Sunday 22 December 2013

Red Flags For Hiring A Licensed Marriage And Family Therapist

By Harriett Crosby


There are many red flags people should pay close attention to, especially when hiring licensed marriage and family therapist. One red flag to be wary of is when the professional actually behaves unethically. When a professional harbors romantic feelings for their client or give sexual advances, that would be bad. Same when they breach the confidentiality and emergency protocols too.

The red flag that should push the client to look for another one is when this professional actually gives recommendations that go beyond people's beliefs. If the recommendations is in conflict of a person's values, then it is better to hire someone else. Make sure that the professional one chooses is someone who works within the client's value system.

It is only normal for a client to have numerous questions they want to ask to the said counselor. The red flag at this point is when the counselor actually dodges questions that should have been easily answered. One should also see to it that the questions are not unreasonable too. If one asks a reasonable question, they can get satisfactory answers too.

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.

Be sure to rely on professionals who listen to their issues well. It is already a red flag if this professional asks their clients to repeat something again and again, words that were already said before. Even if the professional does not remember all details, being a good listener means that they can remember the key details of the issues.

The professional should also avoid disrupting every session they go through. It is a red flag if this professional actually answers the phone or texts while having the session. It is excusable if it is an emergency. Of course, it is also a bad thing if the said professional falls asleep all throughout the session. That is just unprofessional, which is not a good sign at all.

A professional's instinct is very sharp. No matter who it is, they should learn how to trust in their own instincts. If the person wants to look for a good licensed marriage and family therapist, they should make sure to listen to what their guts tell them.




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