How to choose a psychologist. The importance of reliable information. Who is the psychologist

Finding a good specialist is always a lottery. You can lose money, time, energy, hope. You can even worsen what you wanted to improve (for example, the state of mind). This applies to many professionals: doctors, lawyers and, of course, psychologists. The potential costs of trial and error are risks that must be taken. Otherwise, it's better to do nothing at all.

However, by taking risks, you need to increase your chances of actually finding a good psychologist. How to do it? - a responsible event! Try to comply following rules, which do not guarantee finding a good psychologist, but increase the chances.

1. It's great if you turn to a psychologist on the recommendation of friends you trust. This is a guarantee that this specialist is not an obvious amateur or, worse than that, a fraudster. Those. He has already helped someone. If you do not have friends who could recommend a good psychologist, you have to look for yourself. Most psychologists have a website on the Internet. See if there are customer reviews of this psychologist on the site. A good specialist should have. He has something to be proud of and nothing to hide. If there are reviews, see if they look reliable, at least at first glance. If all reviews are written in the same style, and they are not accompanied by a photo or any other characteristic details, then it is possible that they were written by a PR manager given psychologist or even the psychologist himself. What do you want?! In the market of any services (and in psychology too), alas, client deception happens. Be careful! Just don't get paranoid. The world is full of honest, competent professionals. It is not necessary to see scammers in everyone.

2 . Do not trust well-known, popular psychologists, people who are overly public, constantly flashing on television, as well as specialists with great scientific merit. Popularity in our time is a matter of "promotion", i.e. luck and invested money, not competence. And high scientific merits, as a rule, testify to the practical helplessness of a specialist. No wonder there is a division into theorists and practitioners. You and this person will not have to deal with science, but with the practical work of helping your soul! Popularity on television and merits in science are all good, it causes respect, but practical psychological counseling and to practical psychological help All this is very distantly related. A practical psychologist who works with clients on a daily basis will be much more useful to you than a psychologist - a television star or a psychologist - a great scientist.

3. Feel free to ask a specialist psychologist about his education, work experience and his specialization (i.e. what he specifically does in psychology). On the market great amount pseudo-psychologists: healers, teachers, psychiatrists, sociologists, TV presenters, etc. After all, it is very easy to declare yourself a psychologist. Most of these people don't mind making money off of you. Do you need it? A good specialist psychologist, as a rule, has a diploma from the faculty of psychology of a respected university, practical (!) work experience of at least three years and specialization (or advanced training courses) in the area of ​​interest to you. Excessive breadth, when a psychologist is engaged in “psychology in general”, as a rule, indicates a low competence of a specialist.

4. You came to a psychologist for a specific result - an improvement in mental state. You pay money for it, waste your time and hopes. So, after each visit to a psychologist, see if there is at least a minimal intermediate result of your efforts. If not, don't believe in any "later". It was in Freud's time that the number of sessions before the first noticeable results was measured in tens, or even hundreds. And now, technology has come a long way. The first, tangible changes for the client occur at the first, maximum at the second session of psychological assistance. If this does not happen - look for another specialist! Many more psychologists like to prescribe huge (dozens of sessions) courses of psychotherapy. In addition, meetings must go according to a schedule that cannot be violated. The commercial logic of such “psychotherapy” can be understood – a regular client and regular receipts of money. But in twenty years practical psychology we don't know of many cases where such large courses of psychotherapy are REALLY necessary for a client. And in order for a psychologist to have serious grounds for asserting that you really need it, he must, at a minimum, know you well: psychodiagnostic data, your life history, your psychological trauma, features of the social environment, etc. And if the psychologist at the first meeting claims that you need a big serious course of psychotherapy with dozens of sessions or a psychological training stretched for months, then the chances are very high that the psychologist is just trying to use you as a “cash cow”.

5. After reading the previous paragraph, do not fall into the extremes of demanding egocentrism. Do not demand from a psychologist that he quickly solves all problems for you: personal, social, economic, etc. (And then one client asked us for an island as a gift). This will never happen anyway. Solve problems with a psychologist! Solve problems step by step one by one! Subject to the competence of a specialist, reasonable time spent and mutual cooperation, you will definitely receive effective help. And remember that effective psychological assistance is always the result of the work of two parties: the psychologist and the client. If help is not provided or provided poorly, then perhaps the psychologist needs to be changed, and perhaps it is time for the client to start following the recommendations of the psychologist. Alas, sometimes people go to a psychologist not for changes in themselves, but for “just talking” or for drawing attention to their experiences. (They do nothing from the recommendations, even the money spent is not a pity). Of course, we can talk. Get attention too. But help is not available. Why they came, they got it.

