Human Needs Human. What Is Psychological Help For?

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-31 14:10

Each of us needs help and support at a certain stage in life. On our way, stress, loss and loss, health problems, difficulties in relationships with loved ones are inevitable. Often we are faced with problem situations, the way out of which is not obvious to us. Sooner or later, each of us thinks about his purpose and the meaning of life. And in all these cases, we are looking for answers to our many questions.

Many types of so-called "everyday" psychological assistance have become part of our culture and traditions. We seek advice and support from a partner, friend / girlfriend, parents or other people who matter to us. We are looking for consolation in faith. We are trying to find answers from a fortune teller, astrologer, numerologist, palmist. Or we are looking for information in specialized literature, on the Internet, on forums, etc. We are trying to cope with difficulties by going to work, the virtual or game world, endless sexual adventures, we are trying to change our emotional state through alcohol, drugs and other stimulants. But that doesn't help. Or it helps temporarily. When you return to the "normal state" again, it turns out that the problems have not been solved, it has not become easier and … again in a circle …

Psychological culture in our society is gradually developing, and seeking professional psychological help is no longer something new and incomprehensible. Seeking advice from your personal psychologist / psychotherapist is gradually becoming more common, as is to seek the services of your family doctor. Nevertheless, there are many questions and ambiguous interpretations regarding the sphere of psychological services. Here are some of the common beliefs and questions that my colleagues and I often face.

Why do I need a psychologist? I can handle my problems on my own!

One of the common misconceptions is that people who have serious mental health problems or who are not able to solve their problems on their own turn to a psychologist, and even more so to a psychotherapist. But this is only partly true. Indeed, psychological help can be sought by people with certain mental health disorders, as well as experiencing serious difficulties with self-realization and in communicating with others. However, the percentage of this category of people is relatively low. And in the case of mental disorders, parallel monitoring of the client by a psychiatrist is already required.

People who have encountered certain difficulties most often turn for psychological help, and the usual methods of resolving them turned out to be ineffective, and now they are looking for more constructive solutions. Or they are people who want to expand their knowledge about themselves, develop new skills, become more successful, or realize their potential to the fullest. In addition, the process of psychological counseling and psychotherapy is not an appeal to" title="Image" />

Psychological culture in our society is gradually developing, and seeking professional psychological help is no longer something new and incomprehensible. Seeking advice from your personal psychologist / psychotherapist is gradually becoming more common, as is to seek the services of your family doctor. Nevertheless, there are many questions and ambiguous interpretations regarding the sphere of psychological services. Here are some of the common beliefs and questions that my colleagues and I often face.

Why do I need a psychologist? I can handle my problems on my own!

One of the common misconceptions is that people who have serious mental health problems or who are not able to solve their problems on their own turn to a psychologist, and even more so to a psychotherapist. But this is only partly true. Indeed, psychological help can be sought by people with certain mental health disorders, as well as experiencing serious difficulties with self-realization and in communicating with others. However, the percentage of this category of people is relatively low. And in the case of mental disorders, parallel monitoring of the client by a psychiatrist is already required.

People who have encountered certain difficulties most often turn for psychological help, and the usual methods of resolving them turned out to be ineffective, and now they are looking for more constructive solutions. Or they are people who want to expand their knowledge about themselves, develop new skills, become more successful, or realize their potential to the fullest. In addition, the process of psychological counseling and psychotherapy is not an appeal to

Why do I need a psychologist when I already have a loved one who knows and understands me like no one else?

Of course, a counselor psychologist or psychotherapist cannot (and should not) take the place of such a close person in the client's life. A special trusting relationship is also formed between the client and the psychologist, which allows one to explore the client's personality and the peculiarities of his coming into contact with others (which are also reproduced in the relationship with the counselor / psychotherapist). And this contact differs from any other forms of interpersonal relations in that it is governed by certain rules (the ethical code of a psychologist), which protects the client from abuse by the counselor, and also allows you to safely experiment with new ways of behavior, receive honest feedback, openly show all a range of diverse emotions without fear of their consequences.

