Mental health has become a very important aspect of our lives, and now there is an increased awareness on how its management is of utmost importance. People with diagnosed mental health problems like depression and anxiety are often asked to attend therapy. For those starting out in therapy, it can be a daunting process and can be confusing as well. Even for those who are quite familiar with therapy, finding a new therapist can be a long and complicated process. Here are a few questions that you can ask a prospective therapist to ensure that you are compatible with each other. How to Reduce Anxiety Naturally: 5 Tips and Tricks to Calm Your Mind and Stop Feeling Anxious for No Reason.

Before you go on to the treatment plan or anything else, it’s better to get the basics out of the way. Clearing out things like qualification and charges may feel uncomfortable, but they are essential to ensure that you are getting the best treatment possible and that it can be sustained over a period of time without becoming financially burdening. While the financial aspect is obvious, one important question is credentials;

Asking a prospective therapist about their credentials might seem like you are questioning their abilities; however, it is an important one to ask. A range of professionals are able to offer therapy services including psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. Asking their credentials is important to understand which kind of professional is most suited for your treatment. For example, if you are suffering from a mental health problem like depression that are caused due to insufficient levels of chemicals in our body, in this case, you will want to be going to a psychiatrist as they can provide you with the needed therapy and at the same time prescribe the medication that you need. Another aspect that people often like to consider is how long they have been practising. Experience and the range of patients that they have treated may also impact the decision of some people, so this may be something that you want to consider. How Do You Maintain Mental Well-Being: 5 Attitudes That Can Build the Foundation of Happiness and Fulfilment.

After these basics are out of the way, the next step is to see if you both are comfortable with working with each other. Therapy is a very personal thing, you are opening up to someone about things going on in your life, problems that you might be having or your insecurities that you want to work on, so being comfortable with that person is one of the most important things. One of the first most questions asked to therapists is “what they would describe as their strengths and weaknesses?” This question serves two purposes, and one will show how well they are able to reflect on themselves and identify areas that even they themselves have to improve upon, secondly through this, you can understand what they consider to be their strong suit and see if that is what you are looking for in a therapist.

Another thing that is very important to ask about the general approach that they tend to use with others, do they prefer to be more directive or guiding in their approach. Beginners often prefer to start off with a more guiding approach, whereas those more accustomed to it would like to switch to a directive approach over time eventually. Therefore, based on your comfort level, you can see if you match with them and would like to go ahead with them.

The last step in this process would be to discuss the things that you will be during therapy itself. The first thing that you need to ask them is how they plan on setting therapy goals with you? This is one of the most important aspects so that you both are clear on the aim and what you are working towards along with this you might want to also ask what will show your progression throughout so that you also know. After clearing this out, you might want to come up with a schedule about how frequently you will be meeting and for how long so that you can accommodate that into your schedule.

For more information about the therapy sessions, you could also ask about the nature of the sessions and how you could prepare yourself for this? Along with this to ensure that you are able to give your best with the strategies, you might want to ask about the kind of work that you might have to do outside the sessions so that you can accommodate that into your schedule and actively work on it. And the last thing that you might want to consider is the average length of the treatment of mental health problem similar to what you are going through.

(Contributed By: Aviva Damania, Psychologist and Mental Health Specialist from City, University of London. She can be reached out at The Mind Essentials.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2020 12:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).