On this week’s episode Lou and I discuss how to find psychological help. It’s so confusing to know what to look for and that difficulty can be enough to put people off seeking the help they need. We discuss what to look for and we have also put some guidelines about professional bodies and what the qualifications mean in the show notes.
Lou uses the example of the physical versus the psychological in sport. When an athlete goes to a physiotherapist who doesn’t help them with a physical problem they move on to see another physiotherapist, but when they meet a psychologist that they doesn’t click with they’re likely to give up on psychology. This is common to how we all approach our physical versus our psychological health, struggling to understand how to navigate the complexities of our mind and behaviour. We scratch the surface on this complex topic and hopefully provide some useful tips for anyone not knowing where to start.
Therapists may be called:
Psychotherapist
Counsellor
Counselling Psychologist
Clinical Psychologist
(for more on the types of therapist go to https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk and for more about the qualifications go to the bottom).
Within these practitioners may use different approaches e.g
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Humanistic – which includes Gestalt, Existential and client-centered therapy
Psycho-dynamic or psycho-analytic
Hypnotherapy
(for more on the types of therapy go to https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org/counselling-directory/types-of-therapy)
A good site for searching for people in your area in the UK:
(be sure to check their years of experience and their professional qualifications)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/counselling
And in other countries including the USA, Canada, Australia and Sweden
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/counsellors
Reputed Professional Bodies (in the UK):
British Psychological Society (BPS)
https://www.bps.org.uk/public/find-psychologist
Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
National Counselling Society (NCS)
https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org
Association for Child & Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH)
Wording for qualifications taken from Psychology Today:
CPsychol - British Psychological Society - Chartered Member which is the highest distinction awarded to members of the British Psychological Society. A chartered member has postgraduate training, teaching experience and has completed psychology research to the doctoral level.
MSc - Master of Science degrees are typically in science or technology. Many mental health professionals coming from a social sciences background earn a master of science degree.
MBPsS – graduate members of the British Psychological Society who have completed an accredited undergraduate degree with high marks and have been admitted as members to the society.
N.B. This on its own does not mean someone will have completed any training in how to treat people.
HPCP Clin Psych - Health & Care Professions Council Clinical Psychologist. The HCPC regulates practitioner psychologists in the UK. A clinical psychologist determines a treatment programme addressing behavioural needs of their clients based on close collaboration with other healthcare providers.
DCounsPsych - Doctorate in Counselling Psychology - a professional degree preparing graduates for practice in counselling psychology
PsychD - Doctor of Psychology - a professional degree preparing graduates for practice in clinical psychology