Radiobina | A different experience from life
Knowing well who will be the psychologist who will treat you in psychotherapy sessions is really very important. Not only do you have to make sure that you are going to be a trained and qualified psychological assistance professional. In addition, it will be necessary to ensure that their areas of work and specialization are compatible with our needs. During the development of this article, we will see the keys to knowing how to choose a psychologist correctly, and what should we look at to assess each option.
How to choose my therapist ?
When looking for a psychologist, you should keep the following points in mind:
- Make sure the therapist is really a psychologist.
In some places, only those who have completed a degree in psychology are considered psychologists. And, therefore, they have a Bachelor’s or University Degree in this field. But, if what you are looking for is a psychologist who treats you as a patient, there is something that you should also take into account. - Look at the graduate training he or she has.
To be able to give psychotherapy, it is necessary to have gone through at least some postgraduate or master’s training program. Note in which areas the therapist has continued to progress beyond the foundations provided by psychology. - Make sure he or she gives therapy in your language.
The language will not give us information about the professionalism and experience of a psychologist, but we must not forget that in psychotherapy it is very important to understand oneself well.
Therefore, make sure your therapist understands your native language well. - Make sure he or she is registered with the Official College of Psychologists.
Every psychologist who has sessions with patients must have a collegiate number in the official college of psychologists. Entity that ensures the quality standards of the services offered and to ensure compliance with the code of ethics.
In case what you are looking for does not have to do with the clinical or health field, then if you can count on the services of a psychologist without collegiate. - See how many years he has of experience.
There is a difference between spending time in psychotherapy for a decade and having a career path of two years. Value the knowledge that long careers offer, as psychology is not only learned in college classes. - Look at the specialization.
In the field of psychology, there are many specializations. Look carefully for the professional profiles that best suit your problem or need.
For example, if you need a therapist to take the case of a child in preschool, then try to make them experts in child and adolescent psychotherapy. - Make sure you have the necessary means.
If you are looking for a specific treatment, special equipment may be required.
For example, if you require the use of neurofeedback, then check that the therapist can perform this service with the electronic devices available. If you are looking for a therapy that treats your phobias in virtual reality, it will be the same. - Look at the objectives.
Observe the modus-operandi in which the therapist you are planning to go to works. Ask how goals are set.
It is expected that in the first 3 meetings, a goal and a deadline will be established to check if the objectives are reached. If the therapist does not want to commit to this, it is not a good sign. - Look for opinions.
It is always helpful to seek opinions about the therapist with other clients you may have already had. You can find feedback on the internet, but don’t trust a single comment. - See if he or she varies in fees.
A psychologist should not vary his fees depending on the difficulty of the treatment. Nor in the complexity of the disorder or problem to be treated. The rate is established by time and generally, these are fixed in an amount to be paid per session.
This is easy information to obtain as this information is normally available on the psychologist’s or clinic’s website. - See if your therapist uses pseudoscientific language.
Another tip to know how to choose your psychologist well has to do with detecting warning signs. One of them is the language full of pseudoscientific concepts or that allude to a practically magical reality.
For example, ideas such as that mental disorders are a consequence of past lives or that we must let the energy of the disorder shows itself in our body, or that water has memory, etc.
To easily identify them, it must be remembered that psychotherapy is a fundamentally psychological intervention aimed at unlearning some behaviors and learning others. In a similar way to how we do it unconsciously in our day-to-day life outside of the office. But in this case, being guided by professional behavior. - Do not stop evaluating the results.
After you have identified the other points above, and have started psychotherapy, do not uncritically accept everything that the professional offers. If you feel that you are not reaching the goals that you have set for yourself, let your therapist know, and if his response does not convince you, you have the freedom to change therapist.
