How to Find the Right Counsellor For You
So you are ready to start counselling but you aren’t sure what to do next. Hopefully this next little bit will give you the insider view of what your journey can look like. You may be expecting some big secret here but I will save you time; its about the human connection. You will want to find a counsellor that you can connect with as a human first. Lets take a step back before I expand on that.
Start the Search:
Google can be used to search for counsellors in your area. This can be a good first step to see what is available but there can be better options too. Use trusted sites like British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and Canadian Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association (CCPA). Both of these sites are where counsellors become registered. These regulatory bodies take steps to ensure the counsellor has enough experience, supervision, and continued training to provide services for you. These bodies are meant to protect the individuals and ensure a standard of care
These sites allow you to limit searches by many different criteria, such as gender, location, modalities, types of counselling. These help if you know that one of these may make a difference in your experience of care. Do not fret if you have no experience with this or do not want to limit your searches this early. Whether you limit your search results or not, start by exploring on multiple counsellors profiles. Almost all will include a photo and brief description of the style of service they try to provide. Many will link to their personal websites or the websites of where they work. It will often provide a greater depth to what the individual stands for and may provide.
Lets stop and talk about BCACC and CCPA first:
I encourage everyone to search for a counsellor that is certified with a registered body. Counselling is an unregulated title. That means that anyone can call themselves a counsellor and they won’t get in trouble. Regulatory bodies are used as a way to provide some framework for minimum requirements. Every counsellor that is certified with one of these bodies has gone through the process to ensure they have proper training, hold a masters degree, and enough hours and/or enough supervision to ensure that you as the client are getting the best service. These bodies also provide oversight and protection for you as a client and helps to keep individual counsellors accountable should anything happen. Counsellors registered with BCACC have a protected title: Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and counsellors registered with CCPA have a protected title: Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). I would recommend looking for either one of these titles in a counsellor. You also have the option of seeing a Registered Social Worker (RSW). Social workers have their own regulatory college and can provide the same services as a counsellor. The Regulatory Body is British Columbia College of Social Workers (BCCSW). Note that individuals can become a regifted social worker with a bachelor of social work or a masters of social work. I am biased as I hold a Masters of Counselling so I am drawn to BCACC and CCPA because of the masters requirements. That being said, I know many RSWs who hold a Masters of Social Work and consult and refer clients to them regularly.
Things to look for on counsellor websites:
Are they apart of a regularity body? this is indicated by titles such as RCC, CCC, RSW
What degree do they hold?
What can they help with? - Does it fit for what you are looking for
What services do they provide?
Are they only online, only in person counselling, or a mix? (and what is going to work for you)
What does their bio say? (This is a small opportunity to experience some of their beliefs about counselling and about people in general. Do you connect with it or want to know more)
Are they accepting new clients / does their schedule work with when you are looking for counselling?
(optional) What modalities of counselling do they use? (unless youve done a lot of counselling you may not know most of them and that is okay!
Now, remember how I said its about connecting as a human first. Heres where that comes back in!
Connecting as a human:
If you are uncertain, trust your gut. Do you feel like you can imagine sharing details of your life with them? If you are first starting the journey, it may be difficult to imagine sharing with anyone new. When you look at more profiles, you may see individuals that you connect with more or others that you connect with less. Take a search through and come up with a list. For many individuals it may take time to explore that list more and for others you may find an individual that you can connect with quite easily. Remember, people are complex individuals, it may be difficult to get a feel for a person only through websites or images. It may also take a little bit of time to warm up to another person. This is all part of the process.
Not sure - try consultation:
Many counsellors will offer a 15 minute consultation either in person, online, or over the phone for free. It is an opportunity to see how the relationship may look with this individual and ask any questions that you may have. Do not be afraid to try this with multiple counsellors. it is so important to find someone that you can connect with and you will not offend the counsellor if you say you are still looking or you don’t feel like it is a good fit (hint: that’s why many offer this service!).
Questions to consider asking in a consultation or first session:
This is completely optional but it gives you a few questions to consider if you want to understand how the individual counsellor. It may help you feel more comfortable with your decision.
Where did you complete your education?
How does change occur for you?
What counselling lens do you use and tell me a little about it?
Do you give homework?
What is something that you want potential clients to know?
Do you focus on past (childhood) or focus on the present (or a combination of both)
What has been your experience working with _____? (insert your reason for counselling here)
Other Things to Consider:
You have more Options!
With the influx of online counselling, there are now more options for counselling. If you are searching for online counsellors, you have the option to work with any member with a CCC designation across Canada. It is up to each individual counsellors preference to counsel outside of their province but there is the option to do so. There is also the option to work with any designation across your province if they offer online counselling.
Other sites to consider looking:
Psychology Today : This website is not a regulatory body like the others mentioned but it does provide another option to search for counsellors in BC and across Canada. Note that this is not always an extensive list.
Bark.com This is a site that allows you to search for counsellors (And other services). You answer a couple questions and professionals will reach out to you. This includes in person and online options. I would recommend ensuring that the person you find on this site is registered with a regulatory body such as BCACC or CCPA. You will know that because they will have the title RCC or CCC at the end of their name and a registration number that is unique to the individual
First Session: This site shows a short video of counsellors talking about their profession. It allows individuals an opportunity to experience the counsellor beyond a short written bio. Currently, they have counsellors in BC and Ontario listed.
So you’ve found a counsellor?
Congrats! Recognize all the effort and time you have put in to get to this stage. You may only be starting your journey but you have already taken steps to improve! The more effort that you put into the session the more you are likely to get out of it. It is not always an easy process but it is always worth it!
It is my hope that this short guide has helped to clarify the search for a counsellor.
-Keith Balisky
Check out the other posts here to get more information on finding a counsellor that fits with your budget and the benefits to online counselling
All the links mentioned in the post will be included at the bottom here:
BCACC https://bc-counsellors.org/counsellors/
CCPA https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/find-a-canadian-certified-counsellor/
BCASW https://www.bcasw.org/utility/registered-social-workers-in-private-practice/
First Session https://www.firstsession.com