Choosing a counselor can be a daunting first step, as most people know little about the various types of counseling and providers ... and generally have given it little thought until they begin searching!
Yes, education, years of experience, and theoretical orientation are important. As you search the Internet for a counselor, you will find professionals ranging from young and newly licensed, to older and vastly experienced, from non-doctoral level providers (master's degree or "masters level" as it's sometimes called, which is the entry level for independent practice) to Ph.D., Psy.D. and MD doctoral level psychologists and psychiatrists with more and varied formal training. And you will find theoretical orientations that range vasty from behavioral to psychoanalytic, from biologically based to learning oriented. You will find professionals who adhere closely to one approach, and others who are more eclectic. There is a lot to learn and I encourage you to do your research.
Understanding these differences is helpful but not sufficient. I do believe that the right "fit" is something much more than this: You need to feel comfortable, feel that your psychologist understands you, has intellectual and emotional abilities to relate non-judgmentally with your experiences, and can help you view things in new ways. These are intangiables indeed! It is unfortunate when someone tries counseling very briefly, does not make a connection, then feels discouraged: "I tried counseling (psychotherapy) and it didn't help." I am very aware of this and want to make your counseling experience a valuable one for you.
I am a clinical psychologist (Ph.D., University of Connecticut, a Ph.D. doctoral training program approved by the American Psychological Association) with well over twenty-five years experience, and a long practice history in Nashua, NH. I am a membmer of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the NH Psychological Association, and have been listed in the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology for more than twenty years.
I would say that I have an active and engaging "coaching" style, share my thoughts and insights openly, and value a high level of interaction in therapy sessions (unlike the stereotypic silent therapist). I believe that feeling understood is the most important foundation (and not feeling understood is basic to so much of our unhappiness). Feeling understood empowers people to make new efforts, think through problems in new ways, attempt new behaviors, and evaluate the outcomes in an ongoing process. For couples, understanding and communicating (listening actively, validating rather than judging, sharing rather than defending, looking ahead rather than resenting the past) are key.
Please feel free to use your search engine to search me by name, "Dr. Carl Hindy," as well as by the title of my book on love relationships, "If This Is Love, Why Do I Feel So Insecure?" Read all that you can. Then please feel free to call and discuss your counseling needs.
Please also see:
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