Info: Advice on how to choose a therapist

Advice on how to pick a therapist How do you know if your provider is right for you? Professionals from both sides of the debate offer some tips: Bruce Wampold, University of Wisconsin: “Get referrals from friends. Give your therapist a reasonable amount of time. If you feel connected and trust them, and they have a reasonable plan, stick with them. If not, get somebody else.” John Norcross, the University of Scranton, Pa: “When selecting a therapist, by all means ask if they’re familiar with the best available research to reach treatment goals. But equally important is to select someone you feel comfortable with.” Scott O. Lilienfeld, Emory University: “There’s a list available on the Web of empirically supported treatments. . . . There may be cases where a therapist chooses to overrule that and give you a different treatment. But it should be a bit of a warning sign. You should ask why.” Access the list Lilienfeld refers to at www.apa.org/ divisions/div12/rev_est. Access more tips at www.findapsychologist.org, self-help resources compiled by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. -- Eric Jaffe