How to Choose the Right Therapist in Ontario: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Choose the Right Therapist in Ontario: A Step-by-Step Guide

Choosing the right therapist is a personal process that involves understanding your needs, researching therapists’ specializations, and considering practical factors like location and gender. In Ontario, therapists are regulated health professionals, which ensures a standard of training and ethical practice. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you find a therapist who fits your specific concerns.

There are numerous reasons to seek counselling at professional counselling centres across Ontario. Therapists specialize in different areas and theoretical orientations. As such, each one approaches providing assistance in slightly different manners. So, how do you know you are choosing the best therapist to address your issues, problems, and concerns?

Start with Referrals from People You Trust

The best place to start is to ask your friends and relatives, who you know have or are currently in therapy, if they truly like their therapist. If they do, find out what area and services the therapist specializes in and whether it suits your initial needs. If not, do not be afraid to contact the therapist directly and ask them for referrals to therapists who are better suited to assist you.

For instance, if your best friend is currently undergoing couples therapy with their spouse, their therapist may not be the right one for your teenager. However, that does not mean your friend’s therapist cannot recommend another one who deals primarily with teenagers. If none of your friends or relatives is able to provide a reference, or they dislike their therapist, your next stop is to do some research online.

Research Therapists Online

When shopping online for a therapist, you want to spend some time reading about the therapist in more detail. Your goal is to find ones who explain what sort of work they have done and are currently doing, as well as their approach to assisting their clients. If the therapist’s website seems to read more like a self-gratification novel, you may want to continue your search. A therapist who clearly articulates their therapeutic style—whether it’s cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, or narrative—can help you gauge if their approach aligns with your needs. For more on how therapeutic dialogue works, see our post on helping clients tell their stories in the therapeutic dialogue.

Take the time to also look at the therapist’s picture on their website. The picture should appear natural and not staged. If the pose seems seductive or their picture makes you feel uncomfortable, you might want to consider other therapists. On the other hand, if you look at their picture and get a sense you could be comfortable sitting across from them and carrying on a conversation, then they could be the therapist for you.

Consider the Therapist’s Gender

The gender of the therapist is another consideration. Are you more comfortable with men or women? There are no rules that say since you are a man, you have to see a male therapist, or you are a woman, you have to see a female therapist. If you are more comfortable talking to the opposite sex, then by all means, choose a therapist of the opposite gender.

Contact the Counselling Centre

Once you have narrowed down your choices for potential therapists, the next step is to call them. While it might seem overwhelming to pick up the phone, this is an essential step for finding the right therapist. Counselling centres have knowledgeable and skilled receptionists to help match you with the right therapists based upon your needs and current issues. For help finding the right therapist for you, feel free to contact Bayridge Counselling Centres at (905) 319-1488.