How to Find the Best Mental Health Therapist for Reducing Depression
Last Updated on January 30, 2025 by Prath
Reviewed by April Justice, LICSW
- Published on 30 January 2025
Depression starts as sadness and leaves us feeling numb and empty.
If you are reading this article right now, you have already stepped out of your numbness to ask for help. You have taken a brave step toward healing.
Finding the right mental health therapist is key to getting started. A therapist who truly understands you can help you work through depression, heal from trauma, and manage other difficulties that may occur in your daily life.
Research from the past decade shows that your bond with your therapist will likely greatly influence your therapy progress.
Hence, this article provides practical tips on choosing the best therapist in Singapore to reduce and manage depression.
This Article Contains:
What to Look for in a Mental Health Therapist
When choosing a therapist, you can look into their credentials, specialisations, and approaches.
To assess the above, the first question you should ask yourself is: what are my needs and goals?
Are you looking for a specific result you want to achieve, like coping with hopelessness or low self-esteem? Do you prefer one approach over the other?
After you reflect on your needs, explore the full profiles of Therapists at TYHO.
We have a large pool of Therapists who are well-qualified in addressing depression. However, each professional may have a specialisation, like managing depression in relationships or a specific focus on work-related depression.
Read about a Therapist’s background and experience treating similar issues. You can also review testimonials from our current clients to learn about their strengths and approaches.
Now, identify the best therapy that works for you and create a shortlist of Therapists who specialise in those approaches.
At TYHO, you might encounter providers who offer specific approaches, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based tools, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and more.
On the one hand, if you prefer managing symptoms through present-moment awareness or meditation, you may benefit from mindfulness therapies or ACT.
On the other hand, if you’re more inclined to focus on identifying negative patterns and emotional dysregulation, CBT might be right for you.
Assessing your needs and the Therapist’s specialisations can make the decision-making process easier in choosing the right profile.
How to Assess Compatibility with a Therapist
Receiving the best therapy for depression means that you may have to feel comfortable enough to open up and explore the most vulnerable areas of your life.
Don’t worry – you won’t need to discuss everything in the first session. However, it’s important to find a Therapist you feel connected to, whether online or in person.
In fact, research shows that one in five clients may end therapy prematurely if they don’t feel a personal connection with the therapist.
First Session
The first therapy session is your chance to assess your compatibility with your therapist. Do you feel connected? To check this, ask yourself questions like:
- Do I feel validated and heard after discussing my problems?
- Did the therapist listen to me actively by asking questions and exploring areas further?
- Did the therapist use therapeutic tools that resonated with me? Are they flexible in adapting to my needs?
- Do I feel safe with the therapist?
- Do I trust my therapist’s expertise?
- Do our values and beliefs align with each other?
If the answers to most questions end positively, you may have found the right therapist.
However, if you feel unsafe and invalidated by the therapist, feel free to look for someone else.
Talk Your Heart Out (TYHO) Therapists can help with major or minor depression symptoms. Help is just a click away.
Questions
TYHO Therapists take questions from clients during the first session to build rapport.
The first session is your opportunity to narrow down your search to your top choices. Remember that you can continue with the first Therapist if you feel connected to them.
Write down your questions before the session. According to the American Psychological Association, below are some of the questions you may want to ask the Therapist:
- How many years of experience do you have?
- How much experience do you have working with issues similar to mine?
- What is your area of expertise?
- What kind of approaches do you provide? Are you flexible to adapt elements of different approaches?
- How soon can I expect to start seeing progress?
- How will we navigate therapy if the current approach is not working?
- Are you open to taking feedback?
- What would we do if our professional relationship is not a good fit?
- How will we determine my progress and growth outside therapy?
Cultural Competence and Sensitivity
Every person has a unique background and upbringing. Your culture and life experiences can define aspects of who you are.
Finding the best Therapist, whether online or in person, involves assessing whether the therapist is knowledgeable and sensitive to one’s cultural background and whether they integrate this unique perspective into their therapeutic approach.
To find a Therapist based on their cultural competence, try to assess the following two points:
1. Cultural Understanding
Your Therapist should understand your culture, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.
With this knowledge, the professional can understand how your background may affect your personality formation, decision-making, the manifestation of mental health issues, and the appropriateness and inappropriateness of their therapeutic tools.
Some ways you can assess cultural understanding is by noticing:
- Whether the therapist uses your preferred pronouns
- Whether the therapist is willing to explore integrating cultural aspects into their approach
- Whether the therapist understands your issues from the context of your socioeconomic status
2. Cultural Reflection
Your therapist should create a safe environment for you to explore your cultural identity and beliefs.
In addition, mental health therapists who have a high level of awareness of how culture impacts an individual are more likely to:
- Reflect on how they can better build rapport with you
- Evaluate how their own beliefs and biases may affect the understanding of ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ behaviours
- Avoid assumptions or stereotypes based on cultural factors
Get Affordable Therapy With TYHO
At this point, if you have a TYHO Therapist in mind, you may want to book the first session with them.
As you meet with potential Therapists, or start therapy with them, try to asses your compatibility by asking questions and analysing their experience.
Pay attention to how you feel after each session, and trust your gut. Sometimes, it can take a few sessions to truly understand each other.
You may be surprised to hear that many professionals also seek therapy to manage their own problems. So, Therapists will understand any apprehensions you may have about opening up.
If you’re having trouble finding someone, use our filter to narrow the search. You can filter by age, location, medium, service, issues, etc.
Reach out to us at [email protected] if you need more support.
We aim to provide affordable therapy in Singapore at all times. Therapy sessions start at S$ 130.80 (w/GST), and your sessions include high-quality therapy, pre-session intake, and a personalised therapeutic plan.
Conclusion
The best therapy for depression should be a safe and supportive process, no matter what type of therapy you go for.
Remember that finding the best Therapist may take some time. At TYHO, we have 100+ Therapists working with us who have experience living in different countries and working with different clientele.
Take the first step today by browsing through our Therapists’ profiles in Singapore. Depression is manageable with the right support. You are not alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What therapy is most successful in treating depression?
The best therapy for depression is the one that works for you.
In general, however, a combination of psychotherapy and medication is said to be the most effective in managing depression.
While some people may respond positively to medication, others may find it unhelpful. Hence, finding the right therapist and discussing your needs and preferences is important.
The best therapy also depends on what type of depression symptoms you struggle the most with.
For example, if depression affects your sleep or concentration, you may benefit more from medications. If depression affects your relationships or state of mind, you may want to consider mindfulness-based therapeutic approaches.
Try to have an open and honest discussion with your Therapist to develop a personalised therapeutic plan.
2. What is the most common cause of depression in older adults?
According to research, the three main causes of depression in older adults are deteriorating physical health, social isolation, and loss of a loved one.
Identifying symptoms of depression in adults over 65 can be difficult, as most of the signs may overlap with problems related to ageing.
Hence, it’s important to provide a holistic approach when addressing mental health issues in older adults.
3. Which would be the best therapy or resource for someone who is mildly depressed?
Mild depression refers to having five of the nine identified symptoms.
Psychotherapy is the most commonly recommended therapy by professionals for mild depression.
At TYHO, we strongly recommend seeking therapy even if your depression is mild.
Sometimes, you may not even realise that you have mild depression. You could feel tired or restless or think of it as ‘having a bad day.’
However, leaving these symptoms unaddressed can slowly add pressure and lead to more intense symptoms in the future.
If you think you are struggling with mild depression, reach out to us at [email protected] for Therapist recommendations.
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