How Many Psychotherapists Do You Have To Visit To Find The Right One?

Psychotherapy is a difficult path and requires patience. We would say that it is a journey during which the therapist tries to face his fears and get to know himself better. The psychotherapist naturally plays a role in the effectiveness of this process.

How do we know he is the right one? How do we choose him? Will the trust we build with him be real? These are all questions and thoughts that the therapist works through before the psychotherapy begins, but often at various stages of it.

Research: 70% of respondents said that finding the right therapist is overwhelming

A survey conducted in the United States of America by OnePoll in partnership with Mindstrong found that the average American sees three therapists before finding the right one.

The survey was conducted among 2,000 adults and found that most respondents (64%) believe it is important to find a therapist who can meet their individual needs.

In addition, a third of respondents said they were concerned about the difficulties of finding someone who understood them. And over 70% of respondents reported that finding the right therapist was overwhelming.

However, the stress and worry does not stop there, but continues even after the therapist is chosen. The survey found that Americans estimate that they will visit their therapist five times before they "open up" about their mental health.

Share the problem

However, research also shows that people who do not share the problem feel even heavier, and their mental health deteriorates as a result.

In fact, in many illnesses, such as depression, talking is the first step in treatment, according to former patients. Sometimes sharing soothes and redeems. Others it can also help you practically, for example if you explain your problem to your supervisor, he or she may become more flexible.

But there are also those occasions when the comments you will hear will be so discouraging that you may close yourself off even more.

What is a Psychologist

A psychologist-psychotherapist is a psychologist specially trained in counselling and psychotherapy who has extensive experience in helping people to negotiate effectively their emotional and other personal problems.

He assesses and treats emotional disorders, behavioral problems, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships.

According to formal scientific literature and practice, the roles of the counselling psychologist and the psychotherapist alternate and complement each other according to the therapeutic goals of the psychological therapeutic intervention.

The psychologist-psychotherapist is mainly interested in the hidden strengths & potentials, and the supportive environment of the person concerned - and the system to which he/she belongs (e.g. family of origin) -, in the ways of communication and interaction of the person with these environments (systems), the roles, rules, and goals he/she adopts, as well as in the stage of psycho-social development he/she is at. The process of psychological therapy mainly involves dialogue and thinking.

Who is considered a "good" psychotherapist?

For many participants, finding a good therapist means looking for someone who specializes in an area of interest to them (42%), is nearby or easily accessible (42%), and has several years of experience (41%).

Some are looking for more practical solutions and make it a priority that the therapist they find meets their budget (38%), or that their expenses are covered by their insurance (37%).

Another interesting finding of the survey is that seven out of ten people believe that getting help for mental health would make them feel more comfortable in their lives. But at the same time, well over half, 62%, worry about being stigmatized for sharing their mental health condition with others.

Holly DuBois, a doctor and chief clinical officer at Mindstrong, said that "stigma around mental health persists and people who need it fear the consequences of seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist."

Furthermore, lack of support, fear that the care they receive will not be good, and concern that they will not receive appropriate mental health care when they need it were among the barriers faced by people seeking support.