I have always believed you get what you pay for and arguably this applies to those working in the therapy profession. As I stated in a former column, cheap and tacky therapists can definitely wreck your health, so I now urge any member of the paying public looking for therapeutic support to tread very carefully. Yes, there is far too much cheap and nasty therapy on offer these days.
The reality is that we are seeing a boom in cheap therapy from those that are probably desperate because they are useless. Discount offers and BOGOF deals are out there but I urge you to be extremely cautious. The low rent therapist may be so bad bringing little experience, little evidence of success, and little evidence of professional achievement. In fact these kind of therapists are so bad that they can potentially do you more harm than good. You cannot afford to allow some bargain basement therapist to play with you mind. Remember, your mind will determine your behaviours and actions in life, which will ultimately determine your personal achievement, so I encourage you to find the very best. If you are struggling to find the money to work with the very best then consider putting the cost on an interest free credit card because long term you will probably look back realising it was a worthwhile investment. I reiterate again that you normally get what you pay for, and when it comes to the health of your mind you should not go cheap.
In the last few years I have listened to stories from members of the public desperate for personal support, who have relayed their personal experience to me. For reasons of anonymity I will use a pseudonym. Take Mary who visited a Clinical Hypnotherapist for support to lose weight. The therapist was offering discounted rates, and at the time Mary felt this was worth pursuing. Attending several cheap sessions with the Hypnotherapist Mary lost no weight. The cheap Hypnotherapist was not only uninspiring but also made her feel worse. Mary said 'all this Hypnotherapist wanted to do was talk about my childhood and made me blame my parents for me being too fat. The hypnotherapy was so bad I just fell asleep and they placed a blanket over me. The whole experience was a complete waste of time'. Mary is not alone. Take Michael who visited a Life Coach Therapist who claimed he could help increase confidence. At the time the Life Coach was offering six sessions for the price of three. Michael soon realised the Life Coach was probably poorly trained and had little to offer. I recall Michael explaining that the whole experience was so text book that he felt he was attending mini university lectures. After a few sessions Michael saw the light and terminated his sessions before moving on to find someone who was, yes more expensive, but far more talented.
Lack of proper regulation sadly means that the world of therapy is now flooded with low rent therapists all claiming that they can change your life on the cheap. Now whilst some I refer to as low rent may do great work, I suggest that most do not. Thankfully however, there are those out there who are reassuringly expensive and that is probably because they are massively talented at helping their clients achieve the goal they desire.
7 Signs of Low Rent Therapists
1. They may offer discounts, special offers, and free trials.
2. They will likely have no or few practical success stories to share with you.
3. Many will probably use academic speak and behave like a talking book.
4. Low rent often means the therapist's consulting room is cheap looking and tacky.
5. Some may look grubby and appear as though they have just hugged a tree or two.
6.Desperation will ooze from many low rent therapists, so they might go even cheaper as you talk and barter with them on the phone.
7.They are often proud of being the cheapest. This is probably because they have no confidence in their own abilities whatsoever.
Low renters are without doubt too plentiful and you can be forgiven for checking them out. But be warned. It is also advisable to check out the expensive. Class is never cheap.