Have you noticed how what was once a concept of self-care has now exploded from being an idea to now being seen as a necessary thing to our well being? “Are you taking care of your self-care?” has become a phrase that I often hear coming from the Wellness Community. Self-care and Wellness have flourished significantly in the areas that address our psychology, physicality and our emotion We want to aspire to an optimum state of well being and are willing to explore various kinds of health-giving platforms to help us achieve it. For this blog, I will help you, the reader, get some idea about the therapy room. An element of self-care I hope will address at least the mind and the soul but encourage you to find what is right for your body too. Through this blog, I will use the word therapist to mean both psychotherapist and counsellor; this will lessen confusion if you have not attended therapy before.

Looking for a Therapist

Seeking a therapist can often be a daunting process for a person looking for the first time. The search for a psychotherapist or counsellor can often begin with using counselling directory sites available to make searching for a therapist easier. A few of the more popular sites are Counselling Directory, Welldoing.org, BACP and UKCP, to name a few. These sites provide you with a profile of a therapist that will tell you details such as name, qualification, and a precis about their experience and what their therapy approach is, along with the cost of their service, which can vary. Therapists are in abundance, as you will see from your search. which can make your search overwhelming, after all, you are going to share some elements of who you are, that you may not have said to anyone else, virtually, to a stranger.

All of the sites will provide a box through which you can refine your search, putting in your postcode, the issue you are facing, type of therapy, time and day and so on. This could reduce your search time considerably and provide you with therapists appropriate to your needs.

With increasing attendance to the therapy room, it might be that you know someone who has seen a therapist, they may be able to recommend you to them. Word of mouth also provides you with real-life feedback about the therapist.

Many therapists often provide a free call before you meet to help reduce nervousness before you meet or help give you a sense of one another before meeting or give you an idea about whether they are suitable for you. You do not need to decide immediately. Give yourself time for what you heard to settle and allow you to listen to your gut. Ask yourself about how you felt on the call with the therapist; this can often be a gauge of how you may feel in the room with them. Do not feel put off about asking them for their qualification or their membership number. None of the actions for seeking a therapist should be a disempowering one.

Why go to therapy in the first place?

Most people will often see a therapist for several reasons pertinent to them such as problems in their relationship, dealing with addictive or compulsive behaviours, making a decision about the job they are in presently and so on. Essentially, therapy helps you to gain an understanding of the problem and your relationship to it. Some people come to therapy only as maintenance for their lives. They like to come and talk because it helps them to keep on top of things. They tell me it helps them to see things that they may be avoiding.

You may want to attend therapy because you want to look at a specific issue going on in your life that you, that you need to make peace with I have worked with clients that only want a few sessions to work out a decision that is critical to the next step in their life. One such example, a client I worked with wanted to decide between remaining in their present job or setting up a business. This client told me that having that space specifically, to view the options helped their well being significantly. This client decided to do neither, instead went on to fulfil the dream of travelling for six months.

What is to be gained from seeing a therapist?

Self-care. Making space for your psychological and emotional well being is a significant part of your self-care regime. Making the time to clear out past and present disturbances help considerably toward finding a sense of peace for you. Often clients who attend therapy will find themselves seeking other ways separate and in addition to working with a therapist to keep them being well. I will be honest here, some self-care activities can for some be costly, so it’s about looking at what your priorities are in placing your self-care at the top of your list. Physical, psychological, emotional and even spiritual activities such as yoga and meditation can help considerably, in meeting your self-care requirements.

Moreover, journaling, creating collages, vision boards and other creative activities can also be a great adjunct to therapy, yoga and meditation. Doing these types of activities can help to give you a visual on what it is you want to gain from your life. A further consideration for your well being is the use of podcasts. They are a brilliant way of gleaning an understanding of your present life issue. If you’re a fan of this medium, you will know that there are countless numbers of podcasts out there for your listening delight.

Whether you choose to attend therapy as way of meeting your self care needs or decide to use an activity such as exercise or put on your headphones and get lost in a podcast or an audio book to learn something about what is good for you, are good ideas on your path toward achieving your best self. It seems that fundamentally, that’s what we are here to do to become our best selves. We do not need lots of time to do it but consistency is important, Make a daily date with yourself and commit to keeping your well being important.

I wish you great health and happiness in your quest for wholeness.

Best Wishes,
Susan