OK, so you’re ready to seek some help and you start looking for the best psychologist to help you on your therapy journey. But how exactly do you find the best psychologist in Adelaide? I know whenever I’m looking for something (ie, the ‘best restaurant in Adelaide’ or ‘best yoga studio in Adelaide’), I pull out my phone and jump onto Google. Easy! Well, unfortunately, Googling “The Best Psychologist In Adelaide” will not actually find you The Best Psychologist in Adelaide! Weird, hey? Let me explain…
Psychologists are not allowed to call ourselves ‘The Best psychologist’ (even if we are!) because of some strict regulations the healthcare industry has in Australia when it comes to advertising and promotions. We must follow the rules as listed under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Under these rules, it restricts anyone from claiming to be “The Best psychologist” or “The Most Effective therapist”! We can’t even post client testimonials on our website!
So that doesn’t help you find the right match does it? Are you doomed to drift from psychologist to psychologist trying to find the right one for you? Not if you know what to do!
Where do I begin in my search for the best psychologists in Adelaide?
Don’t panic. Here are a few ideas and resources available to help you get started and we’ve done the leg work for you.
Your Friendly General Practitioner
An easy first step would be to have a chat with your GP. GP’s often know a number of psychologists in their area, AND they would have sent other patients to those psychologists so would have received sone feedback about how it went. GP’s also know a bit about what specific areas different psychologists treat, so can help to guide you in the right direction.
The main limitation to remember with a GP referral is that their recommendations may be narrowed down to who they know, or their in-house psychologist.
Phone a friend
One of our biggest referrals at ProMind Psychology is actually through word of mouth! Friends referring friends. Speaking with other people not only normalises therapy, (which happens to be one of our ProMind Psychology missions) but can is another great way to find the best psychologist for you.
When it comes to getting info straight from the horse’s mouth, unfortunately testimonials posted on websites are a no-no due to confidentiality, and even though we gets loads of thank you emails, public reviews are rare in this industry. But it’s amazing how many people have seen or know someone who’s seen a psychologist. Ask around!
Online Directories
There are a few directories that list therapists in your area. Although, there’s not a lot of information about each psychologist, it does give you some options.
- Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPI) have a list of Psychologists under their Find a Psychologist
- Psychology Today’s Find Counselling
Background and Areas of Special Interest
Psychologists all come at as having general skills. Once qualified, all psychologists must continue with professional development and this is when they tend to hone in their areas of ‘special interest’. Some examples are special interest areas in trauma, acquired brain injuries, depression, anxiety, phobias and grief.
And last but not least… Think about your goals before therapy!
Fantastic! You’ve made the decision to reach out and create space and time to work on your mental health and wellness. But to get the most out of your therapy, make sure you spend some time before you come in, thinking about what you want to work on in therapy! Even the world’s best Universities can’t put you on your dream career path if you don’t come in with some idea of what you’d like to study. And so too, even the best psychologist won’t be able to help you on your path to your best self if you haven’t thought about what you would like to focus on.
That being said, your psychologist will be able to ask the right questions to help you hone it down!
May all your lights be green! 🙂
Karen Stevens
Principal Psychologist
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