6. Make sure that the psychologist does not project himself and his personal experience. That is, so that in the speech of a specialist phrases like: “But I myself had it in my life!”, “I know for sure!”, “But my wife (husband, children) ...” and so on .P. Analyzing his personal and family life experience, the specialist cannot say anything about you for sure. All people are different! This is called helping others with their own problems or, in professional terms, the phenomenon of projection. Run from this specialist. Let him first deal with himself and his problems, and only then try to help others.

7. Avoid psychological gurus who immediately understand everything with you in just half an hour of conversation. Of course, it's good if a specialist "sees right through you", but it's bad if he tries to quickly classify you and "stick a label with a diagnosis". This is not always adequate even in psychiatry. And in psychology we are dealing with, as a rule, healthy and always very difficult people. If a specialist quickly classifies you, then he inevitably simplifies everything. Then he is unlikely to understand the subtleties of your soul. Such a psychologist, as a rule, is more concerned with his greatness and abstract insight than with the psyche of a real client. Look for a specialist with whom you will get to know your personality together. If a psychologist is ready to honestly admit that something in your psyche is not completely clear to him, this is a very good sign!

8. A competent specialist in the field of psychological assistance must be non-judgmental. You are neither bad nor good for him, but a person in need of help (no matter what you have done before). So let him keep all his moral judgments to himself and go about his business - saving you from a spiritual crisis.

9. If you receive psychological help in a group of your own kind (group psychotherapy or group training), then you should still feel individual approach and attention to you personally. Be a reasonable egoist in this matter. What is more effective, group forms of work with a psychologist or individual - this is a question that does not have a universal answer. In some cases, group sessions are better, and in some individual meetings with a psychologist. But in any case, you should feel that at the moment of work it is you for the psychologist - the center of the Universe. This does not mean that the psychologist indulges all your whims. This means that the psychologist has focused all his intellect and all the strength of his soul on helping you.

10. For a good psychologist, the time he spends on you is limited to the end of the working day (and even then very approximately), and not to hours and minutes in the client’s schedule. All people are very different! No one knows when a psychologist will be able to break or outwit the “donkey stubbornness” of your psychological defenses and help you despite the fears and resistances of your suffering psyche. A good psychologist is at the same time a scientist, an artist, and a doctor for your soul. The result that you and the specialist will receive at the end of the session cannot be timed in advance. If a psychologist is ready to interrupt a session of psychological assistance simply because the time allotted to you in his schedule has ended, then perhaps such a psychologist is a good manager or a good businessman, but what do you care about that ?! You need help, not the business success of a psychologist!

11. If a psychologist is a private trader, then the presence of an official work permit, a cash register, etc. - this is the relationship of the psychologist with the state, and not with the client. Well, if the psychologist has all this, because. this undoubtedly characterizes the stability of the presence of this specialist in the market of psychological services. If a psychologist has already spent time, effort and money on official registration and taxation, then he does not expect to work until the first dissatisfied client, in order to quickly disappear later. He strives for stability. Such a psychologist is more credible. But, strictly speaking, this has nothing to do with the competence of a psychologist. In reality, the state does not control the competence of private psychologists. But an official work permit indicates at least relatively long-term plans for a psychologist, and that he knows a sense of responsibility.

12. If a psychologist works in a serious psychological center, this does not mean at all that he is competent. Any organizations and corporations (psychological and non-psychological) hire and fire specialists according to the most different reasons very far from competence. Be realistic. We live in Russia.

13. The preference for a private psychologist at home or a hired psychologist in a psychological center is more question ideology and faith than the real benefits of one or the other. Focus on your personal impression of a person, and not on his place of work. It is reasonable to come for a short, easy consultation and then draw conclusions about a specialist. This will not ruin you and save you from gross mistakes. The mistake in choosing a psychologist can really be dangerous for your well-being.

Well, and then there is just luck, intuition and a burning desire to get rid of your psychological problems. Then the person will still reach his goal. Because, “if the patient wants to live, then medicine is powerless!”

© Authors Igor and Larisa Shiryaeva. The authors provide advice on personal matters and social adaptation(success in society). You can read about the features of the analytical consultation of Igor and Larisa Shiryaev "Successful Brains" on the page.

Analytical consultation of Igor and Larisa Shiryaev. You can ask questions and sign up for a consultation by phone: +7 495 998 63 16 or +7 985 998 63 16. E-mail: We will be happy to help you!

You can also contact me, Igor Shiryaev, at in social networks, messengers and skype. My social media profile is personal, not business, but in free time I can chat with you on social networks informally. In addition, perhaps it is important for some of you to first form your own idea of ​​me, not only as a specialist, but also as a person.

