We seek psychotherapy when we need help. For some of us, these are dark moments. We're struggling with something and want to change. Some of us are just fed up; we know we can do better but not sure how to get there. We want a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Whatever the goal is that we have in mind, it's important to find the right therapist. The possibility of finding the right therapist for you improves when there are more choices.
As expatriates, we're used to the fact that some resources which are plentiful at home are much scarcer abroad. So, there aren't many qualified, well-trained mental health professionals available. It would be useful to know who they are and how to contact them. This is especially important in Bangkok, where absolutely anyone can show up, rent an office and call themselves a counselor, a therapist, or a psychologist!
In many of our home countries, there are licensing and credentialing standards that help people determine who is qualified. Plus, there are various forms of oversight by colleagues and the government that regulate who can call themselves a Psychologist, a counselor, a psychotherapist. There are professional organizations that maintain membership and resource lists that we can use to guide our decisions.
I've been practicing as a Psychologist in Bangkok since 2005 and I'm concerned about people who seek help from unqualified people and may not be helped; after such an experience, it's easy to draw the (erroneous) conclusion that counseling can not help at all. I'm also concerned about clients who may be harmed by well-intentioned but hapless individuals who do not know how to practice in a competent, professional and ethical way.
This blog presents information about well-trained and credentialed mental health professionals serving the expat community in Bangkok. This list is not definitive or complete. It only includes people I know and have met. I do not include anyone I have never met. In my opinion, these are competent professionals who can provide mental health treatments based on the established scientific and professional knowledge of the mental health community. If that is what you're looking for, then this information may be useful. While other kinds of experiences (for example, psychic reading, past life regression, NLP, Emotional Freedom Techniques, chakra rebalancing) might be a helpful part of your journey to growth and wholeness, information about those forms of growth must be sought elsewhere.
Recently (July 2017) Annete Polner published a helpful and fairly comprehensive review on this topic. I strongly recommend checking it out.
For more information on how to select a therapist, check out psychcentral's article about How to Interview Your Therapist. This page has a really useful description. These links provide really useful information about therapy, finding a therapist, and how to spot questionable therapy.
I also think that Richard Raymond's Guide to Psychology Practice can be useful.
Please feel free to contact me with feedback or suggestions through my website or through PSI.
