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most people, the decision to make an appointment
with a Psychologist is not a small one.
Individuals, couples and families engage the
services of a Psychologist for many reasons –
reasons which may include: resolving long standing
or recent personal issues; dealing with stress
and emotional problems; looking for help in making
a decision; managing and improving relationships;
coping with illness; or simply the need to learn
strategies to manage life’s challenges more
productively and with greater fulfillment.
Whatever the reason, people generally make appointments
with Psychologists to discuss things that matter
to them.
For these reasons, the process of making an appointment
with a Psychologist needs to be handled with care
and understanding. As well, because treatments
can be offered from many different perspectives,
those looking for a suitable Psychologist or Counsellor
could be well advised to choose carefully when
in the process of making an appointment. This
task however can be somewhat daunting for those
who have little knowledge about therapy and the
approach or philosophy that might suit them best.
So how does a person go about choosing the most
relevant or appropriate Psychologist for their
particular issue.
We would recommend that at least four areas of
information be considered when choosing your practitioner.
1. Qualifications and Professional
Association Memberships.
Qualifications provide some measure of the level
and type of training that a practitioner brings.
Professional Association Membership status can provide
further indication as to the standard and type of
treatment, and the guidelines of ethical practice
that a Psychologist has committed to offer through
such membership. For Psychologists, registration
with the Psychologists Registration Board ensures
a minimum level of training for registration as
a Psychologist.
The major Professional Associations are the Australian
Psychological Society (APS) and professional bodies
that are constituent organizations of the Psychotherapy
and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).
These bodies require a certain level of training,
ethical practice and ongoing professional development
for continuing membership.
This information is usually readily displayed
in any information pertaining to the practitioner
or clinic (eg. advertisements, business cards,
brochures, etc), and should be readily offered
and explained in conjunction with any enquiry.
2. Experience and specializations
/ interests.
It will probably be important to consider the
level of experience of the practitioner you may
be considering and their particular specializations
and interests.
It may also be useful to consider whether a specialization
is associated with specific training and the recognition
that the specialist training has in the field.
In most cases, these associations should be clear
from the information provided or made clear as
a result of enquiry.
3. The “mood”
or “attitude” of the clinic / service
We feel it may also be important for a potential
client to assess the mood or the “attitude”
of the service they are enquiring about. Often,
the way your enquiries are handled can be a fair
reflection of the standard of service you might
expect to receive.
Psychologists are generally in the business of
effective interactions, and we believe the service
needs to be competently provided at every stage
of the service, from its reception services to
the consultation room.
This type of assessment is very much a “how
does it feel” assessment. Was my enquiry
listened to? Was I treated with respect? Did I
/ could I / would I - feel looked after by these
people / this organization?
It may be that you will need more information
to make this judgment if it is really important
to you. Clarifying what the treatment might involve
for you as a client can be paramount in assisting
you to make a decision about how and with whom
you might commence treatment.
4. What can I expect
with the treatment / approach for my issue?
We believe that is important for a potential client
to be able to obtain information from a practitioner
or clinic about what the treatment will involve,
how many sessions it could take, and how the presenting
issue is seen or understood by the approach being
used.
The responses to such questions will likely vary
significantly from clinic to clinic. We feel it
is important for potential clients to have opportunity
if necessary to discuss these issues with the
clinic and / or the relevant practitioner, before
they commit to commencing treatment.
In some cases, after some initial discussion,
it may be useful to make a “one off”
appointment with the purpose of clarifying these
issues in detail. We have often found if all going
well, that useful strategies and treatment suggestions
can emerge from such a session.
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