Fadi Abou-Rihan, PhD

If you live in a metropolitan city like Toronto, finding the right psychotherapist may be a bit of a challenge at first. There are many types of therapies available and, within each type, you'll come across different approaches and philosophies. Things can get a bit confusing. The search doesn't have to be endless. In fact, with a bit of time and effort, you can find the right therapist for you. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Sources for finding a psychotherapist

Try the following (listed in no particular order):

• the people around you, especially those with professional standing like your family physician, lawyer, school counsellor, or spiritual advisor; most likely, they've helped others find a psychotherapist;
• the psychoanalysis and psychotherapy training institutes as well as the teaching hospitals in the city. Most will have referral services that can match you up with a psychotherapist who you'll know has the appropriate credentials;
• the internet as more and more clinicians are becomming web-savvy and advertising their services in cyberspace.

Qualifications to look for in a psychotherapist

always ask about training, supervision, and experience

There is good enough reason for you to want to ask about training, supervision, and experience. This goes for all categories of psychotherapists, whether they hold an MD, a PhD, or some altogether different degree, and whether they practice brief psychotherapy, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, or psychoanalysis.

Know enough to choose a psychotherapist who is qualified and well trained. The reason for this is that the practice of psychotherapy is still unregulated in Ontario, though a College of Psychotherapists (much like a College of Surgeons or a College of Nurses) is now being set up and should become fuly operational in the next couple of years. In the meantime, anyone in the province can promote him or herself as a clinician.

You may also want to find out if this person has actually been in therapy. Most training programs insist that their candidates undergo a personal psychotherapy or psychoanalysis. The very sound reasoning here is that clinicians need to have a good sense of their own dynamics before they can be of any use to their patients or clients. Anything short of that is the same as a personal trainer who's actually never worked out at a gym!

Personal fit

As much as training and qualifications are essential, choosing a psychotherapist involves a certain fit that is very personal. This is a hard one to gage from the initial meetings so do give yourself some time to figure it out.

Obviously, you need to feel comfortable with the person sitting across from you as you tell your story; but there'll be times when things will get tough as you deal with difficult emotions and relationships. Ask yourself the following:

• can you trust this person to help you through these times?
• do you get the sense that she or he will try and understand things with you instead of judge you?
• is this person realistic or are you getting the "eternal bliss in ten easy lessons" sales pitch?