When looking for a therapist, other than the affordability of sessions, you might choose to consider several additional factors:

• Do you prefer someone of a certain gender or age group? 
• Would you like them to have lived or professional experience of working with people of your identities?
• Are you happy with either online or in-person sessions, or do you have a strong preference for one mode only?
• If English isn’t your first language, would you prefer to have therapy in your native language?
• Do they have experience working with the main issues you’d like to bring to therapy?
• What are their qualifications and background? Do you have a preference working with someone who is trained to any level or only postgraduate level?
• Do you prefer to work with someone who has a background in a related field, such as Psychology, Social Work, or Psychiatry? In the UK, counselling and psychotherapy training programs don’t typically require any prior experience or education in related fields, so many therapists may come from very different or unrelated backgrounds. 
• Finally, it’s useful to reflect on how you felt and what you think after the first session(s). It is important to feel comfortable and safe with your chosen therapist, so that you can develop together a strong therapeutic relationship.