How To Choose A Psychologist?

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

People who want to try working with a psychologist to expand their life experience or have realized that they need the help of a specialist to change their situation or condition, think and ask themselves the question: how to choose a psychologist or a psychotherapist? Friends and acquaintances often turn to me with this question.

I decided to write my answer to this question in more detail in a separate article, so:

How to choose a psychotherapist?

There are several ways that make it easier to select the desired or needed specialist. The experience of personal interaction will help you choose the right psychotherapist for yourself (you can sign up for one session and after it decide whether you want to continue working with this person or look for another), you can also read the articles of the psychotherapist on his website or in social networks (if she or he is a writing specialist), look at the photo and listen to yourself, what you feel (warm and relaxed or cold and squeezed, rather trust or alertness), you can choose according to your bodily sensations, emerging emotions and rational arguments.

It will be useful to ask the specialist the following questions in advance:

- how many years did the psychotherapist study and on what programs?

- Is the therapist undergoing personal therapy and for how many years?

- is it seeking supervision from colleagues?

The most important thing is personal therapy and supervision, they must be present. Personal psychotherapy that the specialist himself undergoes is necessary and important to increase his or her awareness, to resolve personal psychological difficulties, problems, for a practicing psychotherapist, it is also important so that personal characteristics and difficulties do not interfere with work.

Supervision is professional support that a psychologist or psychotherapist asks for from a more experienced colleague, it is the prevention of emotional burnout, as well as an outside perspective on the work of a specialist.

When you are already in a therapy session, pay attention: there should be no violence, if you do not want to do something, the therapist should not force you and should not insist on his interpretations of your emotions or, for example, a drawing. You may be worried at the first meeting and this is normal, perhaps you will not be ready to tell at the first meeting about the most important, most difficult in your life, about what worries you the most. And that's okay too. Pay attention to whether you are comfortable with this person, can you relax a little with him or her, do you want to talk about yourself, do you want to come again?

Does the specialist notice changes in your physical and emotional state during the consultation session? Does he or she tell you about it and how does she or he do it?

A psychologist can express his assumptions and feelings with a proviso: this is my fantasy and I could be wrong, listen to it if it resonates with you. And he will not insist, persuade and, moreover, shame you if you think otherwise.

Otherwise, years of experience, membership in professional communities, the number of diplomas and certificates, scientific degrees do not guarantee that this therapist is necessarily right for you.

Listen to your heart, try, seek and choose your guide along the path of your development.