Even 10 years ago, the advice to go to a psychologist sounded almost like an insult, and a psychologist was often confused with a psychiatrist. Today, seeking help from a psychologist is gradually becoming the norm. However, for almost anyone who decides to go to an appointment, the question inevitably arises: how to choose a psychologist? And what do all these incomprehensible words in the description of methods mean? Which one do I need?

Work with soul and body

Psychoanalytic Therapy

How to choose your psychologist?

Classical psychoanalytic therapy is exactly what we are used to seeing in the movies. A person comes to a psychologist, lies down on the couch and begins to talk about everything that worries him: conflict situations, memories, thoughts, experiences.

One of the tasks of a psychologist is to analyze this information and discover unconscious motives and patterns of behavior that interfere with full life. Classical psychoanalysis is based on the teachings of Z. Freud, according to which the human psyche consists of the conscious, subconscious and unconscious.

When a person tries to suppress the unconscious for one reason or another, it will inevitably manifest itself anyway - for example, in dreams. Yes, yes, this is precisely what will be called "interpreting according to Freud"!

Psychoanalysis suitable for those who is ready to really deal with his problem and is set to work seriously. Such therapy can last a year or even more.

Gestalt therapy

Today, Gestalt therapy is one of the most popular areas, almost on a par with psychoanalysis. The meaning of Gestalt therapy is to help a person become aware of himself and become himself through this awareness.

In general, the process of awareness is one of the key concepts of psychotherapy, and it is not identical to the "self-observation" that is used in psychoanalysis. The meaning of the Gestalt approach is to help a person learn to be aware of himself at every moment, "here and now", as they say among the supporters of this method.

Body-oriented therapy may be suitable for those who are not ready to fully open themselves to a psychologist, but are aware of the presence of a certain problem and the need to solve it. On average, the duration of therapy is no more than 8-10 sessions.

existential psychotherapy

The key difference in existential psychotherapy is that it does not focus on mental manifestations but on human life as a whole, on its meaning.

The existential approach puts the individuality of a person at the forefront - it is believed that there is no universal solutions, universal patterns of behavior, and each has its own unique experience.

The goal of psychotherapy with an existential approach is to help the patient not only understand his life, but also understand precisely his own unique behavioral patterns, his ways of living and reacting in various situations.

The object of analysis is not a specific problem and the events and experiences associated with it, but the life of a person as a whole and the shaping factors.

According to this approach, a person must realize that his life, his attitude to life, the situations and opportunities he encounters are unique, so he must make his own unique choice and be responsible for it.

Existential psychotherapy is suitable for those who find themselves in a psychological impasse, have lost the meaning of life and life orientations, or suffer from really serious disorders - for example, various phobias. In the latter case, existential therapy is usually used in conjunction with traditional methods(including medication).

How to choose your psychologist?

Psychodrama

How to choose your psychologist?

Psychodrama is one of the types of group psychotherapy that allows a person to live anew, in real time, some important life situations for him.

Participants in therapy act alternately as a spectator and actor, recreating situations that are significant for themselves, and these situations are not just played out - in the process, a certain problem is singled out and accentuated, requiring reflection.

Each player takes turns playing leading role(in psychodrama this is called “being a protagonist”) in a “performance” on a topic of interest to him (it is chosen at the beginning of the session) and interacts with others.

This allows you to re-live and rethink the situation, look at yourself from the outside, analyze your past, present or hypothetical future experience.

Psychodrama is suitable for those who are not in the mood for long conversations and talk about the problem and who need more visibility.

fairy tale therapy

At first glance, the very name "fairy tale therapy" looks very frivolous, but this is a very real kind of psychotherapy. And not in vain, because from time immemorial, fairy tales have been an important component of any culture.

According to this approach, a person can through a fairy tale, through fairy tale characters work through your problem and find a solution. There are several options for working with fairy tales: writing one's own, discussing an existing one, stage production (not to be confused with psychodrama, where not a fairy tale plot is taken as a basis, but a real situation), etc.

Creating his own fairy tale, a person implicitly demonstrates his ideas about good and evil, about right and wrong. In addition, according to a fairy tale created by a person, one can judge what he really cares about this moment, about him experiences.

Fairy tale therapy is suitable for those who are not ready to explicitly talk about their experiences. This method allows you to express in an easy, playful way what really worries and worries you.

How to choose the right psychologist?

How to choose your psychologist?

Of course, one can advise to focus on the recommendations of patients, but this will not be entirely true. In fact, it is impossible to say in advance with whom you will have a full-fledged contact, so you need to meet in person and try.

