Helping someone find a practitioner: a guide for carers
If you’re supporting a partner, parent, friend or someone you care for, here’s how to help them find the right person while keeping the choice theirs.
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Please read. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, give medical advice or diagnose, and we don’t recommend, endorse or guarantee any practitioner. Always check a practitioner’s registration yourself on the public register; any check we show was correct only on the day it was made.
Start with them
- Ask what they want. Help with a feeling, a practical task, communication or movement? Their words are the best starting point.
- Agree what you’ll do. Some people want you to search; others want you to sit alongside. Ask before you contact anyone for them.
- Respect consent. An adult decides for themselves whether to see someone, unless they lack capacity for that decision. If you’re unsure, a GP or the Carers UK advice line can explain the options.
- Think about access. Online or in person, step-free entry, home visits, an interpreter or Easy Read information. You can filter for these on Find.
Who does what
All twelve professions we list are shown here in alphabetical order. Which one fits depends on what the person wants help with, and a GP can help you think it through.
Arts Therapists
Use art, music or drama, so a person can work on feelings without having to find the words first.
Check: Health and Care Professions Council.
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists
Work in depth with children and teenagers, and often with the adults caring for them.
Check: Association of Child Psychotherapists.
Counsellors
Offer talking support for things like stress, loss, low mood and changes in life.
Check: an accredited register, such as BACP, UKCP or NCPS.
Dance Movement Psychotherapists
Use movement and the body to support emotional wellbeing and communication.
Check: their professional body’s register.
Dietitians
Give advice on eating, nutrition and swallowing-related diets, including alongside medical conditions.
Check: Health and Care Professions Council.
Family and Systemic Psychotherapists
Work with families, couples or carers together, looking at patterns between people.
Check: an accredited register, such as UKCP.
Occupational Therapists
Help with everyday tasks such as washing, cooking, getting out and about, and adapting the home.
Check: Health and Care Professions Council.
Physiotherapists
Help with movement, strength, balance, pain and getting back to activity.
Check: Health and Care Professions Council.
Play Therapists
Help children work through feelings and experiences using play.
Check: an accredited register, such as BAPT.
Psychologists
Assess and offer psychological therapy for a wide range of difficulties. Look for Practitioner Psychologists.
Check: Health and Care Professions Council.
Psychotherapists
Offer longer or more in-depth talking therapy, often for long-standing difficulties.
Check: an accredited register, such as UKCP or BACP.
Speech and Language Therapists
Help with speech, language, communication and swallowing.
Check: Health and Care Professions Council.
NHS and free routes
Many of these professions work in the NHS, and a GP can refer. In England, adults can refer themselves to NHS Talking Therapies. See free and low-cost therapy and finding NHS support.
Looking after yourself too
Caring can be tiring. You may be entitled to a free carer’s assessment from your local council. Carers UK and Carers Trust offer free information and support, and you can look for a practitioner for yourself as well.
If someone may be at risk. If an adult is being harmed or neglected, contact your local council’s adult social care team. If a child may be at risk, contact children’s services or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. In immediate danger, call 999.
Call 999 or go to A&E if life is at risk. For urgent help that is not an emergency, call NHS 111. To talk, ring Samaritans free on 116 123 (24 hours). To text, message SHOUT to 85258.
Last reviewed 13 October 2026. General information only, written for the UK. Not affiliated with the NHS, the Health and Care Professions Council or any professional body.