Mental health practitioners are a bit like nutritional supplements. It can be hard to distinguish between what's hype and what's helpful.
Counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist? Registered counselor, registered psychologist? Some person with a PhD? Self-help author? Oprah guest?
When I evaluate a practitioner, I ask myself these questions:
- What level of education did this person receive?
- How much clinical supervision, if any, has this person received?
- Would my extended health plan cover sessions with this person?
- Did the person's education focus on well established evidence-based practices?
- What professional regulating bodies, if any, has this person joined?
Since I would ask those before letting someone perform surgery on me, why wouldn't I ask those before following someone's advice on how to live my life?
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