However, before making an appointment with a psychologist, pay attention to the following points:

1. The presence of higher psychological education.

2. Work experience. Not the general experience, namely the experience of practical work in the area of ​​interest to you.

3. methods used by the psychologist. This is an important point. It is normal if a psychologist offers 2-3 types of psychotherapy, but generalists who promise everything at once should beware - it is impossible to deeply know all areas at the same time, and not just know, but have experience working with them.

4. The range of topics with which the psychologist works also matters. Yet again - you should not go to the generalist who does everything at once - and

How to choose a psychologist? The question of choosing a healer of the soul is unpredictable and carries with it high risks, after all, having made a mistake, the situation will not only not improve (at the same time, material and time resources will be spent), but it can worsen with the assistance of an incompetent specialist. Few people wonder how to choose a psychologist for themselves, because making the very decision to come to such a specialist is difficult and it can be quite difficult to approach the selection process in cold blood.

It is better to choose those places where real people write exactly, such texts will be of different styles, possibly with errors, will contain both praise and dissatisfaction - you can trust such reviews, but if everyone is smooth as one, then most likely this is a custom work promotions, not real people.

How to choose the right psychologist

Evaluate the presentation of information about the chosen psychologist and try to avoid high scientific titles, a lot of experience in TV shows and thousands of followers on Facebook, since such popularity characterizes a person either as a theoretical specialist or as a master of words and plot creation, and most people need to find a specific solution to their completely mundane life or cope with difficult feelings. A doctor of science may be confused if you cry, an article writer will bombard you with terms and doctrines, and a TV show creator will make you emotional. Choose less famous, but constantly practicing people, they have the necessary qualities.

These are the first exceptions that you will need to make, but not the only points that help you decide how to choose a good psychologist, because there are age differences and the subject of the situation you are applying for, which will determine the further filtering of specialists according to their qualifications. Although if you are visited that this is your person, then stay with him, because the main thing in psychotherapeutic work is good contact and trusting relationships.

How to choose a good psychologist without asking about his education and specific specialization remains a mystery, since it is the knowledge gained, work experience and specific specialization that speak of a specialist. Since now even a hairdresser and taxi drivers consider themselves gurus of psychology, do not hesitate to ask to see certificates and diplomas, ask for various details.

What you need to see: a diploma of higher education in psychology (not monthly or even yearly courses, but a full education), certificates confirming additional education a psychologist in the subject you are applying for (there are child and family specialists, those who work in crisis situations and with career building, psychologists specializing in diagnostics and clinical, and many others). It would be great to make sure that a person has more than three years of practical work experience, but not necessarily, since there are absolutely zero specialists with fifteen years of experience and gifted graduates.

The first conversation will help determine the attitude of the psychologist to the therapy process. If, without understanding the problem, but only after hearing its designation, you are assigned a certain number of sessions, then most likely you are in the wrong place. Of course, there are schools and techniques that require a certain number of meetings, at certain intervals, but a psychologist can prescribe such types of therapy only after a thorough study of the case, your whole life, which requires at least three meetings.

It is important that even at the first stages, you should feel the changes, have material to think about between meetings, as well as some tasks or new behaviors. If you leave with the same as you came with, then there was no work. Just do not confuse the absence of changes with bad emotions - raising layers of difficult experiences is an integral part of working through the problem, so a temporary worsening of the emotional state is possible, especially when working with psychotraumas.

Any value judgments and attempts to attribute you to any classification, just like the quick writing out of a kind of prescription and actions according to the scheme, are unacceptable. The normal course of the process will look amazing to both of you and a good specialist will never classify you in any category, he will speak out about predisposition at most, because he knows how different combinations can be various traits in people.

How to choose a psychologist for a child

If everything is more or less clear with how to choose a psychologist for yourself, and you can focus on your inner feelings, then in choosing child psychologist have their own characteristics. There is no need to talk about the availability of an appropriate education, but there are exceptional moments regarding experience - it is ideal that the experience ranges from five to ten years.

The reasons for the lack of experience are clear, but long time work in this area causes mature psychologists to be wary of new methods. The results of not mastering and introducing new techniques may limit opportunities or lead to a goal in a longer way, in addition to the fact that modern techniques focused on maintaining the active interest of the child in the process. Specify not just work experience, but direct experience with children, since a psychologist who has worked ten years in the rescue team and one month in kindergarten, will be no more useful to you than a neighbor in the stairwell.

Just like experience, age is important for a child psychologist, and it should be attributed to negative indicators here that it exceeds the threshold of forty years (although there are exceptions everywhere). This is due not only to following the latest trends in psychology, but the ease of establishing cooperation - which less difference The older you get, the easier it is to interact.

