11. March 2026

How to Choose a Psychotherapist/Counsellor

A Symbolic Journey

Finding a psychotherapist is, in a quiet way, a symbolic one. You are choosing someone to accompany you into the landscape of your own psyche — a territory made of memory, feeling, dream, and meaning. You’ll need a guide who knows this place, who has the maps and can read them, even in the dark. A guide who speaks the language of the unconscious.

So how do you choose?

First, consider the approach, or methodology. Not all therapies are the same. Jungian-oriented psychotherapy, inspired by the work of Carl Jung, explores the deeper layers of the psyche through symbols, dreams, imagination, and myth. Rather than fixing problems outwardly, this work asks a different question: what might your life be asking of you? Dreams, recurring images, and emotional patterns become guides — fragments of the language of the unconscious. Over time, therapy becomes less about symptom reduction and more about meaning-making: discovering a life that feels inwardly coherent, somehow whole, complete. Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and survivor of World War II concentration camps, called this a Logotherapy — understanding that our eros/libido/drive (aka energy) for life comes from our connection to the meaning we inhabit. 

Professional Standards

Second, consider training and professional standards. In the UK, becoming a psychotherapist typically involves several years of training — often three to six years — alongside supervised clinical practice and rigorous personal therapy. Many practitioners are registered with bodies such as the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Accredited training requires substantial clinical hours and supervision, ensuring therapists have both theoretical knowledge and real-world therapeutic experience. Do not be shy to ask a potential therapist about their training, their supervision and their own personal therapy. 

What about Coaching?

It may also be useful to distinguish psychotherapy from coaching. Coaching tends to focus on goals, performance, and practical change. Psychotherapy, by contrast, explores the unconscious patterns beneath our struggles — the emotional histories, inner conflicts, and symbolic material that shape our lives. Some therapy, such as CBT, are solutions focussed and tend to be short-term, whilst others, such as Jungian oriented approaches, work more with the unconscious. 

An Intuitive Beginning

Finally, and perhaps most vitally, trust the quieter forms of knowing. Trust your intuitions. The right therapist is not simply the most qualified one; it is the person whose presence allows you to feel curious about yourself again, in whose presence you feel comfortable, unconditional welcome and genuine empathy. 

Wholeness

The way you approach finding a therapist forms an integral thread of your journey to wholeness. Take your time, listen to your intuition (and be on the lookout for heavy marketing language), do some research and speak to a few therapists to feel into their approach. Remember, a guide can only ever take you as far as they have been. If you want to go deep, you’ll need a guide that knows this territory.