Psychologist - more and more people are thinking about visiting him, but the fear of entrusting a stranger with your problems is great. A psychologist's office is often an "unknown land", and many unknowns related to the first visit lead to a state of uncertainty. See how the first visit to a psychologist is going and how to prepare for it.

Who is a psychologist and what does he do?

Psychologist- before the first visit to him, many doubts often arise. Sometimes it is difficult for us to determine whether the officepsychologistwill be a good place to deal with a given problem. However, it is worth deciding to use the services of a professional, if the methods of coping with difficulties used so far do not bring the expected results. Therefore, I encourage you to look at your experiences and feelings, to make a decision for yourself whether you want to work with a psychologist to improve the quality of life.

Worth knowing

Psychologist: when to visit?

Starting cooperation with a psychologist can be a good solution if the experienced situations or feelings give the impression that we are not able to deal with them on our own. It happens that the closest people are not able to provide sufficient support, and the current methods of coping do not bring relief or are an additional source of further complications.

If, as a result of your own observations or suggestions of a loved one, a decision is made to use the support of a specialist, it is worth taking care of a few more details - so that the investment in improving the quality of life turns out to be effective.

Psychologist: how to choose a specialist?

You should check who exactly is the specialist you are making an appointment with. There is a fundamental difference in the type of support and the scope of the service offered, depending on whether we go to a psychologist, psychotherapist, coach or psychiatrist.

Each of these specialists provides completely different services, so it is worth deciding in advance with whom you want or need to make an appointment. Before choosing a specific person to whom we plan to entrust your difficulties or personal development, it is worth checking the education and qualifications of a specialist.

To become an expert in personal development or other psychological services, you mustinvest a lot of effort and time as well as gain education and experience (confirmed by diplomas and certificates).

The psychologist should not be offended if the client asks him to show his permissions or certificates because he worked very hard for them. Therefore, he will probably be happy to show them off. This type of verification is the most effective way to protect yourself from hitting a fraud or a swindler who claims to be a specialist in a given field.

Psychologist vs psychiatrist and psychotherapist

A psychologist is not the only specialist providing psychological help, so it is no wonder that sometimes it is difficult to tell who to go to for this help.

Psychologist vs psychiatrist

The difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is that the former is a graduate of psychology, while the psychiatrist graduated in medicine, so he is a doctor. Therefore, a psychologist cannot write prescriptions, and a psychiatrist does.

Specialists often cooperate with each other, e.g. a given person participates in therapy with a psychologist, but goes to single visits to a psychiatrist so that he can prescribe appropriate medications.

Usually, the psychologist is visited by people who want to deal with depression, relationship problems or relationships with children, parents, in-laws. Also those who are mourning. A psychiatrist, on the other hand, usually does not conduct therapy - he diagnoses, develops a treatment method, prescribes medications, may run a private practice or work in a psychiatric ward.

Definitely, nothing will happen if someone visits a psychiatrist and he or she decides that it is better to go to a psychologist with a given problem - in this case, this person will be referred by him to this specialist.

Psychologist vs psychotherapist

Psychoterpaeuta is a graduate of psychology or any other field of study and a 4-year psychotherapy school. Psychotherapists are educated in various currents, they can offer, for example, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy or systemic therapy.

The psychotherapist has a greater practical preparation than a newly fledged psychology graduate, but it is worth remembering, because the choice of a psychotherapist should be approached with the utmost caution. Only some of the schools of psychotherapy are authorized to issue certificates recognized by the National He alth Fund. For your own good, you should choose such a specialist, not a person who has not completed psychological studies, but is a graduate of an unknown school of psychotherapy.

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Psychologist: how to allay fears before the first visit?

Concerns about visiting a psychologist are completely normal. Fear of judgment or criticism of decisions, behaviors or reflections that will be named during the meeting accompanies many people. However, as a last resort, it often happens that sharing your personal stories with a total stranger turns out to be easier than you assumed at the beginning.

The decision to visit a psychologist is often accompanied by a fear of a negative reaction from the environment. Despite the fact that an increasing part of the society uses services in the field of personal development or psychological support, many people still think of a psychologist in a stereotypical way. In this situation, it is worth taking a look at your way of thinking about the psychological office and decide that the fears or opinions of third parties will not decide about crossing its threshold.