Be sure to talk to a psychologist in person before scheduling consultations. Your impression should not only be positive, it is good that there is a sense of trust, security and mutual understanding, similar to what you experience with your relatives or good friends. You should easily understand each other, and if you often have to ask and clarify, then you are out of different worlds, respectively, and it will be difficult for your child to communicate with this person.

How to choose a family psychologist

A family psychologist works on family topics, regardless of whether it is a pair work or with one spouse, so the presence of specialization in family therapy is a necessity. A psychologist with experience working with adults is not enough for you, there must be a certificate of a long-term training program in family therapy. Long-term means several years, if you see a certificate received in one day at a seminar, then you should not trust your family processes to such a person. The likelihood that a specialist without the necessary certification will miss important points, skip regular processes or you will receive household advice at the level of your girlfriend, great.

Talk to a psychologist and if you feel comfortable and understandable to communicate with this person, you can sign up for a consultation, but this is not the last milestone. Starting from the first visit, monitor your condition and the ongoing changes in the family system. The opinion that it takes a long time to see the first shifts is not justified, you get the first changes after the first meeting. In addition to a change in self-perception and relationships in the family, you can get a new unexpected look at the situation with which you applied, new questions that are worth thinking about - all this indicates a good specialist. If you receive instructions in a directive form, something is forbidden or imposed on someone from the family system, then you have an insufficiently qualified specialist.

If you go to a couples consultation and feel sympathy for a psychologist and improve your well-being, then you should still ask for the opinion of the second person. In a situation where one person is uncomfortable with the method or the psychologist himself, it is pointless to continue therapy, but it is better to look for a therapist who likes both.

Psychologist and psychiatrist - who to choose?

Psychologists and psychiatrists work with mental problems of a person, but they are different, both in the knowledge gained and in the sphere of effectiveness and application of this knowledge. Thus, a psychologist has a psychological higher education which predetermines work with people without psychopathologies (with the exception of psychologists of neuropsychiatric dispensaries). Psychologists will help you if you need a diagnosis that is not related to diagnoses (to find out the type of personality and, professionally inclined and level, the climate in the team).

If during diagnostic measures the psychologist detects deviations of the pathological spectrum, then he redirects to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. It is worth contacting a psychologist if psycho-correction of emotional and behavioral states is needed, performed non-drug methods. If a psychologist prescribes you any drugs, be it antidepressants or vitamins, it is better to consult a doctor, because the appointment pharmacological agents not within the scope of a psychologist.

The psychiatrist prescribes drug treatment, because he has a medical degree and a specialization in psychiatry. The main work of a psychiatrist with mentally ill people or those with medical disorders given spectrum ( , pathological disorders sentiment, etc.). The psychiatrist is not related to psychotherapy, he is engaged in treatment in the truest sense of the word, using drugs and medical procedures. As for the diagnosis, the psychiatrist conducts it regarding the diagnosis of the disease, its identification and classification, you will not get an extended description of your personality here. It is worth contacting psychiatrists for severe emotional states, problems with sleep and nutrition, inadequacy of actions.

Who is a psychologist

When people say "psychologist", they actually mean "psychotherapist". “The fact is that a psychologist does not treat, but only helps to understand a particular situation. He has the right to hold no more than five or six meetings. After the last one, complex mechanisms psyche. This requires more advanced skills and abilities from the specialist.

It is the psychotherapist who deals with the problems in depth. Interaction with him can last quite a long time: several months or even years.

What are you going to do

Popular

An appointment with a modern psychotherapist is not like the scene on the couch, familiar from Hollywood films. Forget about the strict psychoanalyst and his long monologues, this is not at all required attributes successful work above oneself. In fact, they are characteristic of only one direction - classical psychoanalysis.

Speak and listen

Words, or "verbal interaction" (as your therapist would say), are important in Gestalt, existential therapy, Jungian analytical psychology, transactional analysis, and classical psychoanalysis. You should meet with a specialist in these areas once or twice a week in order to discuss issues that are important to you. Your communication will be like a long conversation about sore points: unrequited love, fear of aging, a difficult relationship with your mother, bad dreams, or even the well-being of your Sims in The Sims. You can safely discuss with a specialist everything that now causes you concern. But if you go to a classical psychoanalyst, be prepared for the fact that he will listen to your story with stone face. In this direction, it is considered obligatory to maintain a distance between the therapist and the client, so as not to prevent the latter from concentrating as much as possible on inner experiences. It is also worth bearing in mind that classical psychoanalysis requires more long work(in the series they don’t cheat: you can go to a psychoanalyst for ten years).

draw, play

In art therapy and the body-oriented approach, work on oneself is launched through contact with the physical world. In art therapy, you will sculpt with plasticine, dance, and even mess around in the sandbox. At the same time, the therapist will not only look at your efforts from the outside, but will also actively participate in health-improving creativity. Psychodramatists will play scenes from your life, and the role of a key figure in a personal drama (ex-lover or great-grandmother) can be played by a chair (the technique is called “hot chair”). But, despite this conventionality, the explanations will be very violent.

