6 ways to choose a marriage therapist
Here are six ideas for choosing a marriage therapist. If you're having problems with your car, you don't take it to the veterinarian for repair. Likewise, if you're having problems with your marriage, you don't want to take it to just anyone, you want a professional. However, not every professional is going to be perfect for you. So, follow these six steps and you will have little trouble finding the right person to take your marriage from the rocks to smooth sailing.
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- Now this suggestion is possibly the hardest, but it could also be the best. You need to talk to friends, neighbors, co-workers, someone who can refer you to a really good therapist. It's the hardest way to chose a therapist because who wants to admit to someone else that their marriage is having problems? And if you do, someone who has been to a good therapist may not want to tell you because they don't want to admit that they had problems. Never the less, experience is a telling factor and if someone you trust has experience with a good marriage therapist, they can give you the best referral. So, swallow your pride and ask around, it could save your marriage.
- Talk to a member of your clergy. For centuries the clergy of any denomination have been involved in the marriages of their church. If your clergyman has been in the business long, yours won't be the first marriage that they know of with problems. Additionally, they just may know of other couples who have been to therapy and can get the name of their marriage therapist for you without another couple having to admit to you that they've had problems in their marriage. Also, sometimes religious guidance can help your marriage as much as a therapist could, so it is a good place to start.
- Check out the yellow pages. There's a theory that you should pick out the biggest ad because it will either have been placed with the best, the idea being they are so good that they get lots of referrals and therefore have a lot of income to pay for large ads with, or you'll get the most desperate and they'll have plenty of time to spend on you and desire to get it right so that you'll refer more clients to them.
- Go online. Not only can you look up therapists, but you can research out their website and even possibly read reviews and comments from other people who have been to that marriage therapist. The Internet is a great place to find therapists because you are not limited to a few, you can look in your area and surrounding areas, and it also usually gives you contact info, an address, and information about their qualifications.
- Talk to your medical doctor. At the bare minimum they may know the therapist that they recommend from social circles and can tell you what the therapist is like as a person, or even be sure to recommend a therapist with a good marriage themselves. Additionally, they may have some knowledge of or that marriage therapist on a medical level that could be a little inside information.
- Ask a psychiatrist. Like a medical doctor, a psychiatrist will have connections through conventions, medical associations, and work-related relationships. Often times they can help you find the right therapist for your personality type and situation because they know you and your circumstances.
