Tips for Choosing a Psychotherapist:
Assessing Competence

The following questions may further help you to determine the level of competence of the therapist you are interviewing by assessing their professional training, credentials, licenses, organizational affiliations and history of experiences in clinical practice.

-What diploma and graduate degree did they receive? From which school? What year?

-Did they graduate from a specific clinical training program from their university? What was their major? Where did they do their clinical internship?

-How many years have they been practicing therapy? How long privately?

-What was their previous employment prior to private practice? Did they work in clinical agencies?

-Do they currently have a clinical supervisor who reviews their work? For how many years? If not, why not?

-Are they licensed in Colorado or are they registered with the Department of Regulatory Agencies?

-What professional organizations are they a member of? What was the criteria for membership?

-How much and what kind of specific experience have they had treating any particular problem you may be concerned about?

-What specific personal experiences or training programs qualifies them to practice their style of therapy? Have they been in therapy themself?

-Do they carry liability (malpractice) insurance?

-Have they ever had any formal complaints filed with DORA against them?