Choosing The Right Counselor

Successful Counseling Relationships Require Clients To Ask Questions

Aug 14, 2009

Relationships are not required for most services, but counseling is different. Counselors want to know their clients. Shouldn't their clients want to know them?

People, if calling for a service such as plumbing or repairs, will usually ask a few questions of the person they call: What are the costs of the service? How old is the company? What are the hours of operation?. Some people even go so far as to check with the Better Business Bureau or other websites to see if there have been any complaints lodged against the business or owner.

Yet when seeking a counselor, many people simply call and make an appointment. No questions. No inquiries about complaints – nothing!

Counselors, however, are going to ask lots of questions and lots of personal questions. Some of these will be asked on forms that must be completed prior to a session. Others will be asked during the initial intake session as well as subsequent appointments or sessions.

The relationship between clients and counselors is essential in order for counseling to be successful. Clients are asked to be open and honest about their feelings, experiences and thoughts. Counselors reflect back to the clients what they are seeing or hearing, and it is this intricate back and forth exchange that enables clients to feel heard and valued, and counselors to know how to best help the people before them.

Interview The Counselor

Before people call counselors for an appointment, it is a good to take time and think about a few questions to ask them. Counselors want clients to feel comfortable with them and are very open to being asked a variety of questions related to their professional qualifications and approaches to doing counseling.

Ask about how long someone has been a counselor and their experience or expertise? Ask about availability and costs? Ask about billing the insurance company or accepting insurance? Ask about their degrees, current licenses, and how they deal with confidential records and materials? Also ask about their approach to various issues that may be discussed?

This interview does more than just provide information. It gives people a sense of how open the counselors are. It gives a sense of how well counselors communicate and how comfortable they are talking about themselves. If rapport can be established during a phone call it is likely to be even better in person.

All licensed professionals have a department or agency that oversees their license requirements and current status, including any outstanding or unresolved complaints against them. This is public information and easily found on the website of the licensing agency or department. Before setting an appointment potential clients can easily check out the counselors they are considering seeing.

The investigative process might be set aside if people are in crisis and in need of immediate care or intervention. In those situations it is most important to find counselors quickly and get the details later once the crisis has passed.

Counselors have been trained to help people with a myriad of issues, but training is only part of the solution. Counselors and clients must work together and that involves building trust and rapport. Clients who are looking for help should be ready to do more than just make an appointment.

The copyright of the article Choosing The Right Counselor in Counseling is owned by Melody Hicks. Permission to republish Choosing The Right Counselor in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.