I decided to collect the main concerns of people when contacting a psychologist for advice in one article and give answers to them. Perhaps someone from the visitors of the site — and maybe it is you who are reading these lines now-this article will seem useful. Perhaps after reading this article, you still decide.
Unprofessionalism
The most common fears are that the psychologist will be unprofessional, and as a result, money and time will be wasted. Currently, our country is not licensed psychological activity, that is, in theory, the quality of services is not guaranteed.
On the other hand — there are many other licensed, and very strictly licensed, activities, but is this the only and sufficient guarantee of quality? For example, medicine or passenger transportation, because each of us probably faced with substandard services in these areas. Of course, licensing helps to reduce the risk to some extent, but it does not guarantee its complete absence. Often you have to trust and try, and in case of failure, try elsewhere. That's OK.
How can you try to protect yourself or reduce the risk that the psychologist will be incompetent?
First, try to get as much information about the psychologist to whom you are going to apply.
• Does he have a website, is it made qualitatively?
• Is there information about his education, are there diplomas and certificates of additional training?
• Does the information on education contradict any claims of titles?
• Where does the psychologist conduct the reception, in a specially equipped psychological office or in other places?
* Does the psychologist use scientific or other methods in his work?
* Are you satisfied with the education of this psychologist, his additional qualifications and methods of his work? If you have any doubts, first they should be excluded, and only then contact this psychologist.
Secondly, check other indirect signs of professionalism of the psychologist.
Look for any articles of this psychologist, read.
• Do you find his reasoning sound and objective?
• Are they not similar to hundreds of other articles that you may have seen on the Internet on this topic, or they have something interesting just for you?
Ask for the recommendations of your friends or acquaintances, maybe it turns out that someone could recommend you a psychologist. On the other hand, it may not suit you.
No warranty
In such fears, there is an idea that at the reception of a psychologist or psychotherapist you will get ...advice. Where to go, what to do, how to live, in other words, for you will decide. Accordingly, this advice may be unsuitable for you.
However-in fact, no one will give you any "ready-made advice", and no one but you will be able to make decisions about your life. It is because everyone has his own life, and everyone is responsible for it.
Then why do I need a psychologist? "you may ask. Its function is to help you make a decision. Understand your reasons, motives, goals, difficulties, problems. To show possible ways of further development.
You can give this analogy: you were walking-walking through the woods and got lost. They come to a fork of three paths, stone with unreadable inscriptions and the sign "There goes the Baba Yaga to find." Psychologist-it's like an adviser who will help to decipher the inscriptions on the stone, to understand what the three paths, who is Baba Yaga and so on. After that, you have to go on their own chosen path, and not a psychologist will do it for you, leaving you sitting at the stone.
Yes, indeed, a psychologist can not guarantee that you will help.
You know, the world in which we live — quite problematic thing, and absolute guarantees can not be in any endeavor. Many do not believe that they can be helped. But it's better to do something and regret it than not to do something and regret it, isn't it? According to some studies, any psychotherapy will be effective in 60% of cases, compared with the complete absence of psychotherapy.
As for the money: first, you can always just try and evaluate the results. No one is forcing you to pay for a six-month course of psychotherapy at once — and if they are, then think about whether you are sure that you really want it.
You can try one session (meeting, session) anyway and then decide. Same thing about time. There are longer" genres " of psychotherapy, there are less long. If you go to a psychoanalyst, expect that the full course will be long (maybe a year or more).
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term "genre". However, once again, you always have the opportunity to choose something else, to take some time out, to stop therapy, if you think that it is necessary. One thing is for sure: psychotherapy doesn't work all at once. What. Because you 20-30-40 ... years accustomed themselves to think, feel and do certain way, why suddenly this should change for 50 minutes or even for 1.5 hours? Only magic can do that, and unfortunately, there's no magic on this planet.
And a little more about the results and timing. It often happens that long-term results from psychotherapy are found... after the course. That's the way our psyche works. What is likely to be long-term is slow to develop. What is likely to be short-term-develops quickly.