How to find a good counsellor?

The best way to find a good counsellor | How most people find a counsellor | Just because they say they are a counsellor... | The International Therapeutic Standards Authority |What to look for 

The best way to find a good counsellor

Finding a good counsellor isn’t quite as easy as you would expect. The very best way is to find a counsellor someone you trust has used and rates. The problem is very few people openly share the fact that they have used a counsellor.

How most people find a counsellor

So what do you do if you haven’t had a counsellor recommended by someone you know? Most people are left looking either in their local newspaper, telephone directory on the internet or asking their doctor. The most common way to find a counsellor is to look for one that specializes in your particular issue. You are then left with the problem of trying to discover whether the counsellor you have found is actually experienced and qualified in the area you need help in.

Just because they say they are a counsellor...

Just because someone advertises himself or herself, as a counsellor does not mean they are qualified or even have any experience as a counsellor. There is absolutely no regulation around who can call himself or herself a therapist. Anyone can just decide to set himself or herself up with the title ‘counsellor’.

To make matters worse, there have been a number of cases recently of people faking counsellors qualifications, lying about their experience and even faking testimonies, which really makes the job of finding a good counsellor even harder. These practices are particularly prevalent on the internet. A good website with lots of testimonies and impressive looking qualifications is no guarantee these days that you will be getting a good counsellor, let alone a qualified and experienced one.

Up until 2011 you were left with actually trying to verify the counsellors qualifications and experience yourself, which for someone with no knowledge of the world of counselling, is almost impossible. Could you spot a fake qualification?

The International Therapeutic Standards Authority

In 2011 the International Therapeutic Standards Authority (ITSA) was founded to combat wide spread fraud, malpractice and mis-advertising across all types of therapeutic practice including counselling.

Members of the ITSA volunteer to have their qualifications, experience, testimonies and more checked by an independent authority. This means that members of the public can engage members of the ITSA with the confidence that they have been checked. It also means that therapists who do not carry the ITSA membership logo have not been independently verified as qualified and experienced, making it easier to spot someone with no training, qualifications or experience. No ITSA logo – no independent verification.

What to look for when choosing a counsellor

So if you want a counsellor you can trust, make sure they are carrying the ITSA logo. You can check the logo is genuine by clicking on the logo and it will take you to a digital certificate on our site, which will give you all the information you need about the counsellor to make an informed decision.