The best exercise is not running, swimming or Pilates; it’s the exercise you’ll do. Same with therapy: Choose something that makes sense for you and that you’ll stick with.

Clients matched to a therapy that suits them have a 58% chance of greater improvement and are about half as likely to drop out of therapy. And if you’re paying for therapy privately, there’s a lot of choice. So, consider four key questions below, drawn from a well-researched checklist (Cooper & Norcross, 2015), to help you decide what makes the most sense for you.

Remember, it’s not just your preference; it’s about getting the best outcome from a considerable investment of time and money and increasing the odds of being in the 75% of people who end up with better mental health after they’ve had therapy.

1. Do you have a strong preference for therapy to focus on goals, teach coping skills and to include tasks to complete outside the session? Or would you prefer your therapist to listen and follow your lead?

2. Do you want to focus mainly on thoughts or feelings? For some, putting strong feelings into words is the point of therapy. Others prefer to focus on thoughts and behaviour as the........

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