5 Questions You Should Ask Yourself

When Searching for a Counsellor

Seeking counselling is an incredibly positive step, so you should feel

calm and confident when searching. To help with this, we’ve put
together a few questions you should ask yourself when choosing a
counsellor. These pointers will help make the task less scary.
1. What am I comfortable with?

When people think of counselling, they tend to picture themselves in

a face-to-face scenario with just themselves and the counsellor. While
this is a popular option, it is not the only option. If you don’t feel
comfortable doing this, or you aren’t able to travel, you may want to
consider online or telephone counselling. These methods aim to make
talking therapy accessible to everyone.

You may even want to consider group therapy, where a counsellor

facilitates meetings between groups of people who share similar
challenges.

Counselling is all about connection... Learning more about how they

work can give you a better idea of whether or not they are right for
you

Compiled by Manaswara Counselling Workshops

2. How do I identify what I need help with?

For some people, what they need help with will be clear and fit neatly
under a specific mental health concern like ‘anxiety’ or ‘depression’.
For others, however, it isn’t so clear cut. The truth is, you may need to
talk to a counsellor about how you’re feeling to identify what you
need help with. Alternatively, you may want to try counselling simply
to help explore yourself, rather than ‘fix’ a problem.

If there is a particular concern you want to address, it can be worth

seeking out a counsellor with experience/training in this. This will
depend on the nature of your concern, but it can be helpful to know
the counsellor you’re seeing has a good understanding of what’s
troubling you.

3. Is there a certain ‘type’ of therapy for me?

There are many different types of talking therapies available, from

acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioural
therapy (CBT), to psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies - but
how are you supposed to know what they are and which is right for
you? In many cases, this is best left to the professionals. However, if
you want to explore your options, the National Institute of Health and
Care Excellence (NICE) outline their recommendations for which
therapy types help with which mental health concerns. You could also
do some research yourself to see if a certain type of therapy speaks to
your values and beliefs.

Compiled by Manaswara Counselling Workshops

4. Should my counsellor be qualified?

The term ‘counsellor’ isn’t legally protected, meaning that technically

anybody could call themselves a counsellor. With this in mind, you
are always encouraged to check that the counsellor you are seeing is
appropriately qualified for your needs. There are hundreds of courses
and qualifications counsellors can take to improve their knowledge so
it can be hard to know what to look for.

Our advice would be to look for a counsellor who is a member of a

counselling professional body. These bodies check the qualifications
and training of their members before they join. They also have a code
of ethics which their members must adhere to, ensure members have
insurance and provide complaints procedures, so you know exactly
what to do if you’re unhappy.

5. How do I know if a counsellor is right for me?

Once you’ve narrowed your search to a short list, it can help to find
out a little more about them and the way they work. Counselling is all
about connection. If you are unable to connect and open up to your
counsellor, you may struggle to get what you need from them.
Learning more about how they work can give you a better idea of
whether or not they are right for you.

Be open to contacting a few counsellors and asking them some initial

questions if there’s anything you want to know before booking a
consultation. Try Counselling Directory, where you can view an array

Compiled by Manaswara Counselling Workshops

of counsellors in your area. Your consultation then becomes a great
opportunity to talk more, so you can see what they can offer you in
terms of support.

Manaswara Counselling workshops does counselling on zoom and

offline in Bengaluru

Compiled by Manaswara Counselling Workshops