Finding a Private Therapist

It can be a bit of a minefield trying to find the right therapist and one that is trained in treating BDD. Here are some useful tips that we hope will help.

Finding a therapist

It is important to find an accredited therapist who understands Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Exposure Response Prevention (ERP). This is a proven and effective treatment for BDD.

To find an accredited therapist you can go onto the BABCP therapist directory to search for a therapist near you. All the therapists you will find on here have accredited status. If you have a therapist’s name and want to check whether they are accredited or not, you can also do so here.

Ensuring a therapist specialises in BDD

You need to make sure that you choose a therapist that specialises in the treatment of BDD. This means a therapist that is experienced in delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Exposure Response Prevention (ERP).

You can ask a therapist to have a conversation over the phone to discuss what you are looking for before you agree to meet with them. You can ask them things like…

  • What is your experience in treating BDD?
  • Will you work with me to set out an individual treatment plan based on the specifics of my BDD? (Rather than using the same structure or techniques with everyone)
  • Will we set goals for treatment together? (Rather than the therapist setting all the goals)
  • Will my ERP plan use a ‘graded exposure’ method?
  • Will you set practical tasks for my ‘homework’ and help me understand and take part in these appropriately?
  • Will you support me to better understand and challenge my BDD, rather than just taking part in behavioural tasks?

You can also use our CBT checklist on to make sure that the therapist mentions a similar treatment course.

The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation. Charity no. 1153753.