If the information and ideas about depression on this website have resonated with you and you feel like you might benefit from seeing a Human Givens Therapist, you can view a Register of Qualified Human Givens Therapists on the Human Givens Institute website.When selecting a good therapist for yourself or someone you know, it is a good idea to have the following checklist in mind to make sure you avoid the types of counselling and psychotherapy that could make the low mood worse. Don’t be afraid to question the therapist in depth and try to ascertain if they really know what they are talking about. Membership of trade associations like BACP, UKCP or BABCP (in the UK for example) are no guarantee of sound practice. All schools of therapy have people of varying abilities in them.If you see a therapist and don’t notice some improvement after two or three sessions, the therapist is unlikely to be able to help you since people who progress in therapy usually do so early on. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is often recommended but does not suit everyone. This is an approach that focuses on changing negative or faulty patterns of thinking into more helpful, desirable ones. This focus on reason and planning somewhat limits its effectiveness, although some people find it helpful. Let the checklist below be your guide.

An effective psychotherapist or counsellor:

• knows how to build rapport quickly with distressed people
• understands depression and how to lift it
• helps immediately with anxiety problems including trauma or fear related symptoms
• is prepared to give advice if needed or asked for
• will not use jargon or ‘psychobabble’ or tell you that counselling or psychotherapy has to be ‘painful’
• will not dwell unduly on the past
• will be supportive when difficult feelings emerge, but will not encourage people to get emotional beyond the normal need to ‘let go’ of any bottled up feelings
• may assist you to develop your social skills so that your needs for affection, friendship, pleasure, intimacy, connection to the wider community etc. can be better fulfilled
• will help you to draw and build on your own resources (which may prove greater than you thought)
• will be considerate of the effects of counselling on the people close to you
• may teach you to relax deeply
• may help you think about your problems in new and more empowering ways
• uses a wide range of techniques as appropriate
• may ask you to do things between sessions
• will take as few sessions as possible
• will increase your self confidence and independence and make sure you feel better after every consultation.

All of the psychotherapists and counsellors on the HGI official register are fully-qualified, having passed the Human Givens College Diploma Course (practitioner level: HG.Dip.P.).