Good evening!
I wanted to share some advice with you – which goes as much for people working with me/thinking of working with me as for anyone else. Hopefully all of this is completely obvious, but I wanted it to come from me, as a parent who has been on this journey myself.
It’s about choosing a therapist to work with. I’ve had people travel a distance to see me – and I’ve had others, who are more local, going to see someone else. Both are totally personal choice!
When we started our journey, we’d travel an hour and a half or so. We’d take our child out of school for half a day – for us, this journey was more important (but he was Reception age, so not so hard to take a child that little out of school). One little tip I learnt there is that if you register for the afternoon session, and then leave just after registration, it won’t be marked as an absence! Ditto for mornings, as long as you are back by afternoon registration.
We were prepared to travel for the right therapist. I’ve had people travel from all over the country to see ME, despite recommending therapists who are closer to them – because they want to see ME – and I felt the same – I wanted to see OUR therapist, not anyone closer.
My main message is this: If you are looking for a nearby therapist, ASK in this group for recommendations, google and look on places like Netmums and Mumsnet and whatever other forums there are, or even other Facebook support groups.
Secondly, once you have found a therapist, look at their website and social media posts – see if they “speak” to you. For example, some therapists are into more right-brained modalities such as crystal healing, MLM products and reiki, whereas the majority of us are more left-brained and stick with science. You may prefer the right-brained approach, you may prefer the left-brained approach – there’s no right answer: you must go with the person who speaks to YOU and your situation the most. Equally, if social media posts are aggressive, blatantly unknowledgeable hard sells to the vulnerable, the therapist may not be quite the right person for you. Making people aware of what we do is not the same as aggressively selling “magic” using stock phrases.
Be wary of people who make incredible claims, those who appear full of hot air or instagurus – an instaguru being a fabulous term coined by a translator friend of mine, which basically means “The Emperor’s New Clothes”.
Don’t be scared to ask lots of questions based on your research before you spend your money.
Even once you’ve been for an appointment, if you don’t click with your therapist, you are under no obligation to stay with someone who makes you – or your child – feel uncomfortable in any way. Vote with your feet and go elsewhere.
It is EXTREMELY important to know that what we do works best when you have an optimal relationship with your therapist.
That relationship is absolutely key to your journey.
Good luck in finding your pathway!
