WHY I CAN'T FIND THE RIGHT THERAPIST

While there has been a proliferation of professionals offering psychotherapy, many simply don't have what it takes

- Tauseef Shahidi

It was meant to be her first step to a better place. Only, it wasn't.

“The first session went horribly wrong," recalls the 26-year-old public relations professional from Bengaluru, who did not want to reveal her identity. She had sought psychotherapy—an approach to treat mental health issues by talking to a psychologist—last July. She was dealing with personal issues, which were affecting her work and her social life as well.

A friend recommended MindPeers, an app that offered online and phone therapy sessions, and with over 100 experts to choose from. She found the price “reasonable" and made an initial booking for six sessions.

After putting down the issues she was going through on the app, the woman was assigned a therapist based on those inputs. The therapist, she says, was a disappointment from the outset, even yawning as she shared her experiences. Disappointed, the PR executive chose a different therapist based on ratings and reviews on the app. While the next one was better, the woman realized she needed much more.

“The second therapist just listened and talked to me, like a friend would, but never offered any solution to address my issues and triggers," she says. Finally, after 12 sessions over six months, she decided to discontinue the therapy with MindPeers, in January.

In February, she connected with another therapist elsewhere, and so far, it’s been going well. “My current issues could be related to my past, and she (the new therapist) kind of unknots things for me," she says.