Engaging in some form of therapy no longer carries the same social stigma once attributed to it; in fact, to some it is even considered a status symbol. In an era where people clamor to be analyzed on daytime television and televised dramas such as The Sopranos or In Treatment prominently feature the therapist's office as a dramatic tool, an admission of needing or utilizing therapy is no longer a deep dark secret, nor should it be. Heck, if a ruthless, antisocial, murdering mob boss can admit to needing therapy, then certainly there is no shame in the average Joe or Josephine seeking the same sort of help. By and large this trend should be seen as a positive one. We live in highly stressful times, and need some expert guidance is greater than ever. Regardless of how one feels about the effectiveness of therapy in general, it's hard to argue that almost everyone can benefit from having a concerned and sympathetic ear to confide in.

Finding the right therapist however can sometimes be a difficult task. Having the proper credentials hanging on the wall is no guarantee that your therapist is the right fit for your style, dedicated, compassionate or even remotely interested in you and your problems. In an effort to aid the reader in recognizing that they have perhaps chosen the wrong therapist, we offer the following list of ways you can tell that it's time for a change.

1. Your therapist frequently excuses him or herself from the session instructing you to "just keep going, I'll catch up when I get back."
2. You often notice your therapist suppressing a need to yawn and regularly hear him or her emit an audible bored sigh.
3. The therapist robotically responds to any and all statements you make, including incidental comments like "Nice weather we're having" with the phrase "And how does that make you feel?"
4. Your sessions are routinely cancelled because your therapist needs to schedule an emergency appointment with his or her own therapist.
5. The therapist frequently interrupts you to explain why your problems are so trivial when compared with his or her own monumental tribulations.
6. Your Therapist takes personal phone calls from a friend and recounts your most private issues to them as is if you were not in the room.
7. Your therapist asks if you'd mind not weeping, stating he or she is uncomfortable with overt displays of emotion.
8. He or she commonly responds to your most heartfelt admissions with phrases like, "Oh come off it!" or "Get over it already!"
9. The therapist furtively confides to you that many of his or her patients have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and then emits an evil laugh reminiscent of Austin Powers' nemesis.
10. After pouring your soul out for an hour and obviously on the verge of a significant emotional breakthrough, the therapist asks you to hold that thought until next week.