In the body-oriented approach, the therapist does not seek to keep a physical distance, so prepare for the fact that during the session you can hold hands, close your eyes and remain silent, observing the inner sensations. Most likely, they will be related to your first contacts with your mother.

How to understand who do you need

If you speak better than you draw, this does not mean at all that you need to choose verbal approaches. Perhaps, on the contrary, it is worth developing the missing skills. Moreover, studies have shown that all the main methods of psychotherapy give approximately similar results. Yes, and the therapists themselves use different approaches in their work, because they want to help you, and not just collect material for scientific article. For example, a transactional analyst might use a psychodrama technique and suggest that you act out a key scene from your life with a "hot chair". And any specialist should ask the question: “What do you feel now, where in the body is this feeling?” It is much more important to choose not a direction, but an experienced and trustworthy therapist. “How to define it? It is unlikely that a good specialist will immediately start working with strong resistance at the first session, - the art therapist warns Varvara Sidorova. “It is only after trust has been built that it is possible to work with trauma.” Gestalt therapist Ekaterina Shadrova I am sure that we choose a psychotherapist based on sympathy: “There must be a desire, a craving. Antonio Meneghetti said that a good therapist is healthy, rich and happy. When a doctor is very dissatisfied with something in life, he will either stumble over the same problem of the client, or try to solve his own at his expense.

It should be understood that some methods, such as NLP or psychodrama, are more suitable for short-term consultations.

What will you feel

You will release many different feelings, positive and not so much. Mood can be upbeat or sad. But, if after the first session you experience violent emotions, you should be wary. Varvara Sidorova warns: “The first visit to a psychotherapist: you sob. This is most likely a sign of rough work. Either the therapist is not coping with the problem or is acting too harshly. But, on the other hand, if after five or seven meetings there is a feeling that nothing is happening, perhaps the therapist is also chosen incorrectly, ”she adds.

It is at the fifth or sixth meeting that you may begin to experience deeper and not always pleasant feelings towards the therapist. This is called "transfer". Emotions and feelings that you once experienced for mom, dad or other close people are now transferred to the therapist. And it becomes a kind of screen on which they show a film about you.

How does the therapist feel?

He, too, may have mixed feelings - "countertransference". Perhaps you will remind him of someone close to him. But he, unlike you, must be fully aware of the emerging experiences. The difficulty is that the specialist needs to stay at a certain distance from you and at the same time not block their own emotions. Jungian analyst Vsevolod Kalinenko believes that in psychotherapy the most important thing is the creation of a safe and at the same time full of life space. To follow these difficult rules, the psychotherapist is helped by assistant supervisors (more experienced psychotherapists), with whom difficult cases from practice are dealt with. In addition, he can always re-read the Therapist's Code of Ethics (the Hippocratic Oath for psychotherapists), where, for example, there is a ban on "double relationships", that is, love or friendship outside the walls of the office.

Traffic rules

Don't be afraid to ask questions. After all, you are not indifferent to whether the surgeon has a license and whether he disinfects instruments. And here we are talking not about appendicitis, but about the head, which cannot be removed in case of complications.

Here are a few things you should know about your therapist.

Education
The psychotherapist must have two educations. One is basic (in the specialties "psychiatry" or "psychology", for some areas "sociology" and "pedagogy" are allowed), the second is special, within the framework of one of the methods of psychotherapy. The latter should include not only theory, but also hours of practice.

Therapeutic contract
At the first consultation, the therapist is obliged to explain how much she costs, what methods she uses, how long the session is and how long the treatment will last. He should also talk to you about tardiness and canceled meetings. The usual rule is to warn about them no later than a day. In response to a question about the cost of a consultation, there can be no statements like: “How much would you like? Let's agree!"

Compliance with the professional framework
To understand if the therapist is overstepping your boundaries, ask yourself the following questions. Is he late for appointments, does he transfer them to last moment? Do you get the feeling that the therapist talks too much about other patients? Is he trying to enter into other relationships with you and other clients outside the office?

It happens , the therapist simply does not know how to distinguish treatment from reality. For example, he is fond of the patient and even demonstrates it to her. This is strictly prohibited. The fact is that too much is transferred to the therapist. He, as it were, puts himself in the place of your parents, trying to give them important “permissions” for them. And in this way you return to the moment in the past when the injury occurred. Therefore, falling in love with your own therapist will not cure, but injure even deeper.

