Yeah, psychologists dedicated to mental health intervention They are one of those groups of professionals who, along with photographers, musicians and many others, are often asked by this idea: “will you work for me for free, please?”
Of course, these kinds of requests are never posed so directly; They are normally expressed implicitly, making the conversation continue to have the appearance of an informal dialogue when deep down it proposes a commitment on a professional level.
But no, the task of health psychologists It is defined precisely because it is a job, something for which by default you have to receive pay.whether from patients or public entities. If this very basic idea is not respected by many people, it is, in part, due to two myths about psychology that we will see below.
One of the myths that most fuels the belief that psychologists can be expected to provide free therapy is the idea that, just because they have chosen that professional career, Before they are workers, they are pure souls who are happy simply by making others happy.. That is, doing favors.
Of course, this view of what it means to “make others happy” It is totally self-interested and short-term. How many people could a psychologist benefit from having to spend a large part of the week practicing for free? For how long?
The same idealistic vision that leads to saying, for example, that culture is free to defend that artists can see how their work is distributed without charging anything makes many people see psychologists as people who can allow themselves to become an NGO (although without the advantages that NGOs have).
Of course psychologists like to help others.and in many cases that feeling is what makes many decide to start a career in psychology. But that does not mean that by default and until otherwise stated, the interests of others should come before those of the professional.
Anyone can give advice
Another myth that leads many people to expect free psychotherapy sessions is that what is done in them is, basically, giving advice. Something that can be done at a bar counter, something that is easy and intuitive. Something that can even be spent as leisure time for both parties.
Why don’t we offer free psychological therapy?
Why try to charge for something that everyone can do and that is light entertainment? Furthermore, the fact of giving advice and seeing how the other person respects our point of view must be very good for self-esteem, right? Psychologists are very lucky.
In reality, there is nothing in this reasoning that is not wrong. What health psychologists do It is far from giving advice, and it is not talk either. light or a “talking healing” as quick as heating rice in the microwave. And, of course, the point of psychotherapy is not to exchange advice in exchange for a good helping of ego.
What psychologists dedicated to intervening in the problems of individual people do is, among other things, Schedule schedules with which you commit to not doing other things when it’s time to serve a client.
It is also about actively listening and concentrating your efforts for a long time on understanding the problem and needs of the person being cared for. You have to know where the specific characteristics of a person’s life end and where the generalities begin that allow you to compare that case with others and establish a diagnosis of the situation.
The information obtained in the consultation is also contrasted with other types of more theoretical information, the result of the work of many psychologists who dedicate themselves to research.
Psychotherapy too consists of making decisions that compromise both partiessince estimating whether or not a symptom picture fits into a theoretical diagnostic category carries the risk of being wrong, and the actions to be carried out must be consistent with this decision.
The psychologists create intervention programs that consist of much more than talking: they can lead phobia exposure sessions, biofeedback and even evaluate cognitive abilities on site or through tests that require being used in a very precise way, among other things.
And, of course, let’s not forget training. For psychologists to be able to provide their services, they must invest effort, time and money not only in a university degree, but also in master’s degrees, specialized seminars and even reading scientific articles, since the science of behavior and mental processes is constantly evolving. . Intellectual stagnation is not an option.
All of these activities that psychologists perform would be impossible if they did not demand fair payment for their work. Not getting paid on time is a valid option, but not what defines the profession.
The mistake is, perhaps, believing that the work of psychologists, designers or computer scientists is so insignificant that it can be passed off as something that could be done without charge but that is normally paid to give it the appearance of professionalism. A belief that, coincidentally, always benefits the party asking for the favor, as if the strange thing were receiving payment in exchange for work.
