If the phone interview goes well, and both of you feel that you could work together, then the next step would be a personal interview at the therapist's office. Here, you can see the therapist in his or her working ambience. Remember, the therapist is working for YOU, not the other way around, and it is okay to go with your gut instincts. You deserve to find someone that you feel comfortable working with. Once you have found a therapist that you feel comfortable with, as time goes on, it also helps to have realistic expectations of the therapy process.
Ritual abuse is a severe type of abuse, and the therapy process is often long and involved.
Instead, the survivor will need to learn new self-nurtering skills, and practice them while at home and between visits. A good therapist is an invaluable aid to the healing process, and it is well woth the time and effort to find one. The therapist I mentioned at the beginning of my article only lasted two visits, but later, I learned to ask the questions above, and to be careful in screening who I saw. I am glad I have, because over the past few years I have met excellent professionals who are competent, caring, with good boundaries, and who have made a huge difference in my own healing process. I believe that all survivors deserve good therapy during the process of healing from ritual abuse.