Psychological Help: How To Know If I Need It And How To Find It
“I need help”. Some words that we do not often hear today, even though there are many people who are constantly suffering and would require someone’s assistance. Self-esteem problems, anxiety, constant sadness, the experience of traumatic events that we cannot overcome…
We are talking about people who need psychological help but who often do not go to it for different reasons or who are not sure whether their problem requires professional help or not.
In this article we are going to talk about when we need this type of help and how and where to get it.
The question of when we need the help of a psychology professional may seem simple to answer, but the truth is that many people find it very difficult to decide to consult and even consider that their discomfort is not enough to seek professional help.
The truth is In clinical practice, psychologists serve all types of people, with different types of problems People of any age and condition can go to a psychologist, although within psychology there are different profiles of more specialized professionals in certain sectors, such as child and adolescent psychology or psychogeriatrics.
There are many problems that are treated or in which a psychologist can intervene. It is common for people to see a professional with mood problems, anxiety, emotional and/or self-esteem problems, people with cognitive disorders, obsessive problems (such as OCD) or psychotic problems (for example, schizophrenia), post-traumatic stress disorder. or those people with adaptive problems or difficulties in facing certain situations.
Sexual dysfunctions and relationship problems, lack of communication or the presence of family problems are aspects that can also lead a person to consult. Likewise, other possible effects may be learning problems, in achieving one’s own identity, or a high level of work stress. Family counseling or psychoeducation or coping with an illness can also be carried out by a psychologist.
But the above are only examples. In fact, anyone who presents any problem that causes deep psychological suffering (whether or not we are talking about an identified disorder) or difficulties adapting to the environment that surrounds you, you can seek professional help. It is possible that in some cases we are facing an adaptive process or one derived from a situation that we do not know how to solve or for which we do not feel that we have the resources to solve.
A psychologist is not going to fix, for example, an economic problem or a layoff, but they can help recover the feeling of control and combat beliefs of uselessness or maladaptive elements that are established in the person’s psyche and that derive from it.
Of course, we must keep in mind that a psychologist is not a magician. Many people come to consultation expecting a quick and miraculous remedy And in most cases, this will not be the case. Furthermore, any treatment or intervention carried out will require an effort on the part of the patient/client/user, with the psychologist serving as a guide or promoter that leads them to overcome their problems.
Much of the blame for this fact is due to the persistence of great prejudices regarding the work of psychologists or the fact of going to one. Traditionally, and even today, going to a psychologist has been seen as indicative of a serious mental health problem (until not so long ago we were called “shrinks”), something that in turn is seen as stigmatizing
For many people this causes shame, while for others it may be scary to discover the presence of serious problems. Others feel a deep qualm about opening up and explaining their problems to a person they don’t know, even if that person is a qualified professional. Likewise, many consider that their condition is not serious or deep enough to require professional help even if they have been suffering for years.
And this can be almost dramatic, since in many cases Postponing seeking professional help can contribute to prolonging and even making problems chronic that could be solved or reduce the level of impact they generate much more quickly and efficiently if an earlier intervention had been started.
Fortunately, with the passage of time, the level of stigmatization of going to a psychologist has been greatly reduced, and even when it comes to suffering from some type of psychological problem (such as anxiety or depression problems, for example). very common in the majority of the population). There is increasing awareness of the need for professional help from someone trained in the functioning of the human psyche. In fact, technically it is calculated that one in four people would need some type of psychological help at some point in your life.
Psychological help: public or private?
Before talking about how to seek and find psychological help from a professional in this branch of science, it is worth noting that we can find professionals who practice in public health and others who practice in private health (there are also those who practice in both). ).
Both options have advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, private practice involves an outlay that, depending on the professional, their experience, theoretical framework or specialization in a specific topic, may be greater or less. Likewise, the large number of private professionals makes it difficult to choose a specific one. On the other hand, it is possible to monitor each case more deeply, frequently and effectively, the sessions are longer and generally productive and there are no waiting lists.
As far as public health is concerned, although we are dealing with a mental health service that does not require direct outlay by the patient, the limitations of the health system and the limited presence of psychologists within said system means that there is usually a certain delay in obtaining a visit, often monthly, and that the time that each visit lasts is, with some exceptions, quite limited (so there is less time for address the problem in question).
