Most of us are unfamiliar with the standards of knowing our psychologist or counselor, whether they are good for us or not. Regardless of whether they are online or offline, you have a right to know about your therapist and save yourself from malpractice and misleading people. To know if your service provider is good or not, the first criterion is to see how fit your therapist is in terms of professional conduct and ethics in therapy (counseling).
Based on my experience in psychological practice, I want you all to know that I have completed over 4,000 hours of counseling sessions, assessment sessions, and therapy sessions. My Ph.D. research work is on counseling intervention for heroin addicts, where if the client was family-referred and not self-motivated, then the therapist (or I) needed to have a high level of competence and patience, but also a trait of neutrality. In my career, there are four cases in which I referred to my seniors, and three people left therapy because they were dissatisfied with my approach, and it is completely OK.
As a client, you have some fundamental rights in therapy that safeguard you against malpractice; they are as follows:
Before you start a therapy session (whether online or offline), you have a right to know your therapist’s academic level, extra qualifications, achievements, and whether they’re licensed or not. Are they qualified to investigate your case if they are not licensed? You have the right to choose from a given therapy manual which type of therapy you want to continue. Know that no therapist can do counseling for all people and for all issues with a single approach. You can ask for a refund for the payment you made in advance (if any) and can discontinue service at any time, in the case of not being satisfied with a therapist. If someone complains to the board of ethics or hears about malpractice, then the concerned governing body takes action against it.
To know more about the rules and principles for better outcomes in psychotherapy and other questions, you can write to us.
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