How to Find a Local Counsellor

Mental health support is essential in the modern world. Here is our guide to finding counselors in your area. Whatever your needs, we are here to help you find counselors to help provide mental health support in your local area.

Mental Health Support

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 20 percent of children and adolescents suffer from a mental health condition. They also state that suicide is one of the leading causes of death for 15-29-year-olds. This makes getting effective, accessible mental health care quickly and easily of paramount importance. Never be afraid to reach out, whether it is to friends or a professional body, for support.

How To Find Local Psychological Services

Let's break down how to find counselors in your local area, step-by-step, so you or your loved ones can find counseling services near you quickly and easily.

Different Kinds Of Psychological Services

Before you search, consider what kind of mental health support you want. For example, people dealing with substance abuse problems can find the support and community offered by group therapy highly beneficial. In contrast, those who have suffered sexual abuse may prefer to see a psychologist one-to-one. There are also numerous different approaches to treatment; you may want to see a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist. While their names may sound the same, they have different specialties. It is worth deciding which help you would like to seek so that the treatment you receive is suited to your individual needs.

Use An Online Local Directory

A local online directory is your best friend when finding a therapist in your local area. Local Tales can help you find counselors in your area in as efficient a way as possible, so there is no stress in the process. And as therapy will often include you sharing highly personal and confidential things with your therapist, it is important to find one that you know will deliver a helpful service before your first appointment. Local Tales can help you in this regard too, as it comes with a user rating and review system that allows you to see how each therapist service in your area has been received by people who have used it in the past.

Set Your Search Terms

You must follow only a few simple steps to find therapy through Local Tales. First, enter the area you want to find counsellors in. You can do this by entering your suburb or postcode, and Local Tales will instantly narrow down your search results to only those in your area. After this, you can enter into the search bar which category you want to search within - for example, 'counselling' - and your search will be refined to include those services in your area.

However, if you want a focused search tailored to your exact needs, consider entering keywords. For example, you might enter 'psychotherapists', 'psychologist counsellors', or 'professional psychotherapists practitioners'. You will then be greeted with a highly-focused page of search results, complete all the necessary details you need to contact each counselling service, such as contact details and the practice address.

Consult Reviews

Before you use any service online, it pays to check out user reviews! Local Tales has a star rating and review system, so you can see how other people who have been in your shoes in the past have found the counselling services. These reviews can also help you learn important information about counsellors, such as what methods and practices they favour, whether they are a psychologist or a psychotherapist, and other details. Take your time to read a few of these before deciding, so you can find the service that is right for you, whether it is group counselling sessions or professional psychologists specialising in cognitive behavioural therapy.

Make Contact & Book Your First Appointment

Now it is time to make your decision and contact the counseling service of your choice. Once you have agreed on a time and price of the counselling sessions to take place, you are good to go! Often, your counsellors offer some basic forms for you to fill out before your first appointment. These will cover some of your basic needs and requirements, the problems you are experiencing that you would like to work on in your counselling sessions, as well as a confidentiality agreement between you and your psychologist.

Community Centres

An alternative way to find counselling services in your local area can be through community centres. This may differ based on your location, but community centres often run group therapy sessions for people in their community. An inherent advantage to this is that they are largely free, or run on small contributions, so you do not have to worry about paying money to get help if you can't afford it.

Religious Organisations

Similarly to community centres, religious organisations such as your local church may often offer counselling services. Do not feel these are not for you just because you may not practise that religion. Though in some cases this may represent a barrier to entry, there is no single rule, so the counselling services extended to non-practicing members may differ from place to place. However, it is just another avenue to get the help you need, and it is well worth considering.

Conclusion

Everyone can benefit to some extent from counseling. Counselors offer a wide range of services, and there are no problems too big or too small for them to help you with. It is important to feel you are supported and can reach out and receive that support whenever you may need it. This guide should help you find counseling services in your local area, but don't be scared to reach out to loved ones too, to help provide you with the support that you require.