How to Choose a Qualified Therapist for Anxiety
A simple checklist: qualifications, accreditation, experience, a free first call, and in person or online. With OLIP Therapy as a worked example.
Choosing a therapist when you already feel anxious is hard. You do not need a psychology degree to get it right. You need five checks that take minutes, not weeks.
This guide is written for people looking for help with anxiety, panic, worry and the feeling of never quite switching off. It uses UK standards, because that is where most people searching this question live. OLIP Therapy in Fareham (and online UK-wide) is used as a concrete example of what “good” looks like in practice.
The 5-point checklist
Print this, screenshot it, or keep it open while you look at websites.
1. Qualifications
Ask what they trained in, at what level, and whether that training matches anxiety - not just “talking about feelings”.
In the UK, useful qualifications include a diploma or degree in counselling or psychotherapy, CBT training, EMDR training, or a recognised hypnotherapy qualification if that is the approach you want. A job title on a website is not the same as a qualification.
What to ask: “What is your core qualification, and how does it apply to anxiety, panic or worry?”
How OLIP meets this: OLIP’s team works with counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR. Sessions are matched to the person, not sold as a single product. CBT is often the starting point for anxiety and panic because it has the strongest evidence base and is what NICE recommends for generalised anxiety, panic and social anxiety.
2. Accreditation
Qualifications say they trained. Accreditation says they are still accountable.
Look for registration with a recognised professional body. For counselling that is often BACP, NCPS or UKCP. For CBT, BABCP. For hypnotherapy, a body such as CNHC or a well-known professional register. Registration usually means a code of ethics, insurance, and clinical supervision.
You can usually check a register online. If a therapist will not tell you which body they belong to, move on.
What to ask: “Which professional body are you registered with, and can I look you up?”
How OLIP meets this: OLIP states that its counsellors are BACP registered, fully insured and work under regular clinical supervision. Therapists working with children and young people are DBS checked. That is the level of transparency you should expect.
3. Experience with anxiety
Years in practice matter. Specific experience with anxiety matters more.
A newly qualified therapist can still be excellent. A long-established practice that treats anxiety every week is usually a safer first choice if you are in distress and need someone who has seen this before. Look for clear language about panic, health anxiety, social anxiety, exam nerves and constant worry - not only a generic “we help with everything” list.
What to ask: “How often do you work with anxiety like mine, and what does a typical course of sessions look like?”
How OLIP meets this: The practice has been helping people since 2003, with more than 23 years in the field, a large team, and a dedicated anxiety pathway covering counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR. They report hundreds of five-star Google reviews and were named Practice of the Year 2025. Reviews are not a substitute for qualifications, but they show that people keep finishing the work.
4. A free first call
You should not pay to find out whether you can talk to this person.
A short, no-obligation first conversation does three jobs. You hear how they speak. They hear what is going on. You both decide if it is a fit. If a clinic only offers a paid assessment before you have spoken to anyone, that is a weaker start when anxiety is already high.
What to ask: “Can I have a short free call first, with no pressure to book?”
How OLIP meets this: OLIP offers a free 15-minute consultation. There is no cost and no obligation. They use that call to listen, suggest an approach and a therapist, and let you decide whether to start. That is the right order.
5. In person or online
The best therapist you cannot reach is not the best therapist.
In-person sessions suit people who want a room, a journey and a clear boundary between “home” and “therapy”. Online sessions suit people who are exhausted, housebound by anxiety, caring for others, or living too far from a good practice. Both can work for anxiety when the therapist is trained to deliver the same approach on video.
Check how long they have offered online work. A practice that only moved online in a hurry is different from one that has done it for years.
What to ask: “Can I choose in person or online, and is the therapy the same quality either way?”
How OLIP meets this: In-person sessions are in Fareham, Hampshire. Online sessions run UK-wide and internationally, and OLIP has offered online therapy since 2012. Appointments are available seven days a week. If leaving the house is part of the problem, you do not have to solve that before you start.
The checklist on one page
● Qualification matches anxiety work (counselling, CBT, EMDR, hypnotherapy as relevant).
● Current accreditation with a recognised body (for example BACP) plus insurance and supervision.
● Real experience with anxiety, panic and worry - not only a long generic list.
● A free, no-obligation first call before you pay.
● A clear choice of in person or online, with the same therapists either way.
Questions to ask on the free call
You do not need a script. These five are enough:
● What would you actually do in the first few sessions for anxiety like mine?
● Which approach do you recommend for me, and why?
● How will we know if it is working?
● What do sessions cost, and how long do people usually stay?
● If you are not the right person, will you say so and help me find someone who is?
A good therapist answers plainly. A poor one hides behind jargon or rushes you into a package.
What “good” feels like after the first conversation
You should leave the call a little clearer, not more confused. You should know the next step. You should not feel sold to. You should feel able to say no.
If you hang up and your shoulders have dropped a notch, that is useful data. Chemistry is not everything, but it is not nothing. Anxiety work asks you to trust someone with the thoughts you usually hide. That trust starts in the first ten minutes.
A note on evidence
For many anxiety problems, CBT has the strongest research base and is recommended by NICE for generalised anxiety, panic and social anxiety. That does not mean CBT is the only thing that helps. Counselling gives space to make sense of what is happening. Hypnotherapy can help the body and the automatic mind settle. EMDR can help when anxiety is tied to older experiences that still feel too close.
The right clinic will tell you this honestly and match the method to you, rather than insisting that one tool fixes everyone.
If you want a worked example
OLIP Therapy is a Fareham-based practice offering counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR in person and online. Use them as a template when you compare anyone else:
● Qualified team, not a single unverified profile.
● BACP-registered counsellors, insured, supervised.
● Long experience with anxiety and related problems.
● Free 15-minute first call.
● In person in Hampshire or online from wherever you are.
Fees at the time of writing start from £72 for counselling and £90 for CBT, hypnotherapy and related work, with EMDR priced separately. Always confirm current fees on the site.
Website: www.oliptherapy.co.uk/fees
Start here
You do not have to choose the perfect therapist forever. You have to choose a qualified, accountable person you can speak to this week.
Run the five checks. Book the free call. If it is not a fit, book another. Anxiety tells you to wait until you feel ready. Readiness often arrives after the first honest conversation, not before it.
