You decided that you need psychological help in solving a problem situation. The question arises: how to choose "your" psychologist, so that both the result was and the consultation felt safe and comfortable?
The problem is that you don't want to let anyone know about your difficulties, and it is difficult to find a suitable psychologist-consultant yourself on the vast expanses of the Internet, because there are a lot of psychological services. In addition, the highly scattered price range for the services of a professional psychologist is embarrassing.
What is psychological counseling
Psychological counseling is the provision of psychological assistance to a mentally healthy person (people) by a professional counseling psychologist.
If you would like to use the services of a professional psychologist, check out the 5 steps to finding a psychologist.
Step 1: State the problem clearly
Before choosing a psychologist on the Internet, clearly formulate a problem for yourself, in the solution of which you need professional help. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:
- What worries me the most right now?
- What questions would I like to find answers to?
- What do I want from a counselor psychologist, how can he help me: listen, advise, provide the necessary information, suggest, explain the reasons, give more in-depth information (and what is behind this), redirect to a narrow specialist, tell me what exactly is me you need to change how to do it, hear his opinion from a professional, just talk, settle emotions, etc.?
Step 2. Determine the amount of remuneration
Browse the internet for the average cost of counseling in your area. Having found the answer to the question, decide on the amount of remuneration for the psychologist.
Any deviations in one direction or another will require a more detailed study of the description of the psychologist's activities. Remember: a lower / higher price of a service is not always an indicator of low / high professionalism.
Step 3. Determine which type of counseling is needed: individual or family counseling
There are counseling psychologists who work individually with the client. Such a consultant will pay attention at meetings to the development and growth of the client, his maturation, and the acquisition of the necessary experience. At the same time, a counselor psychologist can work in different directions and using different methods, helping to solve issues related to personality development.
Example of a problem: A capable, intellectually developed and well-socialized boy became unsuccessful in school for several months. The exceptions are those periods when the divorcing parents jointly discuss and try to solve the problem of their son's failure. Then the son does his homework, actively responds in the classroom, behaves very approximately, and everyone is happy with him (including himself).
A psychologist-consultant, working in an individual approach, helps the child to find the resources that are necessary to cope with the problems and accompanies his development and maturation in a difficult period of life.
There are counseling psychologists who work in a family systematic approach, when much attention is paid not to the individual characteristics of the client, but to the peculiarities of his relationship with family members.
This is deeper, but also more effective work. In this approach, it is believed that the problem with which the client comes for consultation is not so much his pain as a sign of the “illness” of his family, which does not cope with certain tasks and demonstrates this through the problem of one of its members.
A systemic family psychologist would begin to solve the above-designated problem in several directions:
- work with spouses regarding the emotional completion of a divorce;
- work with parents on the subject of agreement on parental obligations and their effectiveness as parents in a difficult period of life;
- parent-child work to strengthen the child's bond with each parent;
- work with a child about relationships in the presence of a family.
The result of both individual and family psychological counseling is an improvement in the quality of life.
Step 4. Make a list of prospective counseling psychologists
Find a professional website for counseling psychologists from your city (if a personal meeting is important to you). Highlight those who can help, focusing on an individual or systemic family approach.
In the publications of psychologists about yourself, pay attention to the basic education of a psychologist, to long-term programs for advanced training or professional training (long-term education is the guarantor of professionalism, in contrast to a scientific degree), to the scattering of professional interests (if there are too many of them, then the question arises about the level of professionalism: it is impossible to be a good specialist in many areas), on the personal qualities and values of a professional (ask the question: "Do you like him as a person?"
Step 5. Determine if this is your psychologist
After compiling a list of several candidates for the role of “your” psychologist, ask the question: “Do I want to be with this person and am I ready to accept psychological help from him?”
If the answer is yes, feel free to ask for help. The efforts were not in vain.
So, if you want to find “your” psychologist-consultant, it is important to spend time on this and take 5 obligatory steps. Then the choice will be 90% correct, you will get the result in a safe and comfortable atmosphere.