There are high-quality professionals in both systems and that they have received intense and exhaustive training for years, their situation in the public or private sector not being decisive in this regard. In both cases they have the same functions and responsibilities at a legal level, and in all cases they must be registered with the official college of psychologists (otherwise they would not be able to practice from the clinical field) and be either Psychologists Specialists in Clinical Psychology and/or have a Master’s degree in General Health Psychology.
Another different type of help is that offered by other sectors, such as coaching. Although they can help to address and cope with some day-to-day problems and promote the making of changes and the strengthening of potential, it must be taken into account that a large part of the coaches are not psychologists and their knowledge and skills can be very limited, not being authorized to treat mental or health problems and disorders.
How do you get to a psychologist?
The process of seeking and finding psychological help from a professional is relatively simple, although it largely depends on whether professional help is sought by the public administration or by a private professional.
private practice
In the case of seeking psychological help privately, the main difficulty will be choosing a professional from the large number of existing psychology consultations and institutes. In this sense, to guide us we can make use of different directories of professionals the Official College of Psychologists being one of those that will allow us to find registered professionals.
To choose correctly, it would be useful to know the line or theoretical framework preferably used by the professional (although today a large majority is eclectic with regard to the use of different techniques) in order to choose the one that we consider most appropriate, as well as the type of problem or problems you treat in your clinical practice. It may also be useful to know the prestige of the professional himself (although this is not an indication that he will be useful to us).
Finally, we can also be guided by the opinions of users regarding the different professionals, although we must take into account that Each patient may have certain preferences and that there are different branches and ways of acting within psychology. What works well for one patient does not have to be what works well for another, even if they have the same type of problem, and the feeling and therapeutic relationship established between patient and professional can vary enormously.
Another aspect to take into account is that if the therapeutic relationship does not flow or after a reasonable time The treatment applied does not bear any fruit (remember that psychological therapy requires a certain amount of time and the user’s completion of the tasks in order to be effective, and its benefits are not always grasped at the beginning), we can change professionals.
Once the professional has been chosen, it will be a matter of arranging a visit with the psychologist in question via telephone or email. At that moment, a series of data will be requested (if we do not provide it directly) in order to have a little information, such as a brief explanation of the general situation, contact information and possibly some demographic information. In any case, the first visits They are focused on knowing the problem and situation of the patient, client or user and evaluating it, to later analyze objectives and a possible treatment plan.
Practice in the public sphere
Arranging an appointment with a psychologist on public roads requires first going to the family doctor, who Depending on the situation, the subject may be referred to psychiatry, and from this to a psychologist. However, unless a persistent and serious problem is detected, in many cases this referral is not carried out unless the patient in question requires it (partly due to the oversaturation of the service), this being something to take into account.
Thus, first of all, the patient usually first goes through the CAP (Primary Care Center), from which they can be referred to different services depending on the problem detected. In case of mental disorders, the subject is referred to a Mental Health Center (CSMA in the case of adults or CSMIJ in the child and adolescent population). A large proportion of cases only receive treatment in these devices, although in emergencies or acute phases of some disorders Stay on other devices may be required.
In case of an urgent case, such as a psychotic outbreak or a subject in a manic state in the acute phase, they can be referred to the Psychiatric Emergency Department (where we can find detoxification units or UHD, dual pathology, eating problems , gambling addiction, intellectual disability and mental disorder or UHEDI). If there is a case of addiction to any substance, the referral would be made to a Drug Addiction Care and Monitoring Center or CAS.
The subject will be in an Acute Unit for the first three or four weeks in order to stabilize him. After the patient’s stabilization or if temporary hospitalization is required until the patient is completely stable, the subject may be sent to a Subacute Unit for a period of around three months. If necessary, the subject can move to a Medium Stay Unit for around half a year, to a MILLE Unit in the case of a long stay.
In addition to that, You can go to different temporary residential facilities such as day hospitals, therapeutic communities or community rehabilitation services. There are also permanent ones, such as supervised apartments and residential llars. In conclusion, there are multiple services that a person can turn to if they need it, and there are alternatives to treat various needs.
