Do you think you need a psychologist? Don’t know whether to go to psychological therapy? Find out what it is and how a psychologist can help you. You are one step away from improving your well-being.
When we talk about the study, understanding and modification of human thought and behavior, we are referring to a science. The psychology As such it is a science and therefore the scientific method applies. All techniques and therapies are also subject to continuous review and, in order to be accepted, they must have different degrees of statistical significance. From here comes the already known term “evidence based psychology“, with which many people are familiar.
Psychology is the study of mind and behavior from a scientific perspective. All branches of psychology include a very wide array of studies, analyses, reviews, biological tests, theories, hypotheses, etc. We are a body and a mind, and both constantly interact. At this point this cannot be discussed since science has constantly demonstrated it and continues to do so. Therefore, we could say that psychology is the science that studies human behavior. On the other hand the psychologist He is the specialist who knows about this discipline.
A psychologist is a specialist in human behavior, who teaches a series of techniques, skills and psychological strategies to help people successfully face problems and overcome them. As? The psychologist works as a “coach” teaching you these strategies and skills with the intention that you put them into practice until you master them, which will allow you to deal with problems effectively. Therefore, the psychologist will teach you how to handle the situations that cause the problem but the one who is going to put it into practice is you.
Why do you need a psychologist?
Having psychological problems is something totally normal for each and every one of us. The difference is in the degree, the interference that this is producing in our lives and, what is worse, in our health.
The society in which we live has changed and evolves at a frenetic pace, we are not prepared for this. Jobs have changed, the way of relating, going out, traveling, etc. That is why if we continue doing things and thinking like when life was slow, jobs were manual, social roles were different, etc., we are going to have many problems because we cannot adapt to the environment. This is where the psychologist comes to work and, in a few sessions, puts our feet on the ground and teaches us to read the map with which we have to orient ourselves in our lives (as long as we want to change something, of course).
How do I know if I need a psychologist?
We all, at certain times in our lives, face difficulties that we face with the tools we have at our disposal. Most of the time we overcome these difficulties, but there are times when, despite having put in place all the resources we have at our disposal, we are not able to solve them Some of these situations could be included in the following:
When one or more are affected areas of your life: social, work, academic, family, quality of life, health…
When we experience negative emotions intense feelings such as fear, anxiety, hopelessness… that are lasting too long.
When, despite our efforts and involvement, we have not been able to satisfactorily resolve a situation or problem that causes us these negative emotional states intense.
When a psychopharmacological treatment has not been completely effective, or after removing it, the symptoms reappear.
When a important person in your life is affected by a problem that needs professional intervention.
Or simply when, despite none of these circumstances having occurred, we want improve our quality of life and well-being training us in techniques that allow us to improve our assertiveness, self-esteem, problem solving, emotional intelligence…
If you think that you need a psychologist It is important that you choose a qualified professional, with whom you feel comfortable, not judged, understood and who applies those techniques that are scientifically supported. Because let’s not forget that psychology is a science and your well-being is the most important thing.
How does a psychologist help you?
Today, the role of the psychologist It is occupying a more recognized place in our society, but even so, the majority have a wrong idea in mind. They believe that a psychologist is a professional to whom people who have problems and feel overwhelmed go, they tell them about it with the aim of letting off steam and these, the psychologists, “cheat their ears” so that they stop giving it importance (as if they were a magic trick it was) and thus be able to continue with his life, until the glass overflows again. When you go to any of the types of psychologists, these professionals will help you in various ways:
Be aware of the experiences that have caused the problem: It is very common not to know why you are wrong but the truth is that you are. You think that everything is going well in your life and despite some problems, you believe that it is not enough to be like this. A psychologist can help you discover what is blocking you and become aware of what has caused your discomfort so you can change it. Therefore, the psychologist It can help you take control of your life to make changes and empower yourself.
Helps you vent and listens to you carefully: In a friendship relationship it is normal that when you explain your problems to the other person you feel that you are annoying, you do not want to bother or sometimes you may feel that you are not heard enough. The psychologist is not going to explain his life to you, so that space is only for you. This way, you can vent everything you need, the psychologist will help you order that relief and to be able to look for solutions to the problem.
It helps you prioritize difficulties and provide yourself with resources to solve them: Sometimes problems get tangled and you don’t know how to solve them. He psychologist It will help you prioritize difficulties, relativize what is not so serious and look for solutions. In this way, psychological therapy will help you learn techniques to manage these discomforts.
Help to be aware of the core values or beliefs that limit you: The psychologist can help you be aware of the values you have that prevent you from leading a satisfactory life, the experiences or learnings that have turned some thoughts into core beliefs that prevent you from bringing out the best version of yourself, and therefore, help you. to modify those entrenched values that incapacitate you.