Psychologist: what does the first visit look like?

If a specialist is already selected and checked, you can think about the first visit. It is worth considering your expectations for this meeting, but even if it is difficult to name a specific problem to be worked through yourself, and the only thing that worries you is the feeling that something in everyday life does not fit, disturbs or tires. This is enough to decide on support. Working with a specialist may be devoted to finding the cause of the discomfort.

The first meeting with a specialist is usually an introduction to further visits. You should not expect any spectacular effects from it. This is the time when the psychologist can get to know the client and gather the information necessary to propose a work plan. It is also the moment to clarify the contract, i.e. the principles of cooperation between the client and the specialist. This is usually when it is agreed how often and how long the meetings will be held. The frequency depends on what the client needs, the current in which the specialist works and the type of service he / she chooses (counseling, support in crisis, therapy).

It is also worth remembering that such a "0" meeting allows you to get to know a specialist and check if he is a person with whom you feel comfortable and safe. During this meeting, the psychologist is likely to mainly listen, sometimes asking questions. Some customers, unaware of the informative role that the first meeting is to play, feel discouraged. You often hear that: "Not much happened at this meeting, because I was talking / talking all the time."

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This will be useful to you

A psychologist's work areas include:

  • Prolonged feeling of sadness, irritability, being easy to get angry and unable to cope with it.
  • Problems in maintaining satisfactory relationships with loved ones.
  • Chronic stress, constant tension or a sense of fear.
  • Prolonged feeling of sadness depriving you of the desire to take up daily activities.
  • Recurrent sleep difficulties, nightmares, insomnia etc.
  • Finding yourself in a crisis: death or illness of a loved one, divorce, loss of job, experience of an assault or involvement in an accident, etc.
  • Recurring memories of difficult situations, injuries, etc.
  • Problems related to the sense of craving.
  • Difficult to diagnose he alth problems (psychosomatic symptoms), e.g. chronic or recurring pain, gastric problems, extremely lowered immunity, etc.

Psychologist: why shouldn't you be afraid?

The psychologist is bound by the rules of the ethical code, which are to facilitate establishing the right relationship. One of them is professional secrecy. These rules are to ensure a clean arrangement between the customer and the service provider. This means, for example, that a psychologist should not attempt to diagnose someone who has not consented to it. A full list of the rules of work of a psychologist or psychotherapist is available on industry websites, so I encourage you to take a look at them before your first visit.

The openness of the client has a huge impact on the effectiveness of the work undertaken. The greater the honesty in the conversation with the psychologist, the more adequate support on his part, and as a result, the greater the chance of the effect expected by the client. It is worth remembering that the work of a psychologist involves dealing with human difficulties, so shame and fear that the stories he will hear are shocking or difficult, it is worth leaving behind the office door.

Sometimes the client has a feeling that the problem he comes with is too trivial and that he should actually deal with it himself, instead of involving a specialist in it. The truth is, there are no problems too frivolous to get the support of a psychologist.

If the previous experiences have a negative impact on everyday life, well-being or interpersonal relationships, accompanied by a feeling of helplessness, there are all reasons to opt for specialist consultations. It is worth remembering, however, that if there is resistance despite this and he is not ready to raise specific topics during the session, the client has an absolute right to do so, and the psychologist must respect it. Clientdecides when and what to say.

The effects of the first consultation may vary. For a certain group of people, such an informational meeting does not bring any results, while others may feel relief, anxiety, sadness, etc. The content told during this meeting may or may not trigger different, not always pleasant emotions.

After the meeting, you may get the impression that not everything has been said. This kind of feeling of dissatisfaction will probably appear for several more meetings, because it is impossible to discuss all aspects important for the client during one session. Therefore, it is worth taking time during meetings with a psychologist. Changes or expected results are like home renovation - they require time, patience and work.

Patrycja Szeląg-JaroszPsychologist, coach, personal development trainer. She gained professional experience working in the field of psychological support, crisis intervention, professional activation and coaching.

He specializes in the area of ​​life coaching, supporting the client in improving the quality of life, strengthening self-esteem and active self-esteem, maintaining life balance and effectively dealing with the challenges of everyday life. She has been associated with non-governmental organizations in Warsaw since 2007, co-runs the Center for Personal Development and Psychological Services of the Compass

Category:

Psychology