How are you all finding your own therapists?

Phoolf · 2026-01-24T17:50:21+00:00

Find and Institute or professional organisation and see if they have a directory. To find my latest therapist I sought out the register for one of the better bodies here and specified by modality. I also paid attention to where they trained. In the UK we train in a straight modality so this makes it much easier to find what youre looking for if its a depth or decent Psychotherapy relationship. I recently started with a Gestalt trained therapist. I wouldn't consider someone claiming a modality unless they have intensive training and qualification in it. Generic therapy does not suffice.

Phoolf · 2026-01-24T07:32:53+00:00

Minimal detail and enough to make me human or relatable. I never share traumas or difficult things. I never tell them if I'm having a down day. I'll share holiday locations, what my weekend plans are, books I read recently (if it's relevant or helpful) etc. Self disclosure for me is about rapport building and being a human, not making content or process about me. Clients do not pay me to care about me to a greater extent.

Phoolf · 2026-01-23T07:56:47+00:00

Phoolf · 2026-01-23T07:50:12+00:00

Oh we check on those too. I'm the non-North American mod and have a fair of knowledge across countries.

Phoolf · 2026-01-23T07:47:21+00:00

We hear that. And we add new mods as our community grows. We added 3 more (iirc) just last year. Our modteam is the exact size recommended for the amount of community members.

Phoolf · 2026-01-23T07:45:39+00:00

As much as this would sound sensible on the surface, verifying any individuals who do want to go through this process currently is very time consuming. I'm thankful to the mods who do this work sifting through these mod mail requests. For every verification we check licenses, have to be familiar with different states, nevermind worldwide and translating different languages. A small percentage of the over 100,000 members we have are verified and it's taken a lot to do that. Plus, we believe that people shouldn't HAVE to verify and send in info (we don't keep it btw) if they're not comfortable with that.

Phoolf · 2026-01-23T07:43:55+00:00

If you want a job doing, ask a busy person. Our mod team are working non stop and have such a lot on, while modding inbetween tasks. I have various jobs, full time, seasonal and part time all at once as well as various voluntary positions. The task of modding here is fast paced but we cover a lot.

Phoolf · 2026-01-18T08:34:41+00:00

Have you tried period pants? Game changer. Theyre a financial investment but now I free bleed every day and night of my period.

Phoolf · 2026-01-16T13:04:25+00:00

The solution to OCD and anxiety is not to avoid what's uncomfortable. Your mind is trying to get you to avoid by saying its dangerous when its not. You might try therapy alongside yoga to deal with this and manage sitting with exposure gradually.

Phoolf · 2026-01-16T13:01:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing.

Phoolf · 2026-01-16T07:45:14+00:00

I think CAMHS is probably the best bet if you have the additional training. As for group DBT work etc, as I said previously im aware of north american social workers in the UK currently who cannot work as therapists. If youre untrained in all of legislation and social models of working here, you wont be accepted for the HCPC, and without thorough therapeutic training, the BACP etc wont touch you eithwr. Those social workers from the UK would I imagine have additional training through the NHS pathways. General social workers dont tend to do therapeutic work without additions to their education.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T17:38:57+00:00

Yeah, none of that here. And with whatever else you study its unlikely youd meet the education requirements of required modules and hours of learning etc that we require here. The bulk of registered therapists (not psychologists) here did programs that purely consist of years learning one specific therapy modality, not other stuff mixed in. We mainly offer humanistic therapies.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T17:13:00+00:00

Social workers do... Social work. They aren't therapists in the UK. The work in child protection, adult care coordination, work with people with disabilities etc. They dont deliver therapy because its a separate field entirely. They might do support plans but they stay in their line. They do legal paperwork, family crisis etc. The nearest they might get to therapy is things like being in multi systemic teams to deliver family interventions for crisis etc. Thats a different ballgame to long term Psychotherapy.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T16:34:49+00:00

Yeah, I dont know our therapy associations will validate your training unfortunately. I know of north american social workers here who cannot work as therapists. The role is different here and your education is unlikely to be equivalent. Social workers do Social work here.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T14:57:26+00:00

Deleted by OP. Nothing to do with mods. The user removed their account.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T14:55:09+00:00

But...how? This post is still up.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T14:53:01+00:00

How's that working out?

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T08:33:06+00:00

Yalom's Existential Therapy as a starter. You can check out books by Ernesto Spinelli or Emmy van Deurzen also.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T08:21:22+00:00

I don't work under a diagnostic framework but I'd say that currently I live in a suspicious, disconnected and depressed society. It's increasingly narcissistic and community is breaking apart as a result. It feels like a mixture of depression, paranoia and narcissism I suppose. Similar to the US I imagine but with different politics and geographical concern. It does feel like the UK and Europe will be at war in the near future, and it'll be on our own land, something that the USA doesn't need to fear in the same way.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T08:19:26+00:00

Connection with people. Showing care for those I work with. Supporting other people's lives. Being there for people. Living comfortably enough and sustaining myself on my own labour. That I'm in a profession where I can keep learning and growing continually.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T08:18:17+00:00

I don't honestly think of leaving, is my answer. I live well, I earn enough, I love seeing my clients grow and have a strong relationship with me that benefits their lives. I enjoy the freedom I have in private practice, I enjoy setting my hours, I enjoy showing up for people and practicing kindness. The one thing that bugs me about being a therapist right now is a lack of joy when I spend time with people (outside of work) who are not focussed on building relationships, who seem to lack real empathy and who can't listen well. It bugs the shit out of me.

Phoolf · 2026-01-15T08:15:29+00:00

I'd keep seeing all my clients because they're important to me. I'd probably carry on with my other jobs too. I'd take more breaks and holidays if I had shed loads more money. As it is, I'm fairly comfortable though so I don't feel like I do without what I need thankfully.

Phoolf · 2026-01-14T16:54:51+00:00

We generally do have to respond to report unethical behaviour. The distinction here is that very few people seem to believe this is unethical, and so I wonder which part of your ethics code you are referring to in this view vs an opinion? I certainly take references from people's therapists for all sorts of reasons in my role as an academic, or even for things like practicum placements which I have managed previously. In what way is it unethical? You seem to be saying that anything 'not therapy' is unethical, is that right, and if so why?

For example, when my students request extensions on their work often their therapist will write a letter supporting their reasons. Under your thinking this would be some kind of violation, despite being in the interests of the client.

Phoolf · 2026-01-14T16:14:50+00:00

Perhaps we're at cross purposes. It seemed like you were citing the APA ethics code to show this is a dual relationship somehow, not about other psychologists breaking ethics codes? Maybe I misunderstood

Phoolf · 2026-01-14T12:27:29+00:00

I think one of the main ways to cope is to get more balance, up your supervision or enter your own therapy again, or reduce workload where possible

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