You know that what you say will not be questioned and will be secret: The psychologist is a professional that maintains confidentiality. Whatever you say, it won’t leave the walls of the office where you do therapy. Therefore, you can be sure that it will be a secret. Furthermore, psychologists do not judge what our patients tell us, we have it as a fundamental principle. No matter how strange what you feel may seem to you or you are embarrassed to say it, the psychologist will surely have heard something similar before and we do not make value judgments, our goal is always to try to understand and help the person in front of us.
You should know that all psychologists must be in possession of the membership number which validates them to offer their clinical therapy services. This means that professionals have obtained the necessary training to practice as clinical psychologists.
What does therapy with a psychologist consist of?
Many people trust that the changes produced by going to a psychological therapy They will be quick and the person who comes to therapy will improve from a passive role, as if by magic, without getting involved or making an effort. Nothing is further from reality. This expectation has to be adjusted, since, as mentioned previously, for the therapy to work well, effort, perseverance and dedication are necessary on the part of the person requesting help. Furthermore, psychological therapy has its phases and times to begin to observe the long-awaited changes.
“Psychological therapy will never work if the person does not make an effort and get involved”
The time of duration of psychological therapy It depends on the person, the problem that has brought them to therapy and their involvement. In this way, psychological therapy is divided into 4 phases:
First phase: Evaluation In this phase, all the relevant information is collected to be able to understand the problem that has led the person to go to therapy. It is a very important phase, since the entire therapy will be built from the evaluation.
Second phase: Explanation of hypotheses Once the information has been collected and the reason for the consultation is understood, the psychologist explains it to the person who comes to therapy, so that they understand why the problem originated and what variables are influencing it to remain in the present moment.
Third phase: Therapy It is the longest phase of therapy, its duration will vary depending on the case. In this phase, the psychologist teaches different techniques to overcome the problem, and the person seeking help has to practice them between sessions, with the aim of mastering them and applying them in their daily lives.
Fourth phase: Follow-up When the therapy has successfully completed, the sessions will be spaced out over time with the aim of creating independence and security in the person who has attended therapy, and monitoring their improvement.
Myths about psychologists
Perhaps it is the first time that you consider the option of Go to the psychologist Maybe you don’t “believe” in psychologists or you think that you have to solve problems on your own without help or by talking to family and/or friends. The reason for this article is to resolve your doubts and explain how a psychology professional can help you.
The first thing I am going to do is give you a professional point of view to some statements that you may have made to yourself at some point or that are floating around in your head:
This is not magic or unproven science. Psychologists are health professionals who work with corroborated theories and scientifically proven techniques. Say you don’t believe in psychology It would be like saying that you don’t believe in medicine (that a pill can cure you). Until you try it, you don’t know that it works and that in the same way that medication helps relieve symptoms, psychology helps resolve internal conflicts, dissatisfactions and how you deal with the difficulties in your life.
Why am I going to pay a psychologist if I have friends and family?
Obviously it is important that you lean on your loved ones when you have a problem; It is much worse that you keep quiet and swallow it yourself since we need to feel heard, that they advise us and try to help us but that is not enough. A psychologist is not a friend and is not there to chat. No matter how strange it may seem to you, a good psychologist will never (or rarely) give you advice, what we do is help you reflect, ask you the key questions that will help you resolve your conflicts, give you information on a professional level (which which we call psychoeducation) and help you solve problems and difficulties on your own, in addition to helping you unblock what is preventing you from changing. A friend or family member cannot do that because they do not have the necessary tools to do it and even if that friend is a psychologist, they will not be able to help you in the way you need, since the role you have is contaminating the impartial and objective relationship that has to have the psychologist (external person).
Going to the psychologist is weak
Quite the opposite, it’s weak to hide your head in the ground like ostriches. Go to the psychologist It is facing your ghosts, taking the bull by the horns, that is, being aware of your difficulties and facing them. Furthermore, when you undergo psychotherapy, you analyze yourself, get to know yourself better and change aspects of your life that are not going well, so you become a stronger, more capable and decisive person, that is, you grow as a person. Therefore, going to a psychologist is brave and is a smart option when you have been having problems for a while and cannot solve them on your own.
When is it indicated to go to the psychologist?
Many people wait until they can’t take it anymore, are at their limit or have been down for a long time. Other people don’t want to go because they think it’s a resource only for “crazy people.” Well no, in reality anyone can go to a psychologist who has an issue that they want to work on and who does not know how to do it themselves; It is not necessary to suffer from a mental disorder to go and the problems do not have to disable you or interfere with your daily life. There are people who go for personal growth, to get to know themselves a little better, work on family, relationship, personal problems (for example, being a person very dedicated to others or being very self-demanding) or for any other reason. The important thing is to go with predisposition to change
“When we are not able to change the situation we are faced with the challenge of changing ourselves.”
