Anybody can go to see a therapist or counsellor if they feel it would be be useful for them. Often an event (a bereavement, redundancy, loss of relationship) triggers someone to enter therapy, but therapy is not just for those who are in crisis or living with mental health diagnoses. Our therapists have often told us that one thing that they wish people understood about therapy is that they won't be judged for how 'small' or 'big' their problems are. Therapy can be just as beneficial for people who are interested in self-development and want to understand themselves better, or who want to focus on improving their overall sense of wellbeing.

Therapy has become more mainstream in recent years, and thankfully it is not stigmatised as it was before. In fact, it is estimated that over half of all people in the UK have either had therapy or know somebody who has.

A lot of people worry that the issues they are facing are not big enough to warrant seeing a therapist and that there are other people who need therapy far more than them so they don't really deserve it. However, if you are struggling in some way in your life – with relationships, work, life issues and experiences, mental health, your emotions, thoughts, behaviour or difficult memories – the chances are therapy could help.

When trying to decide whether therapy is suitable for you, rather than thinking about the size or seriousness of your problems relative to other people's, perhaps it would be more useful to think about the impact your problems are having on you. For instance, are your current issues or problems impacting negatively on your life in some way? Would you like things to be different? If so, therapy could be right for you. And if going to see someone could help you to feel more fulfilled, more at ease and more content in your life, isn't it worth giving yourself that chance?

When you decide to find a counsellor it can be hard to know where to start or what you should be looking for. At Welldoing we have various options to help you in your search. You can make use of our search and filter option, for free, or you can use our paid-for MatchPlus service.

We recommend taking a look through a number of profiles, reading them and seeing whether they resonate with you.

The success of therapy depends more on the relationship you build with your therapist than on the specific type of therapy or years of training or experience.

The titles therapist, counsellor and psychotherapist are not protected in the UK, so the level of training that therapists have had can vary greatly. So if you are looking for a therapist, online or elsewhere, it can be difficult to know for sure whether someone is properly qualified or not.

At Welldoing, we make sure every one of our therapists is a member of a reputable professional organisation. We check this when they apply to join and once a year thereafter. The professional associations that we accept all have codes of ethics and all require in-person training and placement hours as part of the training.

Most counsellors have trained for around three years; most psychotherapists for around five.

We also have our Welldoing Charter, which you can read about here.

Usually individual therapy sessions last for 50 minutes. Couples counselling sessions may be longer, around 90 minutes.

Typically clients will have sessions once a week at the same day and time, although some therapists such as psychoanalysts will often see clients more than once a week.

Some therapists are able to offer fortnightly sessions or other flexibility, however it isn't the norm and you should always ask in your initial enquiry if this is something that you need.

The cost of therapy can vary quite a lot. Therapists determine their individual fees based on a number of factors such as where they work, how much they think their services are worth and how long clients are likely to be coming to see them. Some will have set fees from the outset, whilst others will discuss and agree the fee with you when you start seeing them.

As a general rule, it is likely to be more expensive to see a therapist in London (especially Central London) than in many other parts of the country, although that isn't always the case. In London it is quite normal to pay upwards of £70 for individual therapy, whereas in some other parts of the country you may be able to see a therapist for less than £60. Online therapy can be less expensive.

We understand this is a significant weekly financial outlay, however, as psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry says, when weighing this up it is worth asking yourself “what has more value to you than your mental wellbeing? What is more important than getting the most out of life? Therapy can provide you with immeasurable rewards in wellbeing, greater energy, and joy for living, which will hopefully be more than adequate compensation."

Other factors that affect the cost include the time of day you are able to see your therapist (daytime slots are likely to be less expensive than evening slots, for example). Online therapy may be cheaper than face-to-face therapy.

On the whole, therapy is a very personal and private undertaking. As such, an important part of a therapist's job is to create a sense of trust and confidence in them and in the relationship between you, so that you feel able to share things that feel difficult or perhaps you have never felt able to share with anyone before. All good therapists take this seriously and will not discuss what you have shared with others, unless they are required to do so either ethically or legally.

It isn't necessarily easy to trust others, and generally we would encourage you to be transparent with your therapist about how you feel in the relationship – often there is useful work to be done there.

Your therapist should outline details about confidentiality in their initial contract with you.

When working with a therapist it is important you feel comfortable with whoever you choose and that you will be able to trust and open up to them over time. With this in mind, regardless of their qualifications and experience, not every therapist will be a good fit for you personally.

So, if after getting in touch with a therapist and meeting them for the first time you don't feel comfortable with them, it is important you realise you are not obligated to work with them. After the first session you can always say you would like to take time to think about it or you can tell them if you don't feel the fit is quite right.

