Choosing a Counsellor

The British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), as the main body in the UK representing counselling at national and international levels, produces the directory from which the accompanying list of counsellors is taken. The Association aims to promote counselling and to raise standards of training and practice. Since this directory was first published there have been increasing demands in the requirements for entry. Now only practitioners on the UK Register of Counsellors, the BCP and UKCP Registers of Psychotherapists, the British Psychological Society (BPS) Register of Chartered Psychologists, COSCA accredited members and practising BACP members who are properly supervised are included. This means all practitioners listed are covered by a Code of Ethics and Practice and a Complaints Procedure. This will give you confidence in selecting a suitable therapist.

• Local areas are divided into organisations and individual practitioners. These are placed in town and postcode order.
• For free or low cost counselling, you need to look at the organisations as few practitioners can afford to work for nothing. Some practitioners set aside a few sessions per week for people who find difficulty in paying the full fee, so look out for those who offer concessions.
• Each counsellor has indicated topics for which they may have specialised training, e.g. bereavement, relationships, cancer.
• You may be looking for a practitioner who understands a particular client group, e.g. Children, Couples, Families, may be indicated.
• Where a therapist speaks a language other than English, this is indicated. For some languages you might need to contact the BACP Information Office to obtain names of counsellors who are not included in your local list.

Counselling and psychotherapy

Often termed ‘talking therapies’ they might also involve other forms of creative expression such as art, drama, music, dance or play. The directory includes practitioners working in many different ways, enabling you to choose the most suitable for your needs.
Some people use the terms counselling and psychotherapy interchangeably, others, from well-established traditions, distinguish between them. There is much overlap between the two and, fortunately, the distinction is not a matter which need greatly concern anyone seeking help. Most practitioners will want to be sure that what they offer is appropriate for the client before there is any commitment on either side.
Counselling is a contractual arrangement when a counsellor meets a client in privacy and confidence to explore a difficulty or distress they may be experiencing, perhaps their dissatisfaction with life or loss of a sense of direction or purpose. To quote Hetty Einzig in the original introduction to the directory, “One of the main aims of counselling is to guide us from feeling victims of circumstances to feeling we have some control over our lives.”
It is always undertaken at the request of the client and no-one should properly be ‘sent’ for counselling. There are many situations these days where people with influence in our lives, such as employers or lecturers, will suggest counselling as a solution to a problem but this should be offered without any pressure or strings attached.
Counselling will help you make decisions but a counsellor will not tell you what to do. If that is what you want, you need to look for some other type of help, such as information and advice agencies, telephone helplines, support or self-help groups.

Making your choice

BACP has done the first selection for you in providing this listing of reputable practitioners. For preference, choose a Registered practitioner. BACP Accredited Counsellors and Supervisors have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association. If there is no one in these categories available or they do not offer what you are looking for, other considerations need to be taken into account and the information provided will give a picture of the practitioner’s training, experience and special interests.
• As a requirement of membership, all BACP members will be in supervision. Supervision means that the counsellor meets regularly with a colleague to talk over the work, for support and discussion of problems in complete confidentiality. Psychotherapists and psychologists do not always see a need for supervision once they have reached registered status.
• Counsellors and psychotherapists place great importance on their own personal therapy as it helps them experience the role of the client, increasing their understanding of themselves and others.
• In general, the theoretical approach is less important than the quality of the counsellor but for some problems this is a consideration and will be reflected in the other information provided.
• Some practitioners are specially trained to work with couples, families or groups. If you are having relationship problems, it might be appropriate for partners, families or even whole offices to work with a counsellor. Groups can also be joined by individuals working on similar problems and group therapy is very effective in areas such as alcohol and drug treatment.
The final judge of whether a counsellor is right for you can only be yourself and you must trust your own instincts. Talk to a counsellor and don’t be afraid to ask questions or request more information. Then ask yourself if you would feel comfortable telling this person intimate details of your life, do you feel safe with them, do you like their manner towards you and could you be completely open with them?

What is the commitment?

It depends on you, the counsellor and the problem. While deep-rooted problems will need maybe a weekly session for several months, short term counselling for a specific problem may take only a few weekly sessions. A session is usually 50 minutes. In a few cases one visit will be all that is necessary. Most counsellors and psychotherapists believe that some payment, however small, reflects the client’s commitment to the process. It is all too easy to miss sessions if the going gets tough and frequently clients find the counselling process quite painful before the benefits are felt. Therapists have given an indication of their charges, which may be open to negotiation, if there is a genuine problem about paying. Payment and how many sessions you might need will be agreed during the first session. It is wise, if you are making a long-term commitment to agree any payments for missed or cancelled appointments and holiday arrangements. Part of setting the contract will be to agree the number of sessions before an assessment and review of progress is made, usually not more than six.

Starting the counselling relationship

Your first contact with your chosen counsellor may be by telephone. Often you will get an answerphone as they are frequently used to avoid interruption during counselling sessions. Do not be put off by this – the counsellor will telephone you if you leave your name and number. They are very flexible and appointments can usually be made to suit you.
The first appointment will be an opportunity to discuss whether continued counselling would be appropriate to your needs and therefore it is without obligation on either side.
• Practical considerations such as time, place, cost and duration of meetings will need to be decided and you should feel free to ask questions about the counsellor’s professional background.
• All that takes place between counsellor and client is treated with respect and discretion and agreement is usually made during this first session about confidentiality. If circumstances change, the client’s consent will be sought for an alteration to this agreement.
• Any notes counsellors make belong to them or their agency but some may agree to give you access to them.
• During this time you will build up an idea of what is involved and you will be able to make up your mind if this is the counsellor you can work with. It is important to be clear about what you want and what the counsellor is offering. What you agree now will form a contract between the two of you. Many counsellors are putting their contracts into writing to avoid any misunderstanding but a verbal contact is still valid.

If you are not sure about the first counsellor you see, it is better to arrange to see another one. Having confidence in your counsellor is very important and will enable you to get the best out of the work you do together.

Information Fact Sheet created by the British Association for Counselling. www.counselling.co.uk or www.bacp.co.uk