Tuesday 24 December 2013

Red Flags For Hiring A Licensed Marriage And Family Therapist

By Harriett Crosby


To determine whether a licensed marriage and family therapist is a bad one or not, people will have to remember some red flags. One of the flags that should alert people is when the said counselor actually acts unethically. This refers to when they harbor romantic feelings toward their client or when they break the confidentiality or emergency protocols.

Another flag that should alert people is when this counselor provides those recommendations that do not fit well with their client's beliefs or values. A good professional will provide recommendations that actually work within a person's value system. If it is in conflict, then it is better to find someone else to take care of the problem.

The couples will most likely have some questions that they want answered. Of course, it is a red flag if the said professional dodges the questions that one has in mind. Of course, the questions posed should be reasonable though. Otherwise, the professional will not be able to give a satisfying answer to these questions.

Try to determine if this professional is the type to over-share. If the said professional actually over-shares, they might end up getting pity from their client. They will just pull their clients into the wrong direction for the therapy. If the counselor discloses something, it should be for the purpose of helping the client with their issues.

At times, people might end up feeling worse during each session. This is fine if the client feels them once or twice. It is a different matter when the client feels bad after every session or on a regular manner, though. They should immediately change the professional handling their issues if this is the case. There is something not right with this.

The person might end up feeling judged, shamed, and emotionally unsafe when they are going through the said session. It will feel really bad if the said professional seems like to be holding a magnifying glass over the couple's issues all the time. Look for another professional since this is not healthy at all. They should set up healthy boundaries for themselves.

Relying on counselors should be a good thing if the latter is someone who hears the client's issues well. It is definitely a red flag for people when their counselor actually asks them to repeat information every other session. Even if the details are not verbatim, at least having them remember the key details is a must.

Try to look for a professional who does not disrupt the sessions. It is very unprofessional for the counselor to interrupt the session just because of a single phone call or text message. Unless it is an emergency, that will be inexcusable. Also, it is very unprofessional if the said counselor actually falls asleep while listening to their client's issues or talks.

At times, couples may end up not feeling right with the said professional. They should try to stress importance into trusting their gut. If their instinct tells them that their licensed marriage and family therapist is not the right professional to talk to, then it is better to look for another one to share the couple's problems to. People's instincts are usually more reliable than any other senses.




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