Finding the Right Fit for Your Mental Health
Finding the Right Fit for Your Mental Health
Searching for a counsellor or therapist in British Columbia can be confusing, frustrating, or even overwhelming. If you are finding it unclear who may be the best person to support you, read on for tips on choosing a therapist and how science can help.
Why "Fit" Matters in Therapy
When it comes to general health advice on the Internet, we in BC have an excellent resource in HealthLinkBC. Here’s what they say about fit:
The differences between therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors may not be as important to you as finding someone with whom you are comfortable.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when calling to make an appointment with a counsellor or therapist.
- If possible (or if you have questions), ask to speak with the therapist or counsellor directly. You might have to ask a receptionist or assistant.
- Be clear about the problem for which you want help.
- Ask the therapist or counsellor about his or her background with your problem.
- Ask how many people he or she has worked with on this type of problem.
- Ask the therapist to explain his or her views about the problem.
- Ask how long the counselling might take. Then you can picture how it will fit into your life.
- Ask any other questions that would make you more comfortable with the idea of attending a session.
HealthLinkBC, “Tips for Finding a Counsellor or Therapist”
In Part 1, we mainly looked at counsellors based on their professional designation, but even counsellors with the same designation will have different boundaries that they work within. (See Scope of Practice in Part 1.)
So what type of counsellor should you look for to address a specific issue? Maybe you’re wrestling with anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, making a difficult decision, or wanting to improve something in your life. Wherever you want to go, the right guide for you can help.
Choosing a Guide
Choosing a counsellor is like choosing a hiking guide for a challenging trail. Like counsellors, guides will have different experience levels, training, and certifications. What matters most is choosing someone who understands your pace, makes you feel safe on difficult terrain or unexplored areas, and helps you to navigate obstacles in a way that works for you.
- You may want a guide who can read when you need encouragement and let you set the pace.
- You may want a guide that helps you to build your own navigation skills, rather than just letting you blindly follow them.
- And after hiking with one guide, in time you may want to find a different guide as you gain experience and explore more advanced trails.
It’s the same for choosing a counsellor.
Ultimately, “fit” isn’t based on credentials, designations, or even your counsellor’s education. It’s about how well-suited they are to work with you above all else.
How Do I Know If a Counsellor Is Right for Me?
You’ll know a counsellor is a good fit if:
- You feel comfortable and safe sharing with them
- They answer your questions clearly and respectfully
- You feel heard and understood during sessions
- They explain their approach in a way that makes sense to you
- Your concerns feel validated, not dismissed
Another gem from HealthLinkBC:
If you go to a therapist and don’t like what happens, don’t give up on the idea of counselling. Sometimes a different counsellor will fit your personality better. Try again with someone new.
What the Science Says
You might think that it’s not possible to measure something as subjective as “fit,” but scientists are clever and find ways to ask therapy clients all about it.
They usually break down “fit” into different components of the relationship between client and counsellor (often called the “therapeutic alliance” in scientific papers), including mutual respect, empathy, and having a non-judgemental attitude.
A recent 2025 study put it bluntly:
Research has consistently shown that a strong therapeutic alliance is one of the most important predictors of positive treatment outcomes and adherence to healthcare professional recommendations.
This isn’t new information, either! For decades, researchers have again and again proven this claim: the rapport a client has with their counsellor is a huge factor in how helpful the counselling therapy will be for them. (If you’re curious, check out this article.)
How to be an Informed Consumer
Many counsellors will offer a free intro call or session where you can ask them any questions you like to start to see if you’ll be a good fit together. Of course, you may not be able to tell if they will be effective for you in the long run, but that’s okay: you only need to figure out if they’re the right choice for you right now to get started.
Questions to ask yourself first
Many counsellors can help you to clarify what you are wrestling with, what changes you’d like to make, and what’s getting in the way of those changes. Still it can be helpful to pause here and consider what’s important to you.
- What am I hoping to work on?
- Do I have a preference about the counsellor’s approach? (e.g. CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic, etc.)
- Do I prefer a specific gender, age range, or cultural background? (Many counsellors are trained to be culturally-competent, and you may still have a preference.)
- What is my insurance coverage for counselling? What could I afford to spend if I exceed my coverage?
- Do I need evening/weekend availability?
Questions to ask the counsellor in a first meeting
Whichever type of counsellor you choose to work with, here are some questions to consider asking them. (Some of these may or may not be important to you.)
- What is their approach to working through the problem?
- Do they specialize in working with a particular issue or population?
- What does a typical session look like?
- How long might counselling take?
- Who decides the length and frequency of therapy?
- How do they measure progress?
- What is their approach to receiving feedback?
- What is their cancellation policy?
- How soon could therapy start?
- Any other questions that would make you feel more comfortable with counselling
If they answer your questions in a way that satisfies your curiosity, those are green flags!
Red Flags 🚩
Finding the right “fit” is entirely subjective. It’s up to you to see what feels right.
That said, here are some questions to consider asking them that might be dealbreakers for you.
- Are you a member of a regulatory college or professional association? (If not, it means they are unregulated.)
- How often do you seek out new training and education?
- Do you seek support from a qualified supervisor?
- Do your clients often get reimbursed for your services from insurance?
Why is this so complicated?
It’s not just you, this is complicated for all of us, including me! While researching this article, I learned some new things as well, like the role that psychiatric nurses have in our health care system. The history of how we got here is complex, and I’m not in a position to write about it with authority.
In the future, BC will regulate counselling and hopefully this will simplify and clarify how the public can access this essential service and from whom. I’ll update this article as changes occur.
But for now, this is the system that we have. And knowledge of it can help us to navigate it and make informed choices. Sometimes it feels like it takes a university degree just to learn how to figure out mental health care in BC! Hopefully, this article is enough of a crash course to get started.
Final Thoughts
In this series, we went deep exploring the similarities and differences between the various professionals that provide counselling services in BC.
There’s a lot to consider here… and ultimately what works for you may come down to a few practical things:
Are they available when I am?
Can I afford their services?
- Do I connect with this person?
- Are they available when I am?
- Can I afford their services?
All humans deserve accessible mental health support, and I believe that also includes clear communication on what supports are available. Hopefully this post has helped to clarify the options for you. If you still have questions, send me a message and I’ll do my best to answer them.
About Me
I am a provisional Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling (MPCC-Provisional) with a diploma in Counselling Therapy. I am a registered counsellor with the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association (CPCA), a Canada-wide self-regulatory association (also a member of FACTBC).