Beginning

This can feel like the hardest part.

What’s even harder is struggling with low mood, anxiety, conflicts in relationships that never seem to get resolved, all while trying to maintain the important things in your life. This isn’t to say that reaching out and asking for help is easy - it’s absolutely not. It can be overwhelming, scary, and intimidating.

Making the choice to ask for help is the first step. Now how do you pick a therapist to work with? It’s important to find someone that you feel comfortable talking to. Therapy is a vulnerable process, sharing your inner most thoughts and feelings with a (initially) total stranger. Like with any relationship, it takes time to build a connection and trust. Here are a few things to think about when choosing a new therapist:

• Do you feel safe enough with them?

• Do they listen to you?

• Do you like their manner towards you?

• Are they experienced in the area(s) that you’re looking for support in?

• Are you feeling pressured to commit too soon?

• Do they offer the type of therapy that you’re looking for?

• Is their process clear, or are you left wondering what happens next?

• Are they receptive to answering questions you might have?

It is common to feel worse before getting better, because of the process of bringing your feelings up to the surface. Maybe you’re sharing things with your therapist that you’ve never told anyone else before. Or maybe you’re realising things about yourself for the first time. You might feel like you want to quit because of this discomfort but it’s important to share these feelings with your therapist first and explore what’s coming up for you. It might just be the first step into a better way forward.