really need to find a therapist / councellor but have no idea where to start.

[jingleyjen]

can anyone help.
Please

have you asked your gp?

Yep, make an appointment with your GP and tell him how you are feeling and see if he will refer you.

have avoided the gp..

Are you able to say a bit about what the problem is? That may give people an idea of what to advise/recommend

OK. have you got enough money to go private. if so, try to get a recommendation for a good psychotherapist in private practice. they need to be BACP or UKCP registered (UKCP, slightly longer training sometimes) go through bac.co.uk which is the BACP's website if you can't get a recommendation.

if not, go through your GP, but don't settle for a counsellor that you don't get along with, you really need to feel that this is someone that you can talk to.

if going private route speak to/see at least 3 people before you decide.

another route is through a low-cost counselling service which will depend on where you live. MIND are worth trying. but there may be other agencies that offer a sliding scale.

good luck

don't feel depressed on a day to day basis, have had problems with certain things for a long time, self confidence issues centred around family problems and not helped by being raped when I was 11. Have managed to sabotage almost all things in my life and last saturday decided that the only way of not sabotaging my boys life was to kill myself.
I don't feel that way this evening, but I know how strongly I felt last weekend and I know I need to clear these problems to be able to move forward with my life.

meant to say tried talking to someone through my GP a few years ago but she drove me mad and I just wanted to scream at her for not listening to me!

like i say, don't settle for someone that you don't feel you can't relate to.

you definitely would benefit from some medium to longterm counselling jen.

I got a pychotherapist through my GP incidentally.

Make an appointment with s different Doctor if you are not going private.

I have read on the stately homes thread about different types of counselling.. how do I know which is the right thing for me?

JJ

I think I would go with Sophable's advice

Why not try doing a bit of on-line research about the different types of counselling available?

ie, CBT, psychotherapy

either contact /hvor community mental health team so they can come and assess and will either refer you to psychotherapy team or will be able to give you contact numbers for counsellors. You will also be able to get info from sure start and look for some local voluntary counselling associations.

CBT is great, can help alleviate anxiety symptoms.

I believe in psychodynamic psychotherapy, from an attachment base, i believe early relationships define how we respond to later traumas.

in the end most reseach agrees that the model plays a very very poor second in terms of outcome to the quality of the relationship between counsellor and client. if you find someone you feel you can trust. if they are trained and therefore going to maintain boundaries and be reliable and consistent, non-judgemental but able to challenge you gently then you'll be away.

that is why is so very very important that you feel a connection with the person that you see. that you feel able to trust them.

if you're london based i could really help steer you to someone decent. cat me if you are.

nemo that all sounds scarey. If I can get it sorted out without involving the HV. I just fear some people in authority interferring in my family

cambridgeshire Soph, thanks though

jen this lot are UKCP will be back with more

she is UKCP

thanks Sophable.
I have sent them both emails will see what they say.

jingley, i got these off the internet. they are kosher as they are UKCP registered. however, it would be much much better to get a recommendation. even, for example if you see one and click but they don't have a slot for you, then perhaps ask them for a recommendation.

or if you know someone that has had therapy and rates their therapist.

Thanks for all your help with this Soph.
am having difficult time working out the best route to take, most of it based on fear. I think I am going to make an appointment to see the GP this week, if I feel confident enough to talk to her about it then I will hopefully be able to ask for guidance with local counsellors.
I don't want to go back to where I was last weekend

thanks ruby how near is very near?

I was a bit scared for a moment thinking that you lived in the same village and I was trying to work out if I knew you!

thanks for your offer, aside from this little wibble if you fancied getting together for a coffee sometime anyway it would be great to meet another MN'er