Can foster parents choose their own therapist?

The answer depends on who is arranging and funding the therapy. If therapy is provided through a fostering service, the service may identify a suitable practitioner under its own procedures. If you arrange therapy independently, you normally have more control over who you see, although the fostering service may need to confirm that the arrangement is appropriate for the purpose of the support.

Before therapy begins, clarify whether you may use an existing therapist or whether the service requires a practitioner with particular qualifications or experience. A fostering service may need information about the therapist’s professional registration, safeguarding arrangements, insurance and the type of work they provide. These checks are intended to ensure that the support is suitable, rather than to remove your involvement in the decision.

You can ask about practical and professional factors that affect whether a therapist is a good fit, such as:

• their experience of fostering, trauma, attachment or family relationships;
• the therapeutic approach they use and whether it matches the reason for seeking support;
• whether sessions are individual, jointly attended or offered remotely;
• communication, accessibility or language needs; and
• how confidentiality, record-keeping and communication with the fostering service will work.

It is also important to establish the therapist’s role. A therapist supporting your wellbeing should not automatically be treated as an assessor or expected to provide a detailed account of your private sessions. However, there may be limited circumstances in which relevant information must be shared, particularly where safeguarding concerns arise or where you have given consent for specific information to be passed on. Ask for these boundaries to be explained before agreeing to therapy.

If you already see a therapist, tell the fostering service at an early stage. The therapist may be able to continue supporting you if their role, qualifications and working arrangements meet the relevant requirements. The service may instead suggest a different practitioner where there is a conflict of interest, where the therapist cannot address the issues involved, or where the arrangement does not provide the information or safeguards required.

If the first therapist does not feel suitable, raise this rather than stopping support without explanation. You can describe what is not working—for example, the therapeutic approach, communication style or lack of relevant experience—and ask what alternatives are possible. Confirm in writing who pays for the sessions, whether any report is expected, what information may be shared and who to contact if concerns arise. This gives you a clearer basis for making an informed choice while keeping the therapy consistent with your fostering arrangements.