Finding the right fit: which psychologist should I see?

By Felix Frain, Practice Manager

What a fantastic step in the right direction - you’ve made the decision to see a psychologist for some support. But who’s the right therapist for you, and can they help you with what you need?

It can feel a bit daunting to begin with. You’re about to share some pretty personal stuff with someone you haven’t met before, so you want to make sure you’re choosing the right therapist. Another good move. 

When helping clients to filter out which of our psychologists would be the best fit for them, I like to start with the understanding that psychologists are just like you and me; human. As with all interpersonal relationships, we really click with some people and maybe not so much with others. This means it’s best to think about what would work for you. Would you like to see someone who’s a similar age to you, and gets what this stage of life is like? Or would you be more comfortable seeing someone who’s younger or older than you? With this in mind, have a look at our team of psychologists, and think about what qualities would make you most comfortable. 

After deciding on these basics, you can narrow down your search to some finer details. Psychologists often have particular areas of therapy that they have focused their skills on, such as anxiety, depression, trauma or relationship problems, to name a few. It’s worthwhile reading a bit of information about the psychologist that you think might be the right fit to make sure that they can help with exactly what you would like to see them for. This can be a good step to set therapy up for success. 

Here’s the best bit. It’s time to see the psychologist that you’ve chosen. It’s time to get the support that you need, to start healing, and to let the clouds clear. 

Hopefully with the fine tuning that you’ve performed to find the right psychologist for you, it will feel like the right fit. You’ll feel comfortable, supported and uplifted. 

But what if this isn’t the case? That’s totally fine.

The team of psychologists at Excel will always touch base with you to make sure that this is the case. We honestly want you to get what you need, so we encourage open communication about how you’re feeling about therapy. We also use a feedback platform to make sure you always have the opportunity to let us know if things are going really well, or if you’d like to tell us otherwise. If you feel like your therapist or a particular type of therapy isn’t the right fit for you, we’d love to work that out. Perhaps a different type of therapy will feel more inline with what you need. Maybe you want to see a different psychologist. We’re here to help you, which means getting what you need from therapy is the most important part. There’s no right or wrong in what works for you.

At any time, you can make contact with me (Felix, the practice manager) to talk about how things are going. I’m here to support you along the way, and will always follow the Excel Psychology ethos that the therapist and therapy needs to work for you.

High five (or an elbow bump for COVID safety) for seeking support. Our team is here to help, and we’d love to hear from you.