Find a counsellor
Finding the right Counsellor that you feel comfortable with is very important and can sometimes take time.
Choosing a counsellor who is an NZAC member provides assurance that they meet the ethical and professional standards you expect when seeking help. Counsellors work according to the ethical values and principles of the NZAC Code of Ethics which protect clients’ privacy and safety as well as providing a robust complaints process.
Professional counsellors have specialised knowledge, skills and understandings that enable them to offer clients an individualised experience. They are committed to enabling clients to find practitioners who best suit their unique personality, culture, identity, circumstances and needs.
Many people find a Counsellor via a personal recommendation from their GP or other health professionals, from their workplace with an EAP service, through a community agency, or a friend.
Use our directory of Counsellors to search for practitioners by:
- location
- gender
- culture
- expertise
- specialities
- qualifications
While not all Counsellors have websites, these can be an additional, useful source of information about a practitioner.
Contact the Counsellor to check out their availability, and to get a sense of them and how they seem to you. Do they sound like a potential “right fit” for you and your needs? Counsellors are happy to talk with inquirers and answer questions.
Treat the initial appointment as an opportunity to make sure that the Counsellor is someone you think you can work with and talk openly with about your issues. If it is helpful for you, take a list of questions you feel need answering before you engage with the Counsellor. There is no need to feel embarrassed about asking a Counsellor any question when the information you are seeking is important to you.
It is not offensive to tell a Counsellor after an initial session that they are not quite the “right fit” for you.