Correctness
You shouldn't feel like you're going too fast. There are lovers of provocative therapy, but it is completely optional: you do not have to endure. So, if the therapist makes negative remarks, especially when dealing with situations that are difficult for you (something like: “Why are you crying? You must accept responsibility: you were not beaten, you beat yourself”), it is better not to deal with such a specialist. .

Professional experience
More than two or three years is better. If a person proudly informs you that he has “already two years” of experience, you should think about its adequacy. Additional questions can be asked about whether it has already worked with cases like yours.

Having a supervisor and undergoing personal therapy
Ask the therapist if he visits the supervisor. Ask him if he went through therapy himself. It is worth considering whether to continue to communicate if he gives something like “therapy interferes with the spontaneity of work” in response to your question. For some areas, such as psychoanalysis, a certain number of hours of psychotherapy is mandatory. A serious psychoanalyst can be called such only after 300(!) hours of personal therapy. For the Jungians, the bar is a little lower - 250 hours, from the Gestaltists they require only 240.

Own feelings
Try to answer a few questions honestly. Would you like to communicate with this person if you just met him in a common company? Would he seem smart? Is there something in his facial expressions, gestures, manner of dressing that is unpleasant for you? Of course, you may not like the therapist because you are already in a projective relationship. But still, you should not go to a person who immediately caused a strong rejection. If five or six meetings have passed, and you are completely unbearable, probably the contact does not add up. But remember, if you decide to part with this specialist, you should hold a stop session, in which you will sum up the results of your joint work, and the therapist will certainly recommend you a colleague.

All methods have contraindications, but this is usually serious violations: for art therapy - schizophrenia in the acute stage, for psychoanalysis - some types of addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder

Where to looking for

Don't start your search on Google, you'll be bombarded with links to websites of charlatans who attempt to cope with the Oedipus complex in two sessions. It is better to ask friends who have undergone psychotherapy: how long, what were the feelings, results. Then make inquiries about the specialist recommended to you.

• www.psy.msu.ru Moscow State University, Faculty of Psychology. Most trustworthy psychotherapists have taught, studied, or worked as laboratory assistants.
• www.igisp.ru Institute of Group and Family Psychology and Psychotherapy. The oldest non-state educational institutions. Trains professionals since 1992.
• www.oppl.ru Professional Psychotherapeutic League. The largest organization uniting psychotherapists different directions countrywide. Issues European certificates.

FROM international standards can be consulted on the website of EFPA, the European Federation of Psychological Associations: www.efpa.eu

Victoria Kaufman

Now a lot good specialists psychologists and psychotherapists, and the question arises: how to choose the right one for you?

In this article, I decided to tell you how to choose a psychologist based on my client experience. I’ll tell you what I paid attention to, what methods of choosing a psychologist I used, their pros and cons.

I must make a reservation right away that I do not pretend to make a qualitative description of all the ways to choose a psychologist. This is just my personal experience, the experience of a woman with a psychological education who was looking for a psychologist. Some great specialists fall under my selection criteria, some, alas, do not. I have many colleagues whom I respect, but they do not fit the criteria that I used. For some of my clients, my methods of choosing a psychologist will suit, for some not. Probably, first of all, my experience will be useful to people who are inclined to listen to their feelings and analyze what they see and hear, and what kind of contact is being made.

I consider the moments that you can pay attention to in contact with a specialist to be quite universal, suitable for a dialogue with psychologists of different directions. Paying attention to them is good way take care of your safety.

Part 1. How to find and choose a psychologist.

The advantages of this method:

1) Most likely, you will be given contacts of a really good specialist, whose work helped someone from your relatives.

Cons of this method:

1) We all have individual characteristics, and a specialist who suits your close person may not suit you;

2) Not all people say that they go or went to a psychologist, that is, they may not answer your request;

3) Well, yes - you yourself will have to admit that now you want to get advice from a specialist ... As far as I know, not everyone is ready for such confessions.

The second way - search for a psychologist on the Internet. Here at your service are many psychological sites, communities in social networks, and simply sites of specialists on the Internet. On the Internet, a lot of really good specialists post their contact details so that clients come to them. The question is how to read information about a psychologist, how to understand that a specialist is competent.

There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for a psychologist on your own.

First, you can pay attention to the following:

Higher psychological education. It is better if it is in a “strong” specialized university, with a specialization in clinical psychology or advanced training in clinical psychology. There are still good practicing psychologists with fundamental psychiatric education. Not all good psychologists have an education from a specialized university, but the probability of finding a good psychologist among practicing psychologists with a good basic education is higher.

