Psychologist – characteristics, competences, indications for a visit

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A psychologist deals with diagnosis and psychological treatment. He makes a diagnosis on the basis of a very detailed interview with the patient and conducted psychological tests. The psychologist looks for the causes of problems in various areas of human life. Unfortunately, many people are still afraid of visiting a psychologist and postpone it. Check when it is worth seeking help from this specialist!

Psychologist – characteristics

Psychologist is a profession that requires completion Master’s degree in Psychology. The task of a psychologist is both to make an appropriate diagnosis on the basis of an interview collected from the patient and psychological tests, and to provide professional psychological help.

A psychologist is a person who has a very extensive knowledge of:

1. psychological behavior and processes;
2. the way human memory functions, learning and remembering;
3. thought processes;
4. ways of coping with stress;
5. social rules.

However, to stay clinical psychologistare necessary postgraduate studies in clinical psychology.

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Psychologist – similar professions

Not only a psychologist deals with the human psyche. In this regard, you can also take advantage of psychotherapist help and psychiatrists, however, they have different competences, methods of diagnosis and treatment.

1. A psychotherapist is a person who has completed postgraduate studies or a four-year school of psychotherapy.
2. A psychiatrist is a doctor, unlike a psychologist. To become a psychiatrist, you must complete medical studies and specialize in psychiatry.

Psychologist – competences

A psychologist has different competences than a psychiatrist and psychotherapist and does not deal with the same problems. The psychologist’s competences are:

1. counseling and psychological tests;
2. issuing psychological certificates and judgments;
3. solving everyday problems, such as problems at work, mood drops, apathy, relationship problems, personality recognition, etc.

What is very important, the psychologist cannot use pharmacotherapy.

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Psychologist – indications for a visit

A psychologist can help solve problems in many spheres of human life. A good psychologist he is committed to his work, has high qualifications and appropriate competences. The indications for a visit to a psychologist are:

1. prolonged irritability, sadness, easy anger and failure to cope with its outbursts;
2. dissatisfaction with family and partnership relations – a psychologist will help to see and understand the partner’s needs, learn to talk and solve problems;
3. chronic stress or a sense of anxiety;
4. lack of strength and willingness to perform daily activities;
5. sleep disturbances (e.g. nightmares, insomnia);
6. difficult, crisis situations, such as the death of a loved one, serious diseases, divorce, loss of job, serious accidents or assault;
7. appetite disturbance;
8. various health problems that are difficult to diagnose;
9. problems of children changing schools, experiencing the development of their parents, having conflicts with their peers, or causing educational problems (child psychologist);
10. helping athletes achieve success, building awareness of their own abilities, achieving goals, accepting failure and returning to training after failure (sports psychologist);
11. helping young people to cope with conflict situations. The psychologist enables young people to look objectively at their own behavior and knows how to resolve conflicts at home with their parents.

As you can see, a psychologist helps to solve problems at every stage of a person’s life and related to his every sphere. Psychology teaches that problems in any area of ​​life should not be underestimated. In addition, it allows you to take a distance and look at your own behavior differently and see possible mistakes.

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Psychologist – the choice of a specialist

It is worth going to a psychologist when we have the impression that our life situations begin to overwhelm us and we cannot deal with them. Support from loved ones is often insufficient, and attempts to deal with problems on your own do not work.

However, before we make an appointment to a specialist, it is worth making the best choice. So, let’s remember to check who a given psychologist is, what qualifications, education and professional qualifications he has. It is also worth asking the psychologist to show documents confirming their qualifications. This is the best way to verify them, and a good psychologist will certainly want to show them off.

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Psychologist – concerns

A visit to a psychologist is the source of many concerns that are perfectly normal. People are concerned about assessing their behavior or making decisions. They are afraid that they will be forced to reflect on themselves and the rightness of their current behavior. In practice, it turns out that it is easier for us to talk about private, personal topics with a stranger.

In addition, many people believe that seeking help from a psychologist it can be badly perceived by the environment. Although public awareness of the importance of mental health is growing, visits to a psychologist are often treated very stereotypically. People are ashamed of this help and fear the negative reaction of those around them.

Some people are also concerned that the psychologist may reveal our problems to someone. However, it is worth remembering that a psychologist is bound by professional secrecy and the rules of the ethical code. They provide a guarantee of transparency relationship between the patient and the psychologist. In practice, this means, among other things, that a psychologist cannot diagnose a person who does not agree to it.

Psychologist – first visit

1. Before the first visit, it is worth considering what we expect from her and what is our main problem that we want to work with together with the psychologist. It may even be our feeling that something is wrong in our life, that a situation or relationship is tiring or disturbing. Even such seemingly trivial matters should be discussed with a specialist. It is important to find the cause of your malaise.
2. It is worth remembering that it usually does not end with one visit. Most often, after the first visit, the next ones are determined, and their effects should be waited for. At the first visit, the psychologist gets to know the patient, collects the interview and plans further work. The psychologist and the patient also establish the rules of cooperation, the frequency of meetings, etc. Many patients are unsatisfied, some feel sad, anxious or fearful. This is due to the fact that topics that are unpleasant for us are often raised during the visit.
3. First visit to a psychologist it is also very important for the patient, as it can tell if he or she wants to cooperate with this particular psychologist. It is important whether he feels comfortable during the session and whether the psychologist gives him a sense of security. We should also remember that during the first visit, the psychologist will not say much. His role is often limited to asking questions to get as much information out of the patient as possible.
4. Therefore, openness and honesty are important during the visit, as it greatly influences the effectiveness of the therapy. Do not be ashamed of your problems or difficulties. Let us remember that a psychologist is supposed to help us overcome them. It is up to us to decide what to say and when. We only talk about problems when we ourselves feel ready for it. The trait of a good psychologist is to respect this and not to put pressure on the patient.
5. Patients also often have the impression that their problems are not that important, so they resign from the help of a specialist and try to deal with themselves. However, it should be remembered that in the case of a psychologist there are no trivial problems and if we feel that we cannot deal with them ourselves, we should go to a specialist as soon as possible.
6. The main thing is to remember that work with a psychologist takes time, and we will have to wait for the results of this cooperation. Visiting a psychologist takes time, work and patience.

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