This is a difficult question to answer as it is dependent on a number of factors including the issues that you are seeking help for, how much time and energy you are able to commit to therapy, what you feel you can afford, and the type of therapy that you choose to try.

However, typically from the outset the therapist will be able to give you some idea as to whether short or longer-term therapy is more suitable in dealing with your issues. If short-term, this might be for between 6-12 weeks initially, whereas longer-term therapy is more open-ended and may take many months or years.

Also, some clients go to therapy for a period of time and then decide to stop for a while and go back at a later stage, either to see that therapist again or somebody else. So there are no clear cut rules about how this works. Instead it is something that is discussed and and agreed on between the client and therapist and it is always possible to review things or change your mind if you decide you no longer want to have therapy, or your circumstances make it difficult for you to keep coming.

Generally speaking, it will be your decision to end therapy. Your therapist may need to refer you on if they feel you would be best with someone else with specific training, or if something has happened in their life that makes it hard to continue working with you ethically.

Some therapists have defined ending processes, which you can ask them about (they may outline this in a contract, which all good therapists should share with you at the beginning of the relationship).

Generally speaking, it's best to aim for a planned ending together, so you have some time to review and digest the work, and to get used to the idea of not seeing one another again.

Endings can be difficult, and you might notice that you wish to avoid confronting an ending. Most therapists would agree that this is all part of the therapy work.

Whilst planned endings are preferable, of course not everything in life can be planned. It is important that you end therapy when it feels like the right time for you to do so.

Beyond Welldoing, there are a number of mental health organisations in the UK that you might find relevant and useful for providing information and support. These include the following:

Mind

Mind offers a range of support and services to people dealing with mental health issues and those supporting them.

Sane

Sane works to improve the quality of life for anybody dealing with mental health issues and to reduce stigma and prejudice.

Rethink

Rethink helps people affected by mental illnesses and works to challenge attitudes about mental illness within society.

Time to Change

Time to Change is England's biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination.

Young Minds

An organisation committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.

NHS 

The NHS website which is full of information and advice on a wide range of mental and physical health issues including links to services.

The Samaritans

The Samaritans is a charity staffed by volunteers who are trained to listen and support people. The Samaritans telephone service is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 116 123.

Please contact us on info@welldoing.org and we will aim to get back to you as soon as possible, usually within two working days.

You can do a DIY search, using the filters to narrow the directory search results. Or you can use our paid-for MatchPlus service, where you let our Welldoing experts help you find the best match for you. You can read more about this here.

We are sorry to hear you have had an experience that warrants a complaint, and we are keen to hear from you on this. Please contact us on info@welldoing.org. We are likely to also direct you towards the professional association the therapist is verified for, but it's important to us to hear from you about your experience.

We launched in 2014, and we're proud to have a solid reputation as a professional and ethically-minded therapy platform. You can read more about us here.

If your Welldoing therapist uses our booking and payment system, yes, you are able to make payments via Welldoing. If this is something you're interested in doing, you can raise this with your therapist.

Please email us on info@welldoing.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We usually try (and succeed!) in responding within three working days.

You can register and apply to become a Welldoing member here. We have an annual verification process. When you apply to join and once a year thereafter, we check your membership to a reputable professional association. It's part of our promise to clients to ensure that the professionals listed on Welldoing are appropriately trained and insured.

A lot of great things!

• A professionally designed profile listing

• Weekly CPD sessions with expert speakers

• Monthly peer support groups

• Other member-led groups to support you in your private practice

• In-person meet ups

• Invitations to publish written and video content

• Access to a dedicated Welldoing team, known for their warmth and professionalism

Yes, if you choose to use our booking and payment system you can manage your client payments via Welldoing. We let you manage your own hours and fees. There is a 3.95% transaction fee per payment taken via the site, subject to a £2.50 minimum.

Yes, you have full control over your fees and how you manage your hours. We expect our members to work ethically, and don't encourage you to work more hours than you feel is appropriate for you to be working your best, for yourself and your clients.

There's no way to answer this question accurately, however you will have access to profile statistics within your account, and we're very happy to work with you to optimise your profile to attract client referrals.

We encourage therapists to write for the platform, either for the Meet the Therapist slot, or posts on a range of subjects, from therapy or client-related to topical themes. Send ideas to alicemcgurran@welldoing.org and she will give you further information and encouragement.

Log into your account, go to 'account settings' and select 'Cancel and delete'. Your subscription will be cancelled and your account removed at the end of your payment period.

If you simply wish to switch off your profile rather than cancel the account, you can switch your profile visibility to 'off' within your profile settings. This means you will still have access to all your other member benefits.