Choosing a Counselor
As with seeking any professional service, it is your job to be a smart consumer of mental health services. Finding a therapist that is right for you is one of the most important factors in achieving your goals.

The license or degree that a therapist holds or the types of therapy he or she practices are no guarantee that you will be satisfied. You need to find someone you can trust. After all, you may spend a fair amount of time with your counselor, sharing some of your most personal thoughts and feelings. You need to be confident that this person knows what he or she is doing, is ethical and truly wants to help you. Here are some clues to help you find a good therapist.

Ask around.
Ask anyone you trust who would know about counselors in your area. Pastors and family physicians are usually good sources. If you have a friend who is a counselor, ask him or her about counselors in your area.

Shop around.
Take the initiative to interview different counselors just as you would with anyone you are considering hiring for a job. See a few counselors and check them out. Some will talk with you on the telephone; others may see you for a session free of charge. Regardless, if it doesn't feel right or sound like what you're looking for, pay your fee (if required) and move to the next one. This may be a little expensive at first but over the long run you could save yourself a great deal of time and money.

Ask questions.
Don't be afraid to ask these counselors about anything you want to know about them, such as their education, licensing, what type of counseling they do, fees, if your insurance will cover them, etc. Feel free to ask about their religious beliefs or their general philosophy of psychological problems and how people get better. If a therapist can't talk to you clearly about his or her methods or approach, it's probably a good indication that you should move on to someone else.

Trust your intuition.
If you don't get a good feeling about someone, there may be a good reason. A counselor should be a genuinely caring person, yet capable of maintaining good personal boundaries. Basically, that means that he or she should feel safe to you.

It is generally unwise to see a counselor who is a friend or who socializes with the same people you socialize with. Although it may not appear to be a problem in the beginning, such a situation can interrupt therapy down the road. Therapy is a major investment of time, emotion and money. It just isn't worth the risk.

Don't be discouraged if you run into some "bad apples." There are good therapists out there and the work is well worthwhile. You have had the courage to come this far. Don't give up now.

For additional tips, check out Dear Mrs. Web. She tells it like it is and takes no prisoners. We think you'll like her advice.