Feel confused about which counsellor or therapist to choose?

Before entrusting your emotional well being to a therapist, it is wise to take sufficient time to ensure the therapist you are intending to see is qualified and meets the industry standards.


If a therapist is not a member of a professional association, they may have either been deregistered for disciplinary reasons or failed to meet industry membership standards.

Questions to help decide is this professional for me:

  • Are you a financial registered member of a professional body such as the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)? (dated and signed copy of registration should be displayed in therapist’s room)
  • Do you abide by a Code of Conduct that outlines my rights?
  • Do you have provisional indemnity insurance?
  • Do you receive regular supervision? What qualifications and experience does your supervisor have in my area of concern?
  • What recent training have you gained in my area of concern?
  • What is your experience in my area of concern?

These answers will help you decide whether this therapist is for you. Plus your conversation will help gain a sense of whether you might click ie: do you feel understood, respected, cared about.

What is the difference between a psychotherapist? Accredited Mental Heath Social Worker? psychologist? Social Worker? Counsellor?

These professions can each provide counselling or therapy services. There are many great practitioners from each field. You may find varying explanations re these differences…..here is my answer:

  • These professional titles often reflect different undergraduate qualifications.
  • Many therapists, especially in private practice, may have different postgraduate qualifications although most will have specialized counselling post graduate qualifications; eg: my undergraduate degree is in Social Work, my Masters is in counselling, plus further career training enabled me to become an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Psychotherapist.
  • In private practice, there tends to be significant overlap depending upon previous field of employment, years of experience, expertise of the supervisors, and type of ongoing training received. Frequently these professionals are attending the same training with workshops being led by each profession.
  • The fields of psychology and social work are very broad; some psychologists focus more upon psychometric testing; some social workers focus upon providing welfare services and advising government on social policy matters.
  • Accredited Mental Health Social Workers and Psychologists who specialize in counselling often have a similar approach. Research shows they are equally as effective.
  • Private health funds and Medicare vary regards which professions they will accept as providers of counselling services; for example, Medicare only accepts Accredited Mental Health Social Workers and Psychologists not Counsellors, Psychotherapists, nor Social Workers.
  • In summary, your choice might be guided by their career experience and how comfortable you feel, as opposed to their professional title.