Selecting The Most Suitable Psychologist In Each Case: 6 Keys To Follow
Going to a psychologist is not an easy decision to make. Contrary to what we think, Today there is still a lot of confusion about what psychotherapy is and how it works
Currently, the presence of the Internet in our lives has caused us to be exposed to an overload of information and a multitude of offers regarding the subject, which, many times, far from helping us, blocks us and causes more doubts.
On the other hand, on many occasions, fears arise such as: “Will there be any point in going?”, “Will he understand me?”, “What will he think of me?”, etc. If we add to that that it is a fundamentally private service and where the results are not immediate, the situation becomes complicated.
However, there are times in life when it is difficult to find a way out of a situation on our own and our environment, even if it wants to, does not have the capacity to help us either and we need that professional help. In situations like this, We must know how to select the psychologist that adapts to what we are looking for
Keys to getting it right when deciding on a psychologist
It is very important to choose the psychology professional well, since, in the same way that adequate therapy can do us a lot of good, bad therapy can also do us a lot of harm. To avoid, as far as possible, the latter from happening, it is advisable to take into account several of the factors indicated below:
Make sure that the person you go to is, first of all, a psychologist and is also licensed. You can check the latter by consulting the website of the Official College of Psychology of the corresponding city.
2. Choose a legally approved professional
The psychologist must have a degree that allows him to practice General Health Psychology in the corresponding Autonomous Community.
Since 2013, to legally practice psychology in the private sphere, it is mandatory either to have completed the Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology or, on the contrary, to have certain training and experience within the practice of health psychology and, as a consequence, be in possession of the General Health Psychologist qualification as well as being part of the team of psychology professionals in a Center registered in the Registry of Health Centers of the Corresponding Autonomous Community.
3. Be wary of “miracle remedies”
Psychotherapy is a process that takes time and implies a certain level of commitment and willingness to change on the part of the patient It is true that in many cases important changes begin to be observed after the third month, but for these to be lasting and at a deeper level, more time is required.
4. Be wary of offers, bonuses, too cheap prices, etc.
Although there are more and more changes in this regard, even today, for psychotherapy to be effective and offer good results, normally, you have to go private. And as a consequence, just like when we go to the dentist or a lawyer’s office, this involves a certain financial investment.
It is true that in certain personal economic situations, prices can be adjusted a little, but always within reasonable quantities and taking into account each particular case To get an idea, as a guide, we can consult the website of the corresponding Official College of Psychology, according to which, normally, the average recommended price per session is usually around 60 euros.
5. Find someone specialized
The psychologist You must have specialization in your particular problem, with postgraduate training and experience in this regard For example, if what you think is happening to you is that you have trauma, look for people specialized in treating these issues and, if possible, with the title of EMDR therapist, although they work with more approaches.
6. Be guided by your common sense and own judgment
Trust the impression that said professional gives you, both in one sense and the other. For a therapy to work, it is essential that there be a good therapeutic relationship
Therefore, it is important to take into account the trust that this person gives you as a professional when approaching your case, how comfortable you feel talking to him and expressing your most intimate concerns and thoughts, if you feel understood and listened to, if you feel judged or uncomfortable, whether you feel it helps you or not, etc. That is something that is felt, and normally we are not wrong.
