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How to choose a psychologist specialist, you are willing to trust their thoughts and secrets? This is now a lot of writing, but I'm sure you have to write more to the quality of psychological assistance grew.

In Russia, professionals who provide psychological assistance are referred to as psychotherapists or psychologists.

    a Shrink is a doctor, received a medical degree and has specialized in the field of psychotherapy. Being a doctor, he has the right to prescribe medication, which can not make a psychologist. At the same time, in medical school do not pay a lot of attention to the study of human psychology.
    Psychologist – a specialist with higher education in psychology, which, ideally, while studying at the University devoted to the study of theories of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy. Counseling practice in our Universities, as far as I know, still not paying much attention.


Despite the fact that formally both the diploma gives the right to conduct psychological practice, in my opinion, nor medical, nor psychological basic education is not enough in order to begin counseling.
And then more education can be the basis for starting to learn in any method of psychotherapy. And only that, in my opinion, can help professionals become competent in the provision of psychological assistance to another person.

For example, training in the method of positive psychotherapy takes approximately 4 years and includes 3 modules of the basic course and 10 modules of the master course.

As a rule, training in any method, besides the study of the theory of counselling involves:

  • Passage personal therapy
  • counseling Practice in the training groups
  • Mandatory supervision in early practice
  • belonging to a community of other practicing therapists and students.

If the need for counseling is obvious - it is better that the therapist worked out some of the techniques and made the first mistakes in setting the training group than in the live client, for other points some people have issues. I want to focus on them in detail.

long Experience, personal therapy, including group. Very surprised that there are still those who questioned its necessity! Often (if not always) in this profession, people come to resolve his own inner turmoil, and this need is not always recognised.

Personal therapy helps the therapist to meet their own internal conflicts and imperfections, learn to cope with them (or at least get along). Therapy helps to distinguish client issues from their own, to listen to ourselves, to experience empathy and to empathize with the person opposite. Nothing else, except in personal therapy, this subjective experience can not be obtained. In a sense, the client and the therapist are in the same boat, just one for this swim the first time, and the other many times already sailed, even if not in this river.

Supervision is the help from more experienced colleagues in case management. The supervisor helps the therapist to understand and analyze their actions and reactions in relation to the client. This is a good way to learn your strengths, get support, identify "blind spots" so that, if necessary, to bring them into personal therapy. Experience of supervision always has a positive effect on work, and hence benefits the customer.

the Presence of supervision gives the chance to receive high-quality psychological help even the clients who applied to the novice therapist. For an experienced psychologist is the ability to cope with their own feelings, get feedback and look at the case from the side.

belonging to a community of other psychologists and psychotherapists. firstly, in our challenging profession where you need to keep many secrets and to withstand a large number of complex feelings, the need for professional and emotional support of like-minded people. Communication with colleagues can be a powerful prevention of professional burnout. Second, it is more likely to indicate that the therapist adheres to the ethical norms and rules accepted in the professional community.

of Course, adherence to all the rules does not guarantee a 100% chance that the psychologist suits, because each individual physician, and you personally must be comfortable and safe. If a specific therapist, you can only define based on their own feelings. But still, I think the availability of basic education and training in one of the methods, including personal therapy and supervision, it is a prerequisite in order to specialist could provide high-quality psychological help.

what are your criteria for choosing a psychologist?

Kuzmina Natalia