There are so many to choose from it is hard! As the client you should feel empowered to email, message or speak to a variety of counsellors to find the right one for you. It is really important that you like the counsellor you work with and feel comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with sending an email and then not following up when you hear back. I recommend a free consultation or meeting in order to get a good understanding of how you will work with a counsellor. So, I encourage you to explore a few possibilities and when you feel comfortable, go for it!

There are a huge variety of counselling models, it is no wonder it is so hard to know what you are looking for.

The main ones are psychodynamic, which is more traditional and stems from Freudian theories. Its less relational and you may find if you are just starting out that this type of therapy is quite intense.

Then there’s person centred which is much more focused on the here and now with the client but doesn’t look too much at deeper issues about why you are feeling or behaving like you are.

There’s also CBT or Cognitive behavioural therapy, which focuses more on negative thoughts and how to change them but again doesn’t look too much into why you are feeling or behaving a certain way.

Integrative therapy is a mixture of these and more too. You work with the therapist to find what you like and don’t like to find something that fits. You can explore uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, work on ways to change them and look at where they might be coming from, and how to find new ways of being that serve you better in the future. This is the style of therapy that I am trained in.

This is a tough question and there are many factors that contribute to differences in cost. Free counselling is often done by trainee counsellors as part of their training hours. This can be great counselling as the trainee is often well supported with extra supervision. However, waiting times for this are long and often it is limited to 6-12 sessions with no option of extensions. Trainees also lack the experience of a therapist who has been practicing for longer.

Private counsellors have a range of costs such as websites, directories, governing bodies, supervision, and room hire. This is before you think about the cost of the training and the cost of living. Counsellors should also be keeping to a maximum of 20 clients (BACP guidelines), and so to earn a salary some counsellors need to charge more. It is not a reflection on how good a counsellor is but rather how they have worked out what they need to charge. Some areas are more expensive than others, particularly when it comes to room hire.

The simple answer is no, most courses are to a minimum standard. If you are unsure, look for a counsellor who has trained on an accredited BACP course as their standards are high. Most courses are a minimum of two years and all therapists on the BACP have a minimum of 100 client training hours practice, or 450 for an accredited therapist. Often the MA or Dr before or after someone’s name doesn’t necessarily relate to the counselling course they have completed. If in doubt check it out, just ask the counsellor where and what they have studied, a good counsellor shouldn’t mind.