In the UK, therapy can be provided by the National Health Service (NHS) at no direct cost to the client. Contact the GP (primary care) practice where you are registered, or call 111, or go to: 111.nhs.uk
The NHS rations therapy by using long waiting lists together with limits on the number of sessions you can have, and you don’t usually get to choose your therapist. The quality of the therapist is not guaranteed. After a bad experience with a therapist it may be difficult to switch to a different one.
If you have insurance that covers therapy, then your insurer will provide a list of approved therapists you can choose from. Approval is not a guarantee of quality. Some insurers may also accept any qualified therapist. However, insurers don’t all pay therapists well, and you might find that the best therapists don’t accept your insurer.
If your insurance is linked to your job, then you might find it’s arranged through an agency that doesn’t give you a choice of therapist. Agencies cannot usually guarantee quality, and they don’t usually pay for the best therapists.
You can also pay a therapist directly. This gives you a wide choice of therapists. The link in the post is to the BABCP directory, which is only one of many competing directories, and it’s limited to those therapists who pay the BABCP for their listing. Being in the directory is not a guarantee of quality.
For a more comprehensive directory, the nonprofit insurer Bupa allows anyone to search its Finder directory and contact therapists directly.
Some notes about the UK.
In the UK, therapy can be provided by the National Health Service (NHS) at no direct cost to the client. Contact the GP (primary care) practice where you are registered, or call 111, or go to: 111.nhs.uk
The NHS rations therapy by using long waiting lists together with limits on the number of sessions you can have, and you don’t usually get to choose your therapist. The quality of the therapist is not guaranteed. After a bad experience with a therapist it may be difficult to switch to a different one.
If you have insurance that covers therapy, then your insurer will provide a list of approved therapists you can choose from. Approval is not a guarantee of quality. Some insurers may also accept any qualified therapist. However, insurers don’t all pay therapists well, and you might find that the best therapists don’t accept your insurer.
If your insurance is linked to your job, then you might find it’s arranged through an agency that doesn’t give you a choice of therapist. Agencies cannot usually guarantee quality, and they don’t usually pay for the best therapists.
You can also pay a therapist directly. This gives you a wide choice of therapists. The link in the post is to the BABCP directory, which is only one of many competing directories, and it’s limited to those therapists who pay the BABCP for their listing. Being in the directory is not a guarantee of quality.
For a more comprehensive directory, the nonprofit insurer Bupa allows anyone to search its Finder directory and contact therapists directly.