Introduction
Finding the right therapist can feel like finding a needle in a haystack! It's a difficult and tedious process with so many options and factors to consider. This blog post aims to guide you through finding the right therapist for you in India.
Identify Your Needs
Before starting therapy, it is important to first know what you are looking for, as different psychological professions offer different services and support. There are 3 major types of care: counselling, clinical, and psychiatric. Below is a quick breakdown of what each offers.
- Counselling: a place to vent, process emotions and trauma, identify and work through patterns, and learn functional skills. Counselling psychologists tend to be client-driven. They offer talk therapy, art therapy, or somatic therapy, based on their expertise and model of practice.
- Clinical: assessing for and diagnosing mental disorders based on symptoms. Depending on the psychologist, they can offer a lot of what a counselling psychologist, but in a more structured manner that is in line with your specific symptomology and diagnosis.
- Psychiatric: primarily prescribes medication.
Below are some questions you can ask yourself to identify who the right professional for you might be.
A counselling psychologist might be right for you if you answer YES to the questions below
- Am I going through a life transition (career change, divorce, grief, relationship issues) that's making me feel stuck or overwhelmed?
- Do I feel emotionally drained, anxious, or unfulfilled?
- Am I looking for a space to talk, gain self-awareness, and build coping strategies?
- Do I want support that focuses on personal growth and everyday emotional wellbeing?
- Am I experiencing relationship or interpersonal issues right now?
- Am I looking for couples counselling?
A clinical psychologist might be right for you if you answer YES to the questions below
- Have I been dealing with persistent symptoms for a long time, like intense anxiety, low mood, obsessive thoughts, or trauma responses?
- Do my difficulties significantly interfere with work, relationships, or daily functioning?
- Has a psychologist or doctor suggested I might have a diagnosable mental health condition?
- Am I looking for a structured approach for a specific condition, rather than a flexible approach based on emerging emotions?
- Have I tried counselling before but felt I needed something more intensive or specialised?
A psychiatrist might be right for you if you answer YES to the questions below
- Have I tried therapy and found it was not enough to reduce my symptoms?
- Has a therapist or doctor ever suggested medication to me?
- Have I been experiencing symptoms that feel beyond what talking alone can help, e.g. severe mood swings, psychosis, or a severe inability to function?
- Do I have a diagnosed condition (like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or severe OCD) that needs to be medically managed?
If you still feel unsure after going through these questions, you can always begin with a counselling psychologist. Together, you can figure out what your needs are, and if a different professional turns out to be more appropriate, they can help refer you.
Rocket Health offers all 3 types of care, with professionals often referring clients to one another based on their needs. With internal referrals, professionals are also able to collaborate on care and share insights that significantly aid a client's treatment.
Once you've identified what kind of care you need, the next step is finding the right person to offer it!
Read About the Psychologist
A psychologist's bio will speak to their experience and their practicing modality/style, both of which will help you figure out who might be the right fit for you.
Look at their approach to therapy: do they use the medical diagnostic model? Do they take a more sociocultural lens to mental wellbeing? Which matters more to you?
Do they seem to use a very structured approach, or a more flexible one? Which do you prefer?
What demographic do they work with? Have the worked with the issues/conditions/barriers you are experiencing? Do they account for cultural and social factors? Do they integrate trauma-informed care, queer-affirmative care, caste-informed care? Anything else that feels important for you in the therapeutic space?
And ultimately, do a gut check. Do you get the sense that you can trust this person with your vulnerabilities?
As important as it is to make an informed decision, it's equally important to listen to your gut about who feels safe to open up to. You can't fully decide this from a bio alone, but it can help you narrow down your options.
Certifications
When looking at bios, it's important to check whether the person is qualified to offer the service they're providing. Many people call themselves therapists or psychologists without the right qualifications, so it's important to be aware.
Counselling psychologists don't have a regulated certification or licensing board in India as of now. However, look for those who hold a Masters in Psychology, Masters in Counselling Psychology, or Masters in Clinical Psychology, as this ensures a high standard of education and training.
Clinical psychologists must be certified through the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), as they diagnose and treat mental disorders and administer and interpret standardised psychological tests. An RCI-registered clinical psychologist holds either an M.Phil in Clinical Psychology or a Psy.D in Clinical Psychology from an RCI-recognised institution.
Psychiatrist are medical doctors, so they hold an MBBS, followed by a postgraduate degree in psychiatric or psychological medicine, and must be registered with the national and state medical council.
In Conclusion
When looking for the right therapist, consider what your care needs are, what you're looking for in a professional, and their qualifications.
That said, it's important to acknowledge that finding the right fit often takes a bit of trial and error. A therapist is unlike any other professional; your relationship with them requires personal engagement, vulnerability, and trust. It's not just about their skills and knowledge; it's also about the synergy between you two. Sometimes a professional can be wonderful, but the fit still isn't quite right, and that's okay.
It can be discouraging to keep trying and not yet find the person you can truly open up to, but it's always worth another try.
If you're considering therapy and are curious about who to speak to, feel free to reach out to the Care Team at Rocket Health. They can help match you with the right therapist. From there, you can read their bio and make a decision for yourself. If you don't think they'll be the right fit, ask for a different professional. Or if you meet a professional, and find it’s not the right match, address it with the professional - maybe you can figure it out together. Still, if it’s not working out, you can reach out to the Care Team again to re-match you with someone else.
Always remember to advocate for your needs and comfort. You deserve to work with someone who makes you feel safe, accepted, and held.