Advanced training in one of the areas of psychotherapy. It can be Gestalt therapy, psychoanalysis, psychodrama, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc. It is important that this is a fundamental psychotherapeutic direction, and a person has studied it for some long time, and also undergoes personal therapy.

Participation (membership or training) in a professional psychological community and in various professional events.

If your psychologist is undergoing or has undergone long-term personal therapy, seeks supervision, is integrated into the professional community, then this person probably observes "professional hygiene", and working with him is safe and useful for his clients, he does not violate professional ethics. These are some formal signs that you can go to a person and you can trust him / her in working with your problems.

Secondly, look at what kind of content this person produces, that is, what he / she writes. What the specialist writes about himself, about psychotherapy, and what articles he writes. You can read all this and figure out whether it is useful for you, whether what the author offers suits you, whether you have points of contact, whether dialogue is possible.

Third, look at the photo of the person. Do you like his face? If you come for a consultation and decide to stay for long-term therapy, you will see this person for a long time. Maybe the psychologist has a video, and then you can make a more detailed impression.

Fourthly, if you want to contact a specialist, but for some reason are in doubt, you can simply call the number indicated and ask a few questions about what interests you. For example, you can clarify something about education and qualifications, ask if the psychologist works with the problem that worries you. Just listen to what the person answers and how they answer, and listen to yourself whether you are ready to go for a consultation.

The advantages of this method:

1) There is a high probability of choosing a psychologist that is right for you;

2) While you are reading the materials of psychologists, you are improving your psychological literacy for free, and this contributes to solving problems.

Cons of this method:

1) Such a search takes time.

With the help of the Internet, I myself chose psychologists twice. For the first time, I paid attention to diplomas. A good fundamental education of a specialist impressed me. I attended two consultations, got what I wanted from them, and realized that I don’t want to work with this specialist anymore, because he is not suitable for me for long-term work. For the second time, I studied for a long time not only the diploma and certificates of a psychologist, but also her articles. I disagreed with a lot of what she wrote, but I was left with the impression that, firstly, she is a competent specialist, and secondly, I will have something to talk about with her, a dialogue is possible between us. I worked with her for a long time.

The third way is attending a psychological event, conferences, festivals, master classes, where you can see or try working with a specialist.

1) If this is a big event, then you can see the work of several specialists and choose a suitable psychologist for yourself.

2) As a rule, it turns out to be cheaper than individual psychological counseling.

1) A lot of people come there, it can be embarrassing for some.

2) At an individual consultation, all attention is on you, and at events with group work, the attention of a psychologist extends to the entire group.

For the third time, I chose a specialist for myself with the help of the first and third methods. That is, at first I saw a psychologist at a conference, then she was recommended as a specialist competent in my request. We have a long-term job.

Part 2. Contact with a specialist.

Often you need 1-2 consultations to understand whether this specialist is right for you, and it’s normal if you came to a good, competent specialist, but he didn’t suit you, something didn’t work out. This is simply a matter of human preference, people are not universal, and trusting contact is not possible with everyone.

There is a more subtle point - the benefits and safety in working with a psychologist. There are many competent specialists in the world who can be contacted, working with them will be useful. But, alas, there are actions of a psychologist that can harm the client. These are abuses on the part of the psychologist, for example, sex with clients or some other use of the client for their own purposes.

How to find out about the usefulness and safety of working with a specialist?

Firstly, if you are interested in some question about a psychologist (education, experience in personal therapy, attitude towards something or a group of people), then do not hesitate to ask about it right away. It is better to indicate some important things right away, the psychologist will be able to tell you whether working with him will be useful to you, or it is better to contact another specialist.

Secondly, listen to how the dialogue is built, to how you feel during the consultation, whether it suits you.

Does the psychologist hear you? If a specialist does not hear you, does not understand what you are talking about, then, probably, working with such a specialist will be useless for you.

Does the psychologist want something from you, besides attending consultations and paying for them. If the psychologist wants admiration or friendship from you, is offended by you or shames you, or wants some other relationship with you (for example, some kind of joint activity outside of your consultations), then the work may not be safe. Because it is not clear what are the goals of a psychologist in working with you.

So, if you want to go to a psychologist, then I hope my article will help you choose a specialist who will be useful to you. Perhaps, at first, this may seem like a difficult and time-consuming task, because you may want to pay attention to many things. But it is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Plus, while you choose a psychologist for yourself, you read articles by various specialists and learn a lot of useful things for yourself. In the meantime, you are looking at the features of contact, you are acquiring useful skills of staying in a dialogue, increasing your social competence. And the very process of finding and choosing a specialist increases psychological literacy and develops the client.