STEP 2:

DEVELOP PRESELECTION CRITERIA

It's important to develop your preselection criteria before you contact anyone. Think about what you want. Going through the conscious process of developing preselection criteria is important because it is the standard of judgment that you develop prior to meeting and, therefore, independent of the therapist. The experience of the therapist in the first session (Step 5) should then be assessed in light of your desires developed prior to the first meeting. These criteria should be understood as your terms as a client that need to be met or negotiated. Doing so will give you a sense of equality in the therapeutic relationship. I urge you to stay with your preselection criteria in the subsequent stages, unless there is a good reason not to.