What Are The Qualities of a Good Therapist?

What are the qualities of a good therapist and how do you choose one? It’s so important that you find the right therapist that you feel you can open up to honestly. One that challenges you but is empathetic and caring. Today about 1 in 5 Americans are affected by a mental health disorder.

Many will struggle with mental health issues in the course of their lifetime. We need highly trained and skilled qualified professionals. Ones that can meet the needs of people.

A licensed mental health therapist will help clients to overcome challenges related to their psychological well being. This is done by helping to support and to guide them by learning how to change negative thoughts patterns and behaviors.

The following is an overview of some key factors that make up the qualities of a good therapist:

One of the most vital and important qualities a therapist must have is the ability to gain a strong rapport with their clients. The ability to develop a strong relationship with your clients is critical to their ability to respond and heal. Many still feel therapy has a stigma attached to it. Making that first call to ask for help took a lot of bravery.

Therapeutic rapport will leave each client feeling they are safe and well respected. This is very crucial at the onset of therapy. As the client your being asked to start off by telling your personal life, fears, concerns, etc. if you don’t feel safe to share then it will be difficult to create the therapeutic rapport. You may be hesitant to trust.

There must be a shared understanding between you both. Everyone wants to feel like another understands their experience and story. In order to move forward this stage has to be developed. Therapy is a joint collaboration.

2. Good Skills For Listening

A good therapist is able to hold the space for you and be present. They attentively listen. It is a skill that therapists practice their entire career to develop.

The art of listening actively will involve not only just attentively listening but also asking mindful questions to increase their awareness and understanding of the client.

Listening actively involves the follow traits:

Providing enough time for the client to fully tell their story.

Using good eye contact and expressing the appropriate facial expression to reflect that they are attentive.

Asking open ended questions and then reframing or clarifying back to the client so they make sure the client feels they were heard accurately.

Providing the client with a feeling of non judgment. This is done by the therapist not giving out their personal viewpoints and opinions. It is not the therapists job to tell you what you should but rather lead you to find solutions yourself.

3. Clear And Concise Verbal Communication

This is just as important as listening actively. It makes up half of the therapy process. Therapist make up treatment plans based on what the client has reported. After listening to clients discuss their struggles, mental health counselors must develop treatment plans and assist each clients work to resolve the issue and find solutions.

Therapist must be very intentional and think carefully before they go to speak.

They must choose their words with and appropriate level of care and their tone must be inviting.

4, Showing Empathy

Empathy is a must have trait of a great therapist. This is not the same as sympathy. They are not the same. Sympathy is feeling sorry for another. Empathy is the ability to really feel what another must be going through. It’s having compassion.

The art of being able to see life through another’s eyes. This is why many therapist are highly sensitive to others energy. When a client feels their therapist truly believes they are being genuine and understands them then the trust is built and solidified. So many feel isolated in life and walk around with the sense that no one really understands them.

5. The Skill and The Ability to Help Solve A Problem

Another good quality of a great therapist is the ability to help come up with solutions and new ways to approach problems. Therapists need to be creative and see outside the clients blind spots.

Counselors will help you to brainstorm solid strategies to feel more and more confident. This can be in your workplace, with your partner, family, etc. Coming up with solutions for when you feel anxious or depressed. Many clients come in not knowing the underlying reason they feel the way they do. They just know they are unhappy with their life and want to seek relief. The therapist’s job is to find alternative solutions and to challenge in a loving way the false programming and conditioning they have been living under from a young age.

6. Therapist Need To Have An Open Mind

Therapist work with all types of clients. Each experience is unique to that individual. It’s relative to each person. A therapist should never minimize another’s experience no matter how big or small they perceive it to be. Therapists do not tell a client what they should or not do. We must stay open to different cultures, traditions, religious and spiritual beliefs.

Find The Right Therapist Today

Now that you know some of the ways to detect a good therapist you will feel more confident. Therefore you will also know quickly how to detect the best therapists for you. don’t feel shy to express yourself or ask questions. Call us today at High Expectations Counseling 407–967–1327. We have a team of talented therapists that are excellent in meeting your needs.

Originally published at https://lifecounselingorlando.com on May 15, 2022.