AACBT - Find a Practitioner

Make sure you feel comfortable with the therapist: You should feel comfortable with the therapist and they should seem comfortable with you. You should feel like you can develop a positive and trusting relationship with them as you need to work together to achieve the benefits. A good cognitive behaviour therapist will be warm and accepting and non-judgemental.

Don't be afraid to shop around: It is important that you find a therapist who is right for you, so searching around is often a good idea. A good therapist will never get defensive or be offended if you don't feel the CBT service is effective and should provide information on other available services if you ask them.

Check the practitioner's qualifications: ALWAYS check the practitioner's qualifications! Cognitive behaviour therapists come from a wide range of professions. Most CBT practitioners are psychologists. However, medical practitioners, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists also practice CBT. Individuals practicing as 'psychotherapists' or 'counsellors' are not required in Victoria to have any specific form of training or formal qualification, nor to register with a governing body.

Check that the practitioner is registered with their appropriate governing body: most professional disciplines required registration with a governing body. Some of these are governed by the government specifically to protect the public (these are called registration boards). Others have associations that regulate practice through guidelines and membership (these are usually called associations or societies). Sometimes a particular professional group might have both.

Ask questions: Be sure to ask your therapist how they know that the treatment they will be using is effective and how will the therapist know that this form of treatment will be effective for you! Feel free to check on their training or any other questions you have about them.