Top 10 Tips for Choosing a Counsellor in Auckland

You have a problem. Your relationship is falling apart. Your anger is hurting your partner or children. You lack direction in life-unsure of how to make your life better.

In all cases counselling can be a courageous and hugely beneficial step to take. However, choosing the right counsellor for you in a large city such as Auckland can be daunting. Just Googling “Counsellor Auckland” gives over 500,000 results. How is one supposed to take all these results and choose a counsellor that suits you?

This article gives 10 tips for choosing a counsellor in Auckland based on my 17 years of experience as an Auckland counsellor myself. In this time I have met many counsellors that I would not recommend people see. And of course I have met many excellent counsellors. So, how do you choose a counsellor in Auckland?

Tip 1: Whenever possible, use recommendations

As simple as this sounds, this is perhaps the best tip for choosing a good Auckland based counsellor. Do you know anyone who has seen a counsellor themselves? If so how was it? Although it is can be difficult to ask other people about their counselling experiences, you may be surprised how open people are if you are brave enough to simply ask them. As in all aspects of life, other peoples recommendations are usually the best guide as to what your experience is likely to be. If they have found a counsellor useful, chances are you that you will too. If they have not, avoid seeing that counsellor at all costs!

Tip 2: Use location searches in Google

Although it is usually best to act on other people recommendations, we cannot always find someone to recommend a counsellor for us. So what do we do? We google! Given the large numbers of counsellors in Auckland, I recommend that when searching for a counsellor on the internet people restrict their search to counsellors in their area. For example, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors website (link) lists over 400 counsellors who are based in wider Auckland. The same website gives 63 counsellors based on the North Shore of Auckland. Although this is still a large number, if you looking for a counsellor in Takapuna or Milford, for example, you will find approximately 10 counsellors. You can then check out these counsellor’s websites. 10 people is much more manageable than 400!

Tip 3: Find out the counsellor’s speciality!

Once you have found a counsellor on Google it pays to check out their speciality. Few counsellors are able to deal with all issues. For most issues (such as relationship counselling or anger management) it is far more effective to see a counsellor who specialises in this issue. For example, if you are struggling with anger management, googling “Counsellor Takapuna” gives 8 results on the front page (including Google local listings). Of these listings, 2 of these counsellors state that they specialise in anger management. It is these counsellors that you should consider seeing first!

Tip 4: Check what professional body the counsellor belongs to

In New Zealand there is no restriction on who may call themselves a counsellor. In fact, absolutely anyone can set up a counselling practice and describe themselves as a counsellor. When searching for a counsellor in an area such as Auckland, it is vital that the counsellor you choose does belong to a professional body. The three professional bodies that you should look for are the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC), the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists and the New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association. Members of these organisations have gone through a long and rigorous process to join and thus are much more likely to maintain high professional and ethical standards.

Tip 5: Look at how long the counsellor has been in business for

Experience is a key part to being a good counsellor. In general, the longer the counsellor has been in practice, the more likely they are to have developed the skills and expertise to help you. This is a increasingly significant issue as many counselling training organisations are producing more and more counselling graduates. Many of these inexperienced counsellors are then setting up private practice against the recommendations of professional counselling bodies such as the NZAC. When choosing a counsellor in Auckland I suggest that you choose a counsellor with at least 7 years experience. That way you know that the counsellor has a long track record of successfully seeing clients.

Tip 6: Look at testimonials on the counsellors website

According to the NZAC Code of Ethics, it is unethical for members of NZAC to seek testimonials. However, counsellors may display testimonials on their website that clients have freely given and where the client has given permission for the counsellor to use the testimonial publicly. However, many counsellors display testimonials on their website that are not very reassuring. As an example, if a counsellor displays a very generic testimonial such as “Was treated with kindness and compassion” it is unclear what the counsellor did that was useful. When looking at testimonials on a counsellor’s website, look for detailed descriptions of what a counsellor did that was useful. An example of such a testimonial in a relationship counselling context may be something like “Before coming to see Alastair, our arguments were getting out of hand and we weren’t sure that we would stay together. Alastair taught us some very useful anger management skills and also helped us to listen to what each other was saying. Highly recommended!”.

Top 10 Tips for choosing a counsellor in Auckland infographic

Tip 7: Look at the counsellors “About Me” page

Although counsellors are trained in a range of counselling approaches, research suggests that the most important factor in determining if counselling will be helpful is the relationship between the client and the counsellor. As a client, it helps if you like and respect the counsellor you are seeing. While it is difficult to assess how well you will get on with a counsellor simply from their website, the counsellor’s “About Me” page can give you many clues. For example, when reading the counsellor’s “About Me” page, ask yourself questions such as:

Does it seem like the counsellor has similar interests to me?
Does the counsellor seem welcoming and friendly?
Do I think I’d relate to this counsellor outside of the counselling room?
Is the counsellor’s background one that usually interests me in people?
Does the counsellor have an intriguing past job or hobby that I relate to?

Tip 8: Use your “gut” feel

In my seventeen years of practice I have had many clients choose to see me because they said that how I portrayed myself on my website “felt” right to them. Often these clients have made the most changes in counselling. As human beings we all have powerful intuitions and gut instincts. When it comes to choosing a counsellor, use your gut instinct! If the counsellor you are thinking of seeing does not “feel” right to you, they are probably not! Move on and choose a different counsellor!

Tip 9: Talk to the counsellor first

Starting counselling is a big emotional and financial commitment. Before deciding which counsellor to see, ring the counsellor first to see how you relate to him or her. Any counsellor should be happy to spend 10 to 15 minutes on the phone with you discussing their background and giving you an idea if they can help you or not. As there are so many counsellors in Auckland, even in a specific geographical locations such as Takapuna, I recommend calling 3 or 4 counsellors to see how you relate to them on the phone. At the end of each call thank the counsellor for their time and tell them you will get back to them. After completing these calls you can then make a more informed decision as to which counsellor you will see.

counsellor kayaking in takapuna, auckland

Tip 10: Read the counsellor’s blog

Reading a counsellor’s blog can help you learn more about the counsellor’s personality, interests and area of speciality. For example, if you are looking for a relationship counsellor in Auckland, a counsellor that blogs regularly on relationship issues is likely to be actively involved in thinking about and working with relationship issues. The counsellor may also have written about the specific issue that you are facing. If so, then even without meeting the counsellor you can assess whether the counsellor is likely to be a good fit for you.

Choosing a good counsellor in a large city such as Auckland is challenging. The ten tips above are designed to help you make this difficult decision. If you would like more information or recommendations on choosing a high quality, professional counsellor in Auckland then please feel free to contact me!

Contact Alastair Duhs Now