Psychotherapy becomes a "dress rehearsal", a kind of honing skills before introducing new skills into everyday life. A professional psychologist / psychotherapist has special knowledge and working methods that will make this process faster and more successful. This is also facilitated by a lack of personal interest and involvement in other close relationships with the client (besides psychotherapeutic), as well as confidentiality and concern for the safety and well-being of the client. And, of course, the task of psychotherapy is to strengthen existing ones or help create new close relationships in the client's life. Therefore, psychotherapy does not replace, but occupies a special place in the client's relationship system.

Psychotherapy is addictive. One has only to start going to a psychologist and then without him it will be difficult to make an independent decision

There are different options and forms of psychological assistance, which differ in methods and duration. For example, popular culture is inspired by the stereotype that the client goes to his psychoanalyst for years and does not make decisions without his knowledge. First, the duration of psychotherapy or psychological counseling is determined not only by the specialist's vision of this process, but, first of all, by the client's desire to continue working or not, evaluating its effectiveness for himself. Not all clients turn to "in-depth study" of certain topics. Sometimes it is enough just to clarify the question of interest and search for answers to it. And it will also be effective work in accordance with the client's request. The formation of any form of dependence (emotional, financial, sexual, etc.) of a client from a psychologist is a gross violation of the professional code of ethics. Moreover, one of the specialist's tasks is to contribute to the development of the client's ability to take care of themselves on their own. In my practice and in the practice of colleagues, quite often, after passing the main stage of work and obtaining a positive result, the client after a while makes new requests, but for short-term work. Receiving a positive result from this or that experience, there is a desire to turn to it again.

I am alarmed by the unknown. I do not understand what will happen in the process of counseling and psychotherapy, so I prefer to postpone my appeal for a better time

If you have any questions about the process or working methods of a particular specialist, you can always express your concerns and ask clarifying questions. It is very important. Often, the first consultation begins with the client's words: "I don't even know where to start. I have no experience of going to a psychologist." And these are absolutely normal experiences. Therefore, the task of the preliminary conversation or the first 5-10 minutes of the consultation is to clarify all organizational and other issues of concern to the client. Unfortunately, there are situations when unfounded fears from an upcoming meeting lead to the fact that the client does not apply (or does not apply immediately, wasting time) for psychological help.

What new will the psychologist tell me? I already read a lot of literature on psychology and understand everything myself

It is great when a person who is interested in psychology issues, is actively engaged in self-development and reads specialized literature applies for advice. If this is scientifically based knowledge, then it always enriches a person's experience and helps to think and analyze many situations more broadly. Regardless of professional training, humanitarian, and, even more so, psychological knowledge enriches and develops psychological culture, makes a person diversified and more flexible in the face of constant social transformations. It's no secret that developed emotional and social intelligence, communicative competence are no less important skills of a successful person than her specific abilities and talent in a particular profession. Nevertheless, the literature and the information we deal with is not always scientific and professional. Perhaps psychology is one of the most popular ("pop") scientific directions, in which you can find many unsubstantiated recommendations and pseudoscientific facts. Therefore, consulting a professional psychologist can help dispel such myths and form the correct scientific thinking.

The notion of being "your own psychologist" can be dangerous. Just as it is impossible (well, or extremely difficult) to provide yourself with qualified medical assistance according to a medical textbook, without having the appropriate education and knowledge, it is not always possible to provide yourself with certain types of psychological assistance. Psychological self-help is important but not ubiquitous. For example, you can learn certain relaxation techniques, manage your emotional state, self-diagnose with psychological tests, and expand your knowledge of yourself. You can read scientific literature and find responses in it, come across insights, understand the reasons for your failures. And these are great skills. They are also developed in the process of psychotherapy so that the client, leaving the office, can continue to cope with difficulties in real life. Moreover, the client somehow coped and survived before going to a psychologist. The question is precisely "How did you manage?" If these are successful strategies and the person is satisfied with the quality of his life, then he is unlikely to seek psychological help. And that's okay. But there is something that is impossible to receive outside of contact with others. It is warmth, care, support, feedback, which helps to see yourself more objectively. This is a different, fresh look at the situation, this is a joint effort to solve the problem. For this, the concept of supervision exists in the professional community of psychologists and psychotherapists.

I would like to end my story with a quote from Stanislav Lem:

I would like to end my story with a quote from Stanislav Lem:

Human needs human!"