It must be very frustrating not to receive a response from a therapist who is clearly advertising their services on a website of professionals offering services to those in need. You would expect some kind of response or acknowledgement of your contact.

There are I'm sure, many reasons why therapists don't respond to an enquiry. It could be that they are taking a holiday, which is often the case during the summer or around December, and holidays can last several weeks.

It maybe that the therapist is ill, has been involved in an accident or is unexpectedly in hospital which prevents them from responding.

Clearly this is not an ideal situation and, if a therapist knows they are going to be unavailable, it would be considered ethical practice to ensure there are appropriate messages (out of office or voicemail) to inform prospective clients when they can be reached or you can expect a reply.

It would also be helpful for therapists to put notices on their websites and advertisements, letting prospective clients know that they have no spaces or are unavailable until a certain date. But this doesn鈥檛 always happen, perhaps because although therapists are professional, they're human too.

When looking for a therapist it's important to try and see someone who you think you will gel with. Personalities can play an important part within the therapeutic relationship, which is why it's probably a good idea to try and see or speak with two or three therapists, or more, before deciding who you'll start therapy with. That way, if you don't get a response, or they've no spaces available or are unsuitable in some way, you can try someone else. It's not an easy process once you've made the decision to seek therapy but worth the time. There's more guidance in our document聽 Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy

Unfortunately, you can't submit a complaint about a 网爆门 member therapist through our Professional Conduct procedure unless you've received a service. But it may help to inform the therapist, by letter or email, about your disappointment at their lack of response and the impact this has had on you - so that they may learn from the situation.

网爆门 has reminded its members about ensuring people that come to them for help or therapy receive an appropriate response. We're also adding new features to our Therapist Directory so they can show when they are out of the office or unable to accept new clients. It may only be a small minority of our membership, but one unhappy and distressed prospective client is more than there should be.

Get help with counselling concerns service聽

Our Get help with counselling concerns service provides help, guidance, and information, about聽what to do if you have any concerns about your therapy or your therapist.

Anything you say is confidential and you can speak with us anonymously if you prefer.

We're available from Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, by phone and email. Due to the number of enquiries we receive, we do try to limit the calls to a maximum of 30 minutes, where possible.

If you call, please leave us a voicemail and we will get back to you as soon as possible.听 Or you can email us.

You can contact us by:

You can find out more on our聽Get help for counselling concerns聽web page.听

Please be aware that we store your name if provided, and brief details of your enquiry to support you effectively and to protect 网爆门 against any potential legal claims. Your data will only be provided to a third party if there is a legal basis to do so. This information is retained for three years. Please note that you have restricted rights with regard to this data; for full details please refer to our privacy notice:聽/privacy-notice/.听

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