50 per session. There is a £30 administration fee, and an assessment consultation costs £130 for two meetings, or £90 if one meeting is enough. A minimum commitment of one year applies, and availability depends on location. You can read more about the scheme below.

Low-Cost Psychotherapy Scheme

At the British Psychotherapy Foundation we want to ensure psychotherapy is available to as many people who need it as possible. So, we offer reduced-fee psychotherapy options in certain locations.  

With both low-cost intensive psychotherapy and low-cost once weekly psychotherapy available, we can help a range of people needing support. This affordable service is provided by bpf trainee therapists undergoing an advanced training in psychotherapy. 

Find a Therapist That’s Right for You

You can find an accredited therapist to work with by looking at our online directory. Our members are specialists in psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and Jungian psychotherapy, which is all about exploring your unconscious behaviours and beliefs. 

Frequently asked questions about choosing a therapist

How do I know if a therapist is properly qualified?

Check that your therapist is registered with a recognised accrediting body such as the BPC or ACP, and look them up on that body’s list of approved practitioners. Therapists who qualify with the British Psychotherapy Foundation have completed a minimum of four years of intensive training, clinical work and personal therapy.

What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

Counselling usually focuses on specific issues or periods in a person’s life and is often a shorter-term process. Psychotherapy explores the thoughts and feelings that underpin a person’s experiences and behaviours, and is usually a longer-term process.

Is low-cost therapy available?

Yes. The bpf offers reduced-fee psychotherapy in certain locations, provided by bpf trainee therapists undergoing an advanced training in psychotherapy. You can find out more on our Therapy page.

How do I find a therapist?

You can search our therapist directory for accredited psychoanalytic, psychodynamic and Jungian psychotherapists, or arrange a consultation with a senior psychotherapist who can advise on the most suitable approach for you.

What type of therapy do I need?

It depends on what you want from therapy. Counselling or a structured approach such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) often suits a specific problem, symptom or life change, while psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapy suits people who want to explore longstanding patterns in their feelings and relationships. A consultation with a senior psychotherapist can help you decide.

How much does therapy cost?

Private fees vary with the therapist and where they practise, so ask about the fee, session length and cancellation policy before you begin. The bpf low-fee once-weekly scheme offers sessions with experienced trainee therapists at £30 to £50 per session, plus a £30 administration fee and an assessment consultation.

What is the difference between a clinical psychologist and a psychotherapist?

Clinical psychologist is a protected title, and clinical psychologists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) after a psychology degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology. Psychotherapist is not a protected title, so it matters to check that your psychotherapist has completed a recognised training and is registered with an accredited body such as the BPC or ACP.

Is EMDR the same as counselling or psychotherapy?

No. EMDR is a specific, structured therapy used mainly to process traumatic memories. It is delivered by practitioners, including psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists, who have completed additional EMDR training. Counselling and psychotherapy are broader ways of working that are not limited to trauma.

Is Clinical Psychology More Goal-Focused Than Psychotherapy?

Often, but not always. Clinical psychology commonly uses structured, time-limited therapies such as CBT that target specific symptoms and goals, while psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy aim to understand the unconscious patterns behind a difficulty. Many psychologists and psychotherapists work in both ways, so it is worth asking any therapist how they work.