How Does Work Intrusion Affect Patients In Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a key area of work both in the world of mental health and in relation to psychological support for people who want to improve their well-being in some aspect: relationships, time management to promote new projects, work performance, preparation of oppositions…
However, unfortunately not all people who advertise themselves as offering psychological therapy services are qualified to do so. And if we add to that that many people do not have the knowledge to distinguish these cases, on the one hand, and that part of the population is indifferent to this fact because they believe that it does not affect them, on the other, the result is a problem for everyone. consider.
With the intention of contributing to remedying it, in this article you will find The reasons why work intrusion is problematic and what can be done to verify that a professional is qualified to care for patients in this area.
Let’s start from the fundamentals: what exactly does the word “intrusion” mean? It is about the fact of carry out the work of a specific professional profile without having the qualification to do so whether paid or unpaid.
Thus, intrusion is committed by those who dedicate themselves totally or partially to carrying out a job that can only be carried out by people with authorization to do so, since they are trained for it. In fact, in many cases, this activity constitutes a crime.
It is true that In certain areas of work, the concept of intrusion is poorly defined and it is difficult to identify it. Along these lines, if we talk about those jobs that psychologists in general can perform (including those who are not specialized in psychotherapy), we will see that many of these activities overlap with other disciplines and areas of science.
For example, research work on social dynamics among the urban tribes of a city can be carried out by psychologists, but it can also be done by sociologists or even anthropologists.
However, if within the field of psychology we focus specifically on the field of psychotherapy, the fence is narrowed and work intrusion is much better defined. Thus, in these cases There are criteria to determine what type of training and certificates are necessary to care for patients offering psychological therapy. given that the set of training requirements and skills to practice are much more detailed and regulated.
Ultimately, in psychotherapy a series of scientifically tested guidelines are followed to be able to offer quality services, and being part of the world of mental health, it is important to regulate how it works. This simple fact already gives us an idea of why work intrusion in psychotherapy is a problem.
What problems can intrusiveness cause you in psychotherapy?
As a patient, Work intrusion in the field of psychological therapy affects you in these ways :
How to avoid going to those who offer psychotherapy, committing intrusion?
What are the main measures that you can adopt, in the Spanish context, to avoid falling into cases of work intrusion as a psychotherapy patient? The essential thing is to check that the professional is registered with the COP.
The General Council of Psychology of Spain (COP) It is the main entity through which the professional activity of psychologists is legally regulated, especially those whose work is of special social sensitivity.
This organization exists to ensure that the country’s psychology professionals are subject to the highest ethical and training standards. Therefore, to offer psychotherapy services in Spain, one of the main requirements is to be registered with the COP.
So, when you are going to choose a professional who offers psychological therapy, Make sure you have a COP membership number in a territorial area of Spain. This way you will know if it has been registered or not in one of the branches of the COP; for example, in the Official College of Psychologists of La Rioja.
In principle, this is the main criterion to avoid cases of work intrusion, given that it is not possible to join this entity without having completed a university degree in Psychology and without having the basic material elements to undergo a consultation in a safe place.
Now, it could be that at a given moment the professional has ceased to be registered and that he hides from you that he is no longer under the umbrella of the COP. Luckily, you can go to the COP website to, from there, see if the professional in question is still registered, through your digital search engine.
On the other hand, keep in mind that even if a person has obtained a university degree in Psychology and at some point has become a member, it is technically possible that, for whatever reasons, they no longer offer true psychotherapy or adhere to the code. deontological of psychology, but rather offers supposed remedies that have nothing to do with psychology, such as “mystical” experiences of “connection with the universe”, homeopathy…
Keep in mind that anything that goes beyond the adoption of new ways of managing emotions, thoughts and one’s own behaviors is not psychotherapy.
Are you interested in having psychotherapy services?
I am a General Health Psychologist federated by the FEAP (Spanish Federation of Associations of Psychotherapists) with more than 20 years of experience in patient care.
I work helping adults and adolescents, as well as couples and families, and I offer in-person sessions in my office in Seville or online by video call.
