5 Ways To Weed Out Bad Therapists
Not every therapist is mentally stable and it's important to know who choose before you open up to one
There are two types of mental health professionals, those who are genuine helpers or healers, and those who still need to be helped or healed.
I know that’s a harsh thing to say but it’s true.
Unfortunately, in my experience, there are plenty of mental health professionals that still have mental health issues themselves and are churning out advice to others based on their current personal mental health status. Although it’s great that they have had the experience of having difficulties with their minds, presuming that this is a good mentality to try to help others at that same time can be damaging to them instead.
After all, if you`re suffering from mental health issues you don’t want to be misguided in the wrong direction.
What to look for in a great mental health professional?:
- There’s no doubt that you need someone who is properly qualified,
- You need someone who has a deep understanding of the human mind,
- You also need someone who’s currently mentally stable,
- Someone who practices what they preach is perfect,
- Ideally, someone who will share their weaknesses but is not showing obvious signs of having current mental health problems.
There’s no doubt that you need someone who is properly qualified:
The internet is awash with data and on the surface; it looks like there are some fantastic professional people in the area of mental health.
But, just because upon first reading you see things on their websites that seem impressive what they claim to be true, may not be entirely the case at all. Because anyone can publish anything they wish on their websites and unfortunately plenty of people abuse this opportunity and publish things that they feel others like to see and that will result in attracting extra clients. So you need to be able to seek out people who you can verify are who they say they are or at least check out third-party websites such as ones that prove they are listed or licensed professionals within their field.
If not, just message the person and don’t be afraid to ask for their proof of qualifications because this will save money, time, and your mental health in the longer term.
You need someone who has a deep understanding of the human mind:
Although noticing a qualified mental health professional is usually a great start when you seek out a mental health professional this doesn’t necessarily mean that a person is going to have a good understanding of the human mind as well.
There are lots of professionals who can list off theories of Jung without actually understanding what they mean or how they should be properly used to help another person. In many ways, this person is just proving that they have a good memory and can rehash what they’ve read after they have completed their qualification. But, this does not mean they’ll be able to help you.
If you have a good rapport with a mental health professional when you first meet them there’s a greater chance that they’ll be able to understand your issues if and when you chose to work with them.
You also need someone who’s currently mentally stable:
I know many mental health professionals who initially got into their profession to try to heal themselves.
Of course, this is not a bad thing. But, when what they’ve learned and qualified at doesn’t help them then there’s a problem. If they can’t overcome their initial problem they really should not be actively helping others until they find some peace of mind themselves.
By working with someone who has current mental issues you’re in a very vulnerable place and can be immediately triggered into an even worse state of mind than what you were feeling in the first place.
Someone who practices what they preach is perfect:
Mental health professionals have a very stressful job.
Sitting and listening to other peoples’ problems all day can have a huge impact on a person’s state of mind. Even if a person is highly qualified and very experienced, they can become burnt out from trying to help others. Mental health professionals must seek and achieve a mental balance of human support and be able to de-stress from their work daily.
If not, this practitioner can end up causing more harm than good to a client.
Ideally, someone who will share their weaknesses but is not showing obvious signs of having current mental health:
Like many other professions, it’s settling to know when you’re in the company of a person who can share their experiences.
But, not every mental health professional is skilled at doing this, not least because they will enter into a patient and client confidentially agreement when they first work with someone new. However, if they can generalize experiences that they’ve had, pick out vital parts of learning, and share it whilst they are also avoiding breaking patient or client privileges, then there can be huge lessons from this professional that will endear you to work with them and allow you to trust their professionalism also.
By a mental health professional sharing their weaknesses and proving to you how they have learned from them will reinforce your confidence that this person has greater depth than most others you’ve come across.
Let them dig into you and show you the ingredients of what’s inside so that you can unearth your pure joy to help yourself, and serve others in your brighter future ahead.
Get FREE Access To Dr. Conor’s VIP List Here (Limited Time Only)
