When you see a counsellor, you hope to make progress, however slow, on particular problems. Occasionally you'll need to find a new counsellor, such as when your old one retires or when you don't feel like your current one is such a good match. Leaving a counsellor can feel very personal, and there is often a fear that the act of leaving will be stopped or obstructed somehow. That's not the case. You have the right to change counsellors, and leaving your current counsellor for a new one isn't as fraught with risk as you fear.
Specify Why You Don't Want to Continue Seeing Your Current Counsellor
Sometimes you need to stop seeing your current counsellor because you're moving away. However, if you're looking for another counsellor because you don't think you and your current one work well together (and to be clear, this doesn't mean the counsellor is bad; it means only that the way the counsellor conducts therapy isn't clicking with you, even if the counsellor is terrific), you need to get very specific and spell out to yourself what exactly makes you want to change. When you identify that and can articulate it, you give yourself a goal that helps you locate another counsellor whose sessions may allow you to progress more.
Choose a Method to Tell Your Current Counsellor You Won't Be Back
You've got three main methods of notifying your current counsellor that you won't be back to see them. One is in person, another is via a remote method such as a phone call or letter, and the third is to not say anything at all. Choose which one you're most comfortable with; even if the split is not amicable, be civil and polite at the very least. If the split is amicable or neutral, let the counsellor know what you appreciated about the sessions you had with them.
Get a Copy of Your Counselling Notes
Your new counsellor will likely request a copy of your record from the old counsellor's office, but it helps to get a copy for yourself when you leave. There's no one way to request your records; overall, your counsellor can't refuse to give them to you, but they may require the request in writing, for example. They may also need specifics, such as wanting all of the records or only the ones from specific dates. They may ask you to retrieve the records in person and go over them in the office; the Psychology Council of New South Wales says this allows you to ask questions and clear up concerns, but it is not required for you to get your records. Keep in mind that if you were planning to leave the counsellor without telling them, asking for your records could hint to them that you're leaving.
It can take time to find the right counsellor for you. Education and focus are only part of the equation; you need to feel comfortable with the counsellor and with the pace of the therapy. Keep trying, and you will find the right counsellor for you.
Contact a counselling service to learn more.
Share7 September 2022
My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for nearly a decade. It has been really hard to deal with the stress and guilt of the process, including grieving the babies that we have lost through miscarriages. We have both gone through periods of feeling guilty and responsible for the problems we have had conceiving; although, the doctors have never been able to work out exactly why we haven't been able to have a baby. Counselling has helped us to deal with our grief and has helped us to draw closer through this hard time rather than growing apart.
