How to choose a counsellor

 1  Know what a Counsellor can do for you.

·         Be an understanding and supportive listener.
·         Help you develop your ability to cope with life's difficulties.
·         Help you develop some of your life-skills: more effective communication, better problem-solving, better impulse-                       

          control, etc.
·         Help you look at your problems in different ways and with a different perspective.
·         Help you gain more insight into your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.
·         Work with you to help you make changes in how you function and feel.
·         Offer advice on how to find services which s/he isn't able to provide.

2  Know what Counsellor cannot do.

·         Un-do hurt feelings and painful events.
·         Change other people in your life, and cannot tell you how to change them, either.
·         Create instantaneous change in you.  Change requires hard work and dedication.

3  Call and ask the Counsellors any questions you may have. 

·        Ask lots of questions and take notes.

·        You could ask the Counsellor about his/her training, or about whatever else feels important to you  to know (for           

         example, does s/he have experience working with people of your ethnicity/sexual orientation, etc.).

.       You're essentially acting as an employer who is giving a job interview, and your going to determine  whether you want  to hire

        this therapist as a consultant.

·         Ask the Counsellor about how s/he handles conflict: therapists who are able to repair the rupture in the relationship     

         when there is conflict tend to have a better outcome than their conflict-avoidance colleagues.
·         Pay attention to how you feel when you talk with the therapist. If it doesn't feel like a good fit for  you, don't make an 

          appointment with that person even if you can't give a logical explanation about  why you don't feel good about that     

          person. Trust your feelings.
         You can choose to see another Counsellor if you don't think this is the right Counsellor you.

 

 4. Remember that your Counsellor is someone you have hired.·       
 

.         It's important to bear in mind that some problems will take longer to resolve than others, so  treatment duration can

          vary considerably. But if you notice absolutely no change in your problem  after the first couple of months, hire a       

          different Counsellor.

         

          If you are unsure of who to choose , please call the EFAP office  at 306-975-3327 and we would